Ingredients
- Peanut oil, canola oil, or other high smoke point oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (or peanut or canola)
- 1/2 onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 14-ounce can (about 1 3/4 cup) crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
- 3/4 cup of chopped cooked green chilies (about a 4-ounce can), or 1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeños (more or less to taste, depending on the heat of the chilies and how spicy you want your enchiladas)
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (DON’T use too much)
- 1 lb (4 cups) of jack cheese, cheddar , or a mix, grated
- 2 cups shredded grilled chicken (optional – I use leftover BBQ chicken)
- A sprinkle of cilantro and sour cream (optional – for garnish)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large frying pan at medium-high heat add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is shimmering and hot (not quite smoking), add a corn tortilla to the pan. Cook it for 2-3 seconds, use a metal spatula to turn it over, and cook it for 2 to 3 seconds more. Lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook the second tortilla for 2-3 seconds, lift both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding more oil as needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. It's important to pre-cook the tortillas because not only does cooking them help soften them for rolling, cooking them in a little fat helps develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove them to a plate.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the green chilies. Add 1 cup of enchilada sauce and 1 cup chicken broth. Add the oregano. Bring to a simmer and taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce. Remove from heat
- Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a 3-quart casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese (add shredded chicken), then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled.
- Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the * casserole pan. Make sure the rolled up tortillas are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little enchilada sauce to thin the sauce to spread it more evenly over the tortillas. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
(* I use two 8x12 baking dishes – cook one and freeze one for another day)
Garnish and serve enchiladas with cilantro and sour cream.
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