Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Here is one of our family's favorite meals! It is also what I most often take to friends who just had a baby, or have been sick. We serve this with refried beans, and with some salsa and sour cream on the side.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Original recipe by Terri Cendejas

Makes 12-20 servings (2 13x9 baking dishes)

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup flour

1 Tb ground cumin

1 Tb chile powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

pepper

1 cup canned green chiles, pureed or chopped (or 8 oz chopped green chiles)

6 cups water (or 3 cups water & 3 cups chicken stock)

7 cooked chicken breast halves, cut up into small cubes (or 2-3 cups diced turkey or chicken)

1.5 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)

1.5 lb grated mozzarella cheese (about 3 cups)

16 large (12”) flour tortillas, use more if they are smaller (Can also use corn tortillas)

                                                                                                                                                          

Sauce:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in deep fry pan. Whisk in flour and dry spices to form a roux. Cook for about 3 minutes while stirring. Slowly add liquid to form sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add green chile and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Cool.

Filling:

Toss together chicken and 1-2 cups of sauce. Add ¾ of the cheeses, and toss gently. Reserve 2 cups of sauce. Add remaining sauce to the chicken and cheese mixture and combine.

Assembly:

Ladle ½-¾ cup sauce on bottom of each baking dish. Spread evenly. Taking one tortilla at a time, spoon filling along one side and roll up, leaving ends open. Place enchilada in baking dish. Repeat until all the filling is gone, squeezing enchiladas into the pan if necessary. Top both pans of enchiladas with even layer of remaining enchilada sauce... it won’t cover completely, but each enchilada should have at least a little dab. Finish with remaining grated cheese spread evenly on top of both pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and browning slightly on top. Once assembled, you can refrigerate the enchiladas and heat later. Heating will take 10-15 minutes longer.

Tips:

Make one and freeze one! After assembly, only put cheese on top of the one you will cook immediately. Wrap the second one with plastic tightly over the enchiladas (no air space), and then tightly with foil. With a Sharpie, write the meal name, baking instructions, and date directly on the foil before putting in it the freezer. If you put the second set of enchiladas in a disposable foil pan, you will have a meal you can give away, too.