Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

Remember my hybrid burrito-enchilada concoction?

I call them enchiritos. You should make them. They are delicious flour-tortilla burritos that are smothered in sauce and baked like enchiladas. And they came about because I think making traditional enchiladas is a huge pain. You know, dipping the corn tortillas in the sauce, attempting to neatly stuff the little saucy torts with filling… I always end up with tortillas that break up, a disaster zone in the kitchen, and sauce all over myself.

But recently, I made a black bean-quinoa salad with a chipotle dressing. The recipe called for ONE chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, so I had pretty much a whole can left to use. A quick Google search for chipotle anything landed me here: Tyler Florence’s Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas. A five-star rating (plus the fact that I had most of the ingredients on hand) meant my first attempt at true enchiladas in years.

Before prepping the veggies, I got the chicken going in the pan. Two chicken breasts, seasoned with salt, pepper, and “a Mexican spice blend.” (I used my Oomph! seasoning from Deer Valley, but you could just use a bit of cumin, paprika, chili powder). I browned the chicken and set it aside to cool.

I chopped up an onion, a red pepper, lots of garlic, a scallion, and fresh oregano. I love when my cutting board looks like this!

Next up: the whole reason I was making this recipe! I minced four large chipotle peppers. I also got my canned goods opened up and ready to go- fire-roasted green chiles, enchilada sauce, and two cans of stewed tomatoes.

Let’s cook! We’re making the enchilada filling– sautéing a bunch of goodies, adding one or two at a time. I tossed the onion and peppers into the pan with the chicken juices (mmmm). As the veggies softened, I added cumin, garlic salt, and more Mexican seasonings. Next came the garlic, and I let the ingredients cook for just a minute.

Next, I added a cup of frozen corn, the green chiles, and the chipotles. Spicy! In went the stewed tomatoes. (Side: I didn’t like the big half-tomato chunks, so I cut them into smaller pieces right there in the pan. Next time, I’ll use diced tomatoes.)

I chopped up the chicken into tasty little bites and added it to the filling mixture, along with the chopped oregano. I let the pan simmer while I prepped my creation station.

I prefer flour tortillas myself, but traditional enchiladas use corn tortillas. Per Tyler’s recommendation, I microwaved the tortillas for 30 seconds to soften them up. Then I dipped one in the enchilada sauce, lightly coating both sides. In the baking pan (to avoid even more mess), I scooped some of the filling into the saucy tort and rolled it so the seam side was down. Truth? Aside from my fingertips, it wasn’t a messy situation at all!

I dipped, filled and rolled until I had TWO pans of cute little enchies (note to self: read the “yield” quantity before beginning a recipe). I poured what was left of my enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkled both pans with some green onions and cheese. Like I do with the enchiritos, I left the sides of the enchiladas cheese-less so they’d get crunchy in the oven.

While the two pans baked, I set out some extras– chopped tomatoes, sliced Serrano chiles, more green onions, and cilantro from the garden. And let’s not forget the hot sauce.

How scrumptious do these look? And really, far less trouble than I remembered. Maybe I’m a better cook now than I used to be.

The edges of the corn tortillas were crisp, and the cheese had browned over the top. The filling was delicious- a little spicy with a smoky hint from the chipotle peppers. Saucing the corn tortillas kept the enchiladas from drying out in the oven, and added more flavor. Yum!

We made a decent dent in one pan of enchiladas. The second one went off to work with John, and his employees had a home-cooked meal for lunch. The only problem with that?

Less leftovers for us.

Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas (via Tyler Florence)

You’ll need:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• Two chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (my addition)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can chopped fire-roasted green chiles
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, chopped
• 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes (I prefer diced)
• ½ teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 ½ cups enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar and jack cheeses
• Garnish with cilantro, scallions, chopped tomatoes

Coat large sauté pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, about 7 minutes per side, until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder, and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken and allow to cool.

Sauté onion and red bell pepper in chicken drippings. Add garlic salt, more Mexican seasonings, and more cumin. Add garlic, corn, and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add tomatoes and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Chop or shred chicken breasts. Add chicken to the pan and combine with the vegetables. Add a little flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds. Coat the bottom of 2 13×9 inch pans with enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon ¼ cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Roll tortilla and place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts. Serve with garnishes- and don’t forget the Cholula. YUM! 

**Visit my Food Bliss link for a long list of yummy recipes!**