chicken and cheese enchiladas

In an attempt to get out of our cooking rut, Dan and I tried a new recipe the other night.  Dan was craving "a casserole or enchiladas"...yes, I know.  So, we went for the cheesiest enchilada recipe we could find.  I'm not going to even try to pretend that this recipe is healthy, but it certainly does taste good!

Of course, we also wanted to choose a recipe that would allow us to use the new blender I got for my birthday from Dan and his parents.  In typical KP fashion, I tried to wash the blender after mixing, forgot that the blade isn't attached and sliced my finger open when trying to catch it.  Sigh.  It bled for what seemed like forever and of course I keep hitting the cut on EVERYTHING.  Light switches have proven to be particularly painful. 

I need to learn how to be able to put pictures together, so this could look more like a film strip.  I stink at this stuff. 

The recipe we used came from the Food Network Kitchens, although we did alter it a little bit in an attempt to add more flavor.  Despite a few steps, it's a relatively easy recipe to make. 

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas adapted from The Food Network Kitchens

1 medium red onion, 1/3 cut into thin slices, 2/3 left whole for broiling

3-4 cloves garlic

1-2 serrano chili peppers (we used two and took the seeds and ribs out, per recipe instructions, but found  

we would leave them in next time for more heat)

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, skins removed and rinced

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

salt, pepper and sugar to taste

8 flour tortillas (the recipe calls for corn, but we both prefer flour)

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

2 and 1 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, divided

2-3 tsp chili powder

2-3 tsp cumin

2 tsp garlic pepper

1/3 + cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 + tbs olive oil

3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

Broil 2/3 of the onion, the garlic, serrano chilis and tomatillos in the oven on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil.   The other third of the onion should be very thinly sliced for garnish. Rotate occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes (the recipe calls for 7 to 10, but ours definitely weren't browned then).   Add them and any juices in the pan to a blender, along with chicken broth, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Blend to desired smoothness and don't forget to taste for seasoning! 

While the vegetables are broiling, mix the rotisserie chicken, monterey jack cheese, chili, cumin, garlic pepper and chopped fresh cilantro in a bowl. 

Heat the flour tortillas in a wet paper towel in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Remove from microwave and roll them each with a few big spoonfuls of the chicken mixture inside and place inside a greased 8 x 12 baking dish. Roll tightly so they'll all fit in the dish!  Brush an additional couple of table spoons of olive oil across the tops of tortillas.  Place under broiler until golden brown about 3 minutes.

Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the additional cup of shredded monterey jack cheese.  You could do less, but we were going for cheesy.  Continue to broil for about another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top.

Remove dish from oven, top with crumbled queso fresco, additional chopped cilantro and sliced onion.  Enjoy!