Sunday, December 5, 2010

Enchiladas Recipe with Chicken Stock

So, you've made your chicken stock and you're tired of eating soup, soup, soup. What else do you do with it? You can freeze it into small containers and use it in cup sized quantities in your recipes (often boiling it down like I do in this recipe). Or, freeze it into ice cube trays and add a cube at a time to a recipe that would seem to accept a little lift from the stock.

The following recipe I came up with because I love Mexican food, especially when I can make it at home, have it taste amazing and be nutritious for me and my family. Also, I wanted to create something other than soup with my chicken stock and left over chicken. So, this is what I came up with! My husband and I both really enjoyed it... for 3 days in a row!

What you'll need

12 corn Tortillas
Oil that can withstand high heat, or saved bacon grease
2 cups of chicken stock
Light and Dark Chicken Meat
Spices such as Cumin, Paprika, Cayenne, Oregano, Salt, Garlic, Celery Seed
Veggies like Corn Kernels, Carrots Chopped into Small Pieces, a bit of chopped spinach
1 Onion, chopped, divided
Couple Cloves of Garlic
1 cup Salsa
3 Tablespoons Tomato paste
1 cup water
1 can crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 lb Jack Cheese

How you'll do it
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a pot, place stock and chicken together and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to rolling simmer and allow liquid to simmer out.   Season with spices listed to personal taste while there is still enough liquid to easily disperse spices and add veggies plus a few Tablespoons of the chopped onion (save the rest for the sauce). 

Continue to boil down.  Chicken should shred on it's own during this process (especially is you've used frozen chicken pieces left over from the chicken you've roasted for your stock), but if they haven't shredded, give them a nudge in the right direction with a fork.  If there is left over liquid in pot, you may add this to the sauce in the next steps.


In a large frying pan at med-high heat add 3 Tbsp of oil or grease. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas and soften them so they behave for you as you roll your enchiladas.

Saute the chopped onion until translucent then toss in garlic and cook for a few seconds longer (don't want to burn garlic, as it burns easily), then turn off the heat. Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed fire roasted canned tomatoes.

Oil the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese and chicken veggie mixture and roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan.

Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled.

Add the sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan.  This should cover the tortillas and fill the dish.

Cover with the rest of the grated cheese.

Put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Suggestions for serving: sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, lettuce...

Enjoy!

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