Chicken Enchiladas

I've made some minor adjustments to a recipe given to me by my friend Gavin. What I like about this recipe is that it's easy, not exacting, and the result is always great.

What I mean by "not exacting" is that you can play with the measurements. Also, if you have crummy tortillas as I did last night, it really doesn't matter. They would not roll up, but immediately starting splitting and breaking up. No matter, I just covered with sauce and cheese. Rather than serving up as individual enchiladas, it was more like a Mexican lasagna -- I used a spatula and cut into squares.

Chicken Enchiladasrecipe

2 dozen corn tortillas
1 chicken (3-4 lbs.)
1 pint sour cream
2 cups grated cheddar

4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 10 oz. can Rotele tomato and chiles
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes or puree
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt

This produces a mildly spicy sauce. For more heat add 1 small can chopped chiles.

In a deep pot, cover chicken with water and boil for about an hour. Remove from water and let cool, then strip the meat and dice it. Combine with sour cream and 1 cup grated cheddar.

While chicken is boiling, get another deep pot or dutch oven, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until soft. Stir in Rotele, crushed and diced tomatoes (and chiles of desired), oregano and salt. Bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes

Using a glass chafing dish, dip tortillas in sauce one at a time and place in dish. Add some chicken mixture and roll up. Fill the dish. The amount of filling per tortilla is a matter of personal preference and your ability to roll it up. The number of enchiladas will of course depend on how full you fill them. I usually end up with 18-20, and it takes one 9" x 13" and one 8" x 8" dish.

Cover the enchiladas with a layer of sauce and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serves 8 - 10.

I generally have a few cups of sauce left over. For breakfast this morning I fried a couple of eggs, warmed the sauce and poured it over the eggs for an easy huevos rancheros.