Happy Cinco de Mayo! My oldest son loves Mexican food. Heck, most of us here do. This was my first attempt at making Chicken Enchiladas and they must have turned out okay…there wasn’t any left. Hubby bought enchilada sauce, I opened it and threw it away. YUCK! I don’t know what it was but that had me set on making my own. We all loved these, so maybe, the homemade sauce wasn’t so bad.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 chicken breast halves
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sweet whole kernel corn
- 1 can medium black olives, broken in pieces
- 1-10 oz can Rotel Original, Mild or Hot
- or 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 oz cream cheese, low fat
- 8 six inch corn tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1 10 oz can Rotel Original, Mild or Hot
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth, reserved from above
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 to 4 oz cream cheese, lowfat
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican or cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional toppings
- sour cream
- black olives, slices
- diced tomatoes
- green onions, sliced
Directions for Filling:
In a dutch oven; poach (bring to a boil and then simmer) chicken in chicken broth 20 to 30 minutes, depending on thickness, until done and no longer pink inside. Transfer chicken and broth to a bowl and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with forks and put back in broth. In dutch oven, add olive oil and onions. Cook over medium heat until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Stir in Rotel, cumin, oregano, 1/2 cup chicken broth, reserve rest for sauce, cook 10 minutes or until starting to reduce and thicken. Add shredded chicken. corn and olives (my boys love to break the olives) Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese has melted.
For Sauce: Make while chicken is poaching. In a saucepan add Rotel, reserved chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, cumin, oregano and cook on medium until reduced and starting to thicken. Mash tomatoes with a fork or use an immersion blender, if desired. Add cream cheese, stirring to melt. If too thin, simmer to your desired consistency.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rub olive oil on both sides of corn tortillas. Place in oven just long enough to heat and are pliable. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Spray 13×9″ pan. Add 1/8 of filling to each tortilla, roll and place seam side down on top of sauce. Pour sauce over to cover all or part of the enchiladas. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. Add shredded cheese and cook until cheese has melted. Serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
