Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchilada Food

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the tomatillos, onion, serrano, yellow chile and 3/4 cup water in a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and boil until the tomatillos turn olive-green color, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatillos, onion and chiles to a blender. Add the garlic and cilantro and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas until golden but still pliable, about 10 seconds per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Put the tortillas on a work surface. Divide the shredded chicken evenly among the tortillas and roll up each like a cigar. Spread 1/3 cup sauce in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the enchiladas, seam-side down, in one layer snugly inside the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
• Drizzle with the Mexican crema and sprinkle the cheese all over. Bake until the cheese melts and starts to brown in spots, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook chicken in a large pot over medium heat with water. Cook for about 25 minutes.
• Reserve some of the water the chicken was cooked in, about 2 cups of broth.
• Shred chicken with two forks.
• If using the onion (highly recommend) add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a skillet over medium high heat and saute for 2 minutes. Stir onions and now add the minced garlic to pan. Cook garlic for about 30 seconds over medium heat.
• Add shredded chicken and broth of chicken.
• Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper over chicken and stir mixture together. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken broth reduces a bit. You want to make sure chicken stays moist. Set aside.
• Remove stems off of peppers. To remove seeds, flip peppers over to allow seeds to fall out.
• Place in a saucepan with water to cover and heat on medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until peppers are soft.
• Place peppers in a chopper or blender with the other 3 garlic cloves, oregano and 2 cups of water. Blend until smooth ( sauce will still have texture because of pepper skin).
• Strain sauce into a bowl using a strainer so that the skin (and whatever seeds may still remain) is left behind. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Using a pair of tongs, coat tortillas one at a time lightly with sauce or use a cooking brush and coat tortillas on each side lightly.
• In a non-stick skillet fry tortillas on each side for a few seconds. Add a little cooking spray if pan starts to get too sticky. Do not overcook or tortillas will fall apart.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Add about a 1/3 cup of chicken down the middle of each tortilla, followed by monterey cheese.
• Roll tortillas. Assemble and place each tortilla seam side down in a greased baking dish or casserole.
• Add additional sauce on top of tortillas. Cover with additional monterey cheese
• Cover casserole with aluminum and place in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove foil and cook for another few minutes if you like to brown the cheese on top. This step is entirely up to you.
• Once done, let the casserole rest for a few minutes and then add crumbled cheese, red onion (if using) and sprinkle chopped cilantro.
• Serve 1 to 2 enchiladas per person. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
• Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
• Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
• Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Snap the tops off of the dried chilies, and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the water, and place chilies into a food processor or blender with the garlic and salt. Puree until smooth. Press sauce through a strainer, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Soak each tortilla in the sauce, then place in the hot oil. Turn over almost immediately, and fry for about 5 seconds on the other side. Remove to a plate that is lined with paper towels. The easiest way to do this is to fry the tortillas and stack them directly on top of each other until you have fried them all. This will keep the tortillas pliable until you are ready to fill them.
• Take one fried tortilla at a time, and fill with about 2 tablespoons of the queso fresco. Roll up, and place seam side down on a plate. Place three of these on each plate. Top in the following order: Start with a layer of sour cream, then a small handful of lettuce, three tomato slices, 2 more tablespoons of queso fresco, and finally, 1 tablespoon of green onions.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN ENCHILADAS VERDES

Steps:

• Prepare sauce: Heat water in large pot to boiling.
• Add tomatillos, 2 onion halves, 6 garlic cloves, and 7 serrano chiles.
• Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then drain, reserving about 1 cup cooking liquid.
• Place solids in blender or food processor.
• Add remaining onion half, 4 garlic cloves, 3 chiles, the cilantro, and about 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• Process until smooth.
• Heat oil in medium saucepan.
• Add onion slices and saute until lightly browned.
• Stir in sauce and season with salt.
• Simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 30- 45 minutes.
• If sauce thickens too much, thin it with remaining cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, when the sauce ingredients are simmering, prepare stuffing.
• Heat 2 qt water in large pot to boiling.
• Add chicken, onion, garlic, and salt to taste.
• Simmer just until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Let cool, then remove chicken from liquid.
• Remove and discard skin and bones; shred meat.
• Prepare tortillas: When the sauce is nearly ready and the stuffing is ready, heat small amount of oil in skillet over medium heat.
• Cook tortillas one at a time, turning once, just until flexible but not crisp, about 20 seconds each.
• Drain on a thick layer of paper towels wrapped up inside a clean cloth kitchen towel (or tortilla warmer).
• This will drain them and keep them soft and warm.
• Heat oven to 3500°F.
• Coat two 13x9 baking pans with vegetable oil.
• Dip each tortilla in sauce.
• Fill tortillas with shredded chicken and roll up.
• Arrange a dozen filled tortillas in each pan.
• Top with green sauce.
• Spoon creme fraiche (or sour cream) over sauce.
• Sprinkle chopped onion and cilantro over the top.
• Sprinkle cheese over all.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Broil briefly if the top needs some browning.
• Serve hot with refried beans.
• Note:.
• To freeze: Prepare recipe through step 26. Place rolled enchiladas on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze. Place sauce in a second freezer bag and place both bags in a larger bag. Seal and freeze.
• To serve: Thaw in fridge overnight. Complete assembly and bake as directed in recipe.

MEXICAN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (RESTAURANT STYLE)

Steps:

• Place thawed chicken into a 7-10 qt pot. Pour fresh water into pot until the water covers all the chicken + 6 inches more of water. Place pot on burner.
• Put in the 5 bay leaves, 3 tbsp garlic, 1/2 of a onion, 2 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp red pepper flakes.
• Boil on medium-high ( covered ) for 1 hour 20 min or until chicken falls off bone easily.
• Once chicken is cooked, place into a very large bowl. Place in fridge for 20 min to cool down for easy handling.
• While cooling down, drain half the broth and boil the rest uncovered.
• Take chicken out of fridge, begin shredding apart each piece by hand, discarding fat, bones, and knuckles. Make sure you have discarded all of the bones and knuckles.
• Add the lettuce, 2 whole chopped onions, 1 1/2 C pepper jack and 1 1/2 C colby jack cheese, powdered garlic, pepper, salt, chili powder, 1 can olives. Mix until well incorperated. Set Aside.
• Spray lightly 3 13x9 inch pans ( or 4-5 8x8 pans) with cooking spray.
• Pour in all enchilada sauce into pot with boiled broth, mix, turn down heat to medium-low.
• Get another person to assist you.
• Place and single corn tortilla on a wide spatula, place lightly into sauce, leave in no more than 5 seconds. Place tortilla into greased pan, fill with 1/4 c chicken mixture, roll up as tightly as you can without tearing.
• Repeat process until all tortillas and pans are used. Make sure each enchilada is place tightly, and close to eachother.
• Pour remaining sauce, cheese, and olives all over prepared enchiladas, cover with tin foil.
• Place in oven at 350 F for 35 min, broil HI the last 5 minutes uncovered.
• Cool, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream, salsa, green onions.