Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

I know, this isn’t Italian, but I’m Italian and that’s all that matters here.

This is how I make enchiladas. One of those recipes I just sort of made up or picked up somewhere.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans of premium white chicken in water, drained.

1 large can enchilada sauce (this can be mild or medium of red sauce, or green chile sauce)

4 cups of shredded cheese (I use colby and monteray jack, but cheddar works well too)

1 package of burrito size tortillas (preferably a 10-pack, and yes, I said burrito size)

If you choose to use fresh chicken, you can boil or steam it first to cook it through. Then you’ll need to cut it up and partially shred it.

If you use the canned chicken, drain it first.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, mix chicken with 1/3 of enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese, and cook over medium heat until hot.

While this starts cooking, you can get everything else ready. You’ll need a 13×9 glass baking dish. I lightly coat the baking dish with extra virgin olive oil so the food won’t stick and then set the dish to the side on the counter. Remove the tortillas from package (unless you feel like making your own) and place them on the counter next to the baking dish in a stack. Once the mixture is heated, set the skillet on a hot pad next to the tortillas. This is sort of like an assembly line. LOL

Place a small amount of cheese on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the mixture on top of that.

Bring the end of the tortilla closest to you up and fold it over the mixture, tuck it under and roll the tortilla closed, then place it in the baking dish. Repeat this process until all of the mixture is gone. It should give you approximately 7 to 9 enchiladas.

Once you have all of the enchiladas in the baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce over the top of them and then cover that with cheese.

Bake at 375 for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, remove from oven and serve.

This serves approximately one enchilada per person.

(not the best picture, I know)

Cook and prep time takes about an hour if using the canned chicken, otherwise it’ll take a bit longer if you have to cook the chicken separately. Just make sure to cook the chicken thoroughly, until it is no longer pink inside.

NOTE: you can add whatever else you’d like to this. Umi (my mother) is a very picky eater, so I don’t add anything.

Enjoy!

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