Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

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"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."



Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Above is one of my favorite quotes from the great MLK, Jr. While it was lovely to have a three day weekend, I hope you'll join me in taking a moment to honor the life and work of a man who greatly shaped the society in which we live in today. His courage inspires me.

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When you're married to a food blogger, you don't get repeat meals often. And while I doubt he minds this very often, there are occasions when, after asking if he's craving anything specific, he'll request something "in the archives" so to speak. Since sour cream chicken enchiladas are pretty much non-existant here, it came as no surprise that he was craving it. And honestly, so was I.

If you haven't had them before, you're missing out. They are creamy, mild in heat, and a bit tangy. Corn tortillas are typically used but I opted for flour this time. Corn made for a very white dish but sort of punctuated the creamy texture we were craving (and are a heck of a lot easier to roll!).

This recipe was originally posted on September 19, 2011.

 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas



For the filling:
Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium-sized onion, diced (optional)
*if using rotisserie chicken, omit salt and pepper

For the sour cream sauce:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Serrano chiles, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of sour cream
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed or one 10 oz. can of tomatillos
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

For the enchiladas
12 corn or flour tortillas
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

If not using rotisserie chicken, sprinkle the chicken breasts on each side with the salt and black pepper. In a large cast-iron set on medium heat, and cook the chicken breasts on each side for three minutes. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take the chicken out of the oven and let cool. Then shred with two forks. Keep the oven on.

While the chicken is baking, in a pot melt the butter. Throw in the diced Serrano chiles and cook until soft, about three or four minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the flour and cook for one more minute. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and whisking constantly cook until chicken broth has thickened. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, cayenne and cilantro. Remove from heat.

If using fresh tomatillos, place them under the broiler on a foil-lined sheet and cook on each side until blackened, about four minutes per side. Place in a blender or food processor along with the sour cream sauce and puree until smooth. If using canned tomatillos, just skip the broiler step.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet and cook the corn tortillas on each side a couple of minutes until soft. Wrap in a cloth to keep warm as you continue to cook all 12. If using flour, skip this step.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour one cup of the sour cream sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Take each corn tortilla and place in the middle about 1/3 cup of shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon of diced onions and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Roll the tortillas around the filling and place the rolled tortillas seam side down in the casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro. Makes 12 enchiladas.

Source: Homesick Texan