When I woke up today, I was ecstatic to see what a wonderful morning
it was. The past week here in The City of Angels was rather cold and
wet, so waking up to see that the Sun had finally broken through gave
me quite the bit of joy. So much so, I thought today is a perfect day
to make some Chicken Enchiladas. Enchiladas always remind me of Summer
weekends spent with my family. All 421 of them... what!! I'm Mexican
and darn proud of having 12 aunts and uncles ;O) I remember how
we would all sit outside enjoying stories we'd all heard a thousand
times, told 6 different ways, by 4 different people, while embracing
the smell of the California chili, garlic, and rice in air. I can close
my eyes right now and see everyone enjoying each other’s company and
laughter as we all devoured each tortilla smothered in enchilada sauce
with chicken rolled inside of it; topped with lettuce, Mexican sour
cream, salsa, and cotija cheese. On the side, we always had some
Mexican rice with it. YUMMY…. although my personal trainer recently
told me I should start cutting back on my carbs if I know what's good
for me. Damn her. Damn her I Say ;O)
Sooo with all these memories and the sun shining, I ran to Fresh N
Easy, grabbed  some chicken, California chili pods, tortillas,
tomatoes, onions, lettuce, sour cream, and cotija cheese. All of this
for under 20 bucks!!! Doesn’t get better than that! Not only is this
dish amazingly good, but also during these difficult times it is also
pretty darn economical. 2 Gold Stars for me yay!

Chicken Enchiladas

Prep/ Cook time: ~1 hour              Servings: 6-8           Type: Main dish

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

2 ½ inch slices of onion (1 for chicken, 1 for enchilada sauce)

Salt to personal taste

California chili pods: ½ a 3 ounce bag.

1 Garlic clove

1 Tsp dry oregano

Half of an iceberg lettuce finely chopped

Cotija cheese

Mexican sour cream or sour cream is fine

Salsa roja as desired

Directions:

Wash
chicken breasts thoroughly. Place in pot, add enough water to cover
breast and bring to boil (this will get rid of any yucky stuff left in
the chicken). In another pot, bring to boil about a quart of water.
Transfer chicken from first pot as soon as it starts to boil. Bring to
boil. Add slice of onion and salt to taste. Let boil uncovered for 20
minutes. Let your sense of smell embraces the chicken and onion
fragrance. Place chicken breast in a plate and let them cool down.
Shred chicken. Set aside.

In
another pot, add California chili pods (another one of my favorite
scents), garlic, and onion. Add water to cover the chili's. Boil for 10
minutes. In a blender, add chili's, onion, garlic, oregano, and water
used to boil the chili's in. Puree and transfer in to a 6in bowl. Set
aside.

In a
pan, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Heat up oil using low/
medium heat. Dip both sides of the tortilla in the tasty enchilada
sauce you just made. Place the tortilla in the pan. Cook for about a
minute and then turn over using spatula. Cook for another minute. The
oil will run low, depending on the amount of enchiladas you are making.
Add oil as needed. Try not to overcook the tortilla, you just want to
soften it not make it crunchy. Transfer it to a plate, add whatever
amount of chicken you desire and roll up. You can use a fork to assist
you so you do not burn your little fingers. Now put it in a serving
dish lined with napkins to catch the extra grease. Continue to do this
for as many enchiladas you want to make. Unused enchilada sauce can be
stored in the fridge for about a week or you can discard unused portion
or use it alllll up ;O) which is what I usually do.

Now to bring it all together :O)

In a
plate, place the amount of enchiladas you and your guest want to eat.
On top, garnish with lettuce, Mexican sour cream, cotija cheese, and
salsa. I normally serve this dish with Mexican rice. I will soon be
posting my Mexican rice and salsa recipes; so make sure to keep an eye
out and check back!! Hasta la proxima

Buen provecho!