Southwest Chicken Enchiladas

One of my favorite perks of taking this food blog journey has been whenever we make something so good that it makes your eyes roll back a little and you know that this tastes better than restaurant quality…and you made it yourself! We’re far from our old backup frozen pizza days around here…

We absolutely loved living in Boston for the past 3 years and exploring all of the amazing restaurants that the city had to offer. We had some of the best Italian food in Boston’s North End, fresh seafood, but there was one thing they were missing…good Tex Mex. As a couple of born and raised Texans, we were always on the lookout for a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that could satisfy our Tex Mex craving. We found some pretty tasty food along the way, but nothing could really compare.

Here in Alabama we’ve found a couple of restaurants that have come closer to Tex Mex glory, but we’ve pretty much decided that we’re going to have to try to master the art of Tex-Mex at home. I think that we hit the jackpot with these enchiladas.

We have fallen for these cheesy southwest chicken enchiladas and life may never be the same again. Homemade enchilada sauce and from scratch tortillas filled with the perfect blend of cheese, seasoned chicken, black beans, and corn. Top with a little fresh cilantro and your taste buds will be in Tex Mex heaven. This recipe is a little time intensive for sure, but the pay off is SO worth it!

Ingredients:

For the Tortillas (This is for one batch of homemade tortillas. We usually double these amounts.)

• 1 Cup flour
• 1/2 Cup yellow corn meal
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 Cups cold water (give or take a little)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash of black pepper

For the Sauce

• 4 Tbs vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 5 Tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 cups chicken stock

For the Enchiladas

• homemade tortillas
• prepared enchilada sauce
• diced cooked chicken (we seasoned ours with a little homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained & rinsed (or cooked frozen corn)
• shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese
• cilantro (to taste)

Directions:

For the Tortillas

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl.
2. Beat with a wire whisk until smooth.  (May need to add a bit more water — or flour, depending on the consistency. It should have the consistency of pancake batter.)
3. Scoop batter with 1/3 measuring cup. Pour onto prepared nonstick griddle or frying pan (we spray ours with a little Pam in between tortillas to prevent sticking) and quickly spread using the bottom of the measuring cup or a spatula spreader to make a very thin (approx. 6 inch) pancake. —This is by far the most difficult part of this recipe. Don’t stress about the shape of the tortillas too much and be patient. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it (another reason we usually double the recipe).
4. Flip tortillas when edges begin to look dry, not
   brown.  Cook on other side briefly.  Keep warm in covered pan.

For the Sauce

1. Heat oil in a small/medium pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add flour and whisk together for about one minute.
3. Mix in the seasonings (chili & garlic powder, salt, cumin, oregano).
4. Slowly add in the stock, whisking constantly to keep smooth and lump-free.
5. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally) until slightly thickened.

For the Enchiladas

1. Spread a little of the enchilada sauce along the bottom of a casserole dish.
2. Dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce or spread a spoonful of sauce on each tortilla before filling.
3. Fill each tortilla with a little of each ingredient in this order: shredded cheese, chicken, black beans, corn, a little more cheese.
4. Slowly roll up the tortillas and place seam side down on sauce.
5. Spread remaining sauce evenly over enchiladas and top with about 1 cup of shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until
   cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through.

Moore Cookin’ Original Recipe

Enchilada Sauce Recipe Adapted From Gimme Some Oven