Way back when I made risotto with my homemade stock, I also found myself with tons of shredded chicken straight off the bone. The process of making stock made the meat literally fall off the bone, so I wasn't faced with my usual situation - I'm somewhat averse to the whole bone thing, so I leave way too much meat on the bones when faced with them without assistance. Those bones were picked clean this time!
With so much meat, I really should have made an effort to see how many different recipes I could make like some other challenges I've seen out in the blogosphere. I intend to do that in the future, but this time I had one thing in mind. Enchiladas! I used to consider this dish an unhealthy indulgence that I made once in awhile since there are very few dishes where I use something from a can that isn't beans or coconut milk (okay, there are probably more things....but you get the drift). Now, I found a recipe to make enchilada sauce from scratch which eliminates the processed factor and makes things all around more fun!
Besides the development in sauce, this recipe packs in more vegetables than your typical enchilada recipe and certainly could handle even more. I thought about mixing in some black beans (especially if you want to use less chicken) or chopped spinach. As usual, you could throw in chopped sweet peppers if you actually eat those things :) I'd love to hear about other suggestions.
And finally, besides all of the fun that I had making the enchiladas and thinking up revisions, I will leave you with the ultimate eater's recommendation - my husband says: Best. Enchiladas. Ever.
Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Tyler Florence)
- 1 4lb organic free-range chicken, shredded
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 red onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or chicken drippings if you cook the chicken yourself)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp pickled jalapeno slices, roughly chopped
- 1 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce
- 12 whole grain or whole wheat tortillas (or more depending on size and stuffing)
- 2 cups of grated Cheddar and Jack cheeses
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add cumin, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne to shredded chicken.
- Saute onion and garlic in olive oil (or chicken drippings) until fragrant and soft. Add corn and chiles and mix well. Add tomatoes and saute for 1 minute.
- Add chicken to tomato mixture and stir until heated all the way through and well combined.
- Cover the bottom of 2 13 x 9 inch baking dishes with a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Spread small amount of sauce on a tortilla; fill with chicken mixture. Roll tortilla closed and place seam down in the pan. Top tortillas with remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Chicken Enchiladas