Chicken Enchiladas

from thepioneerwoman.com

I think there's only a handful of people who I would get super star-struck if I ran into them.  Top person on my list would be Ree Drummond.  The Pioneer Woman.  The red head of all red heads.  If you haven't seen her show on Food Network, go watch her new episodes every Saturday morning she changed my life.  ANYWAY, This recipe is a combination of two of her enchilada recipes, and it just might've been my favorite enchilada dinner ever!  And the list of ingredients isn't too long, always a plus!

I N G R E D I E N T S

--For the Sauce--

--28 oz red enchilada sauce (or green chile, if you prefer!)

--2 cups low sodium chicken broth

--1 tbsp. flour

--1 tbsp. canola oil

--1/2 tsp. salt

--1/2 tsp. pepper

--Rest of Ingredients--

--~2 cups cheddar cheese

--1 white onion, diced

--16 corn tortillas

--3 chicken breasts

--1/4 cup canola oil

--cumin, chili powder, for seasoning

--cilantro, optional, for garnish

--Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan on medium-low heat, combine flour and oil and whisk together, allowing this to bubble up for 2-3 minutes.  This will be the base for your sauce!

--Next, pout in chicken broth, followed by the can of enchilada sauce.

(Sorry for how bright some of these pictures are, my kitchen lights are operating room bright!)

--Also toss in the salt and pepper, and bring this to a boil.

--Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes while you get started on the other components.

--Over a stove top or on a pan, heat the tortillas over medium heat on each side until warmed, about 30 seconds per side.

--Season each breast liberally with cumin and chili powder on both sides of the chicken, and heat up a skillet with the 1/4 cup oil until it's hot.

--Cook the chicken in the skillet until it's brown on each side and completely cooked through, about 4-5 minutes on each side.

--Transfer the chicken to a plate, and don't clean the skillet out yet!

Once the chicken has cooled, shred it into bite-sized pieces.

--Take your nicely diced onion and toss it right into the skillet with all the seasonings and oils from the chicken.

--After tossing them around for a minute or two, transfer those onto a plate and still don't clean that skillet out!

--Pour your sauce that's been simmering away right into the skillet and allow all the bits and pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan to bubble up and become engulfed in the sauce.  Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat after it's been added to the skillet.

--Pour the extra juices from the chicken into the sauce. This recipe is all about flavor, using it from each step if possible!

--Now comes the fun part:  assembly!!  In a large 9x13 pan, pour in about 2 cups of the sauce to coat the bottom of the pan.

--Dip one of the tortillas into the sauce...

--Sprinkle down the middle your chicken, onions, and cheese...

--And roll it up, placing it face-down in the pan, repeating with each enchilada until the pan is filled.

--Drizzle the top with the remaining sauce, sprinkle cheese over, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.  (yes, this is a different pan, I had already put the other one in the oven, and I fit the remaining six enchiladas in the second dish!)  Once it comes out, option would be to add some cilantro on top for garnish.  Enjoy!!

XOXO