These authentic chicken enchiladas give me a sense of "coming home." You see, I was an exchange student to Mexico in 1991. I had a wonderful host mom named Graciela and she made some great dishes. I was lucky enough to get her recipe for these enchiladas. I remember her food was so good that I ended up eating extra, thinking that I would never experience such food again. I have been back to Mexico several times since then, but it is extra special to be able to enjoy these dishes at home as well.
I hope you enjoy these enchiladas!
Here is a video of the recipe & below is a written version of it:
Graciela's Chicken Enchiladas:
2 chicken breasts
water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
fresh ground pepper
12 corn tortillas
Olive Oil
3 pasilla chiles, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
Salt to taste
1 jalepeno chile, chopped (optional)
crema mexicana sour cream
queso fresco mexican cheese, or mozarella cheese, grated
Shredded Chicken:
Fill a medium saucepan halfway up with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add in the onions, cumin, oregano, salt and ground pepper. Add in the 2 chicken breasts. Allow the water to come to a simmer again. Do not bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and let cook for 20 minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan and let cool on a plate for 15-20 minutes, then shred and set aside.
Enchiladas:
Heat the oven to 350F.
Fry the tortillas in a small frying pan, one at a time with olive oil over medium heat. Place them on a plate.
Take the chopped pasilla peppers, onions and garlic and place them in a bowl. Add salt to taste. Heat about 3 teaspoons of olive oil in a frying pan and saute the vegetable mixture until softened. Check for seasoning and adjust.
To roll the enchiladas, take a tortilla and place a small amount of the shredded chicken in the center. Roll up the tortilla tightly and place in a 13x9 pan. Roll the remaining enchiladas in the same way. Put the chile-onion mixture on top of the enchiladas, then top with sour cream and queso fresco to taste. Bake in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes. Serve with extra sour cream and cheese.
Enjoy!
Bring joy to your kitchen! :)