chicken  enchiladas

This recipe was handed down to me from my Mom. While I can't remember the very first time I ate this dish I can remember the overwhelming feeling of happiness each time I would take a bite of these enchiladas. There were 6 of us in our household growing up so she would make 2 large pans of enchiladas every time along with refried beans and arroz con maiz.

Makes about 12 enchiladas

For the chicken
2 bone in chicken breasts
1 & 1/2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of sofrito (I make my own or you can buy Goya sofrito found in the int'l aisle)
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 bay leaf

Additions
About 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid from the chicken
1 can of enchilada sauce (found in the int'l aisle)
Monterey jack cheese (8 oz)
Colby cheese (8 oz)
Corn tortillas
4-5 scallions (thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon of butter
Canola or olive oil

In a pot add in the chicken breasts, water, sofrito, tomato sauce, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper and the bay leaf. Cover the pot with a lid and place it on low to medium heat for about 35 minutes. If you want to make your own sofrito here is how I do it...

In a food processor add in 1 small green bell pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend the sofrito until smooth and that's it. You can freeze individual size portions in a ice cube tray or in ziploc bags for future use as well.

While the chicken cooks grate the cheese and gently toss them together in a bowl. Set it aside.

Slice the scallions thinly and set them aside as well.

Once the chicken is done remove it and set it on a cutting board to cool. Make sure to reserve the cooking liquid. Once the chicken has cooled remove the bones and shred the chicken.

Place the shredded chicken in bowl along with a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid. You just want to add enough to moisten the chicken not soak it. Also add in a few small handfuls of the shredded cheese and combine.

Now let's get the corn tortillas ready. In a small skillet add in a few drizzles of canola or olive oil on low to medium heat. 1 tortilla at a time you want to warm the tortillas on each side. Add in more oil as necessary. This process will make the tortillas more pliable and delicious when we assemble the enchiladas.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter the bottom of your baking dish and add in a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce. This will be our bed for the enchiladas and it will also prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Grab a tortilla and place a few teaspoons of the chicken mixture across the center. Gently roll up the tortilla and place it in the baking dish. Continue until all of the chicken has been used.

Spoon the enchilada sauce over the top making sure all of them are evenly covered. Then add the cheese and finally the scallions. Cover the enchiladas tightly with foil and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

The cheese should be melted through and the enchiladas soft to touch.

Smells and tastes like home...

Enjoy!

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