Chicken Enchiladas

Like I said before, I love mexican food, as you can tell from all my mexican food posts. Here is one that my family loves. They are cheesey chicken enchiladas. As I may have mentioned before, I am a vegetarian and the rest of my family are meat eaters, so I usually have to make 2 meals or at least variations on the same meal. So this is my chicken version which my husband and kids love. I also have my "mommy's" version that I fill with black beans, corn and pepper jack cheese. Amazingly my kids like my version too, but only when all of the chicken ones are gone.

Chicken Enchiladas

3 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can chicken broth
1 carrot, cut in half
1 stalk celery, cut in half
1/2 onion, cut into 2 pieces
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
4 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 chipolte chile, diced
1 tsp adobo sauce (from canned chipolte chile)
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheese, divided
8-12 corn tortillas (makes 12 small or 8 large)
vegetable cooking spray

1. Place the chicken, broth, celery, carrot and onion in a saute pan that has a lid. Add enough water to cover the chicken and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat so that bubbles are just barely breaking the surface. Poach for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. ( you can also poach the chicken when it is frozen just add an extra 5-10 minutes depending on size).

2. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from broth and shred with two forks, or cut the chicken in chunks with a knife. Place shredded chicken in a bowl and set aside while you make the sauce.

3. In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted and heated through. Add the flour and stir to cook the pasty flavor out. Add the chipolte pepper, adobo sauce, tomato past, cumin, and chili powder. Stir to combine and cook stirring about 1 minute. Add the broth and water and whisk to stir out any lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer to thicken slightly. Turn off heat and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in a damp towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot and pliable. Add 1/4 cup of the sauce and 1 cup of the cheese to the chicken mixture. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in a 13 x 9 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top the enchiladas with the reserved cheese and then cover with sauce.

5. Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until bubbly. Cool slightly before dishing up so that they will come out of the pan without falling apart.

Veggie Filling

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cup frozen white corn, thawed
1 chipolte chili
1 can fire roasted green chilis, drained
1 cup pepper jack cheese
2 Tbs. enchilada sauce