What's Cookin' Wednesday - Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe online, here, and prepared it for dinner last night. Holy Toledo Batman! My kids and husband ate like they haven't eaten in weeks. They raved about this recipe and begged me to make it again right away!!



Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (1 1/2 cups) enchilada sauce (I use Mild)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided
12 6-inch corn tortillas
cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Add the minced garlic to the enchilada sauce in a deep skillet and heat to boiling. The recipe calls for 1 can, well, my can was only 10 ounces, not a cup and a half, so I would definitely want to have a little more sauce the next time. Generously sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper over the chicken breasts and then nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce, set aside and let both the chicken and the sauce cool.

Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts. Transfer the shredded chicken to a large bowl. Add half the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup each of the Monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses and the 1/2 cup of cilantro to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.

Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds until pliable and warm. Using cooking spray (if desired), oil a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the center of the tortilla. Gently, but firmly, roll the tortilla around the filling and place into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Lightly spray the tortillas with cooking spray (or brush lightly with olive oil). This will help the tortillas turn golden in the oven and will also help keep them from cracking. (Mine totally cracked, but I didn't care). Place baking dish in the oven, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until the tortillas begin to turn golden.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro. Lightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place into the oven for 20 minutes. (I ran out of tin foil, so I didn't cover it - worked out just fine). Carefully remove foil after 20 minutes and bake, uncovered, for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden. (I skipped this step since my enchiladas weren't covered with foil to begin with).

Remove form the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

We served with sour cream and chopped avocado. Yummmmmmmo!