Chicken Enchiladas

I am not usually one for New Years Resolutions but I figure I'd give it a try this year.  My resolution this year is to blog more so be prepared to hear from me a lot more than 2015.  One big perk of blogging more is I need to cook more and therefore EAT more!! :)  It also means I need to keep cooking a variety of different recipes so I'd figured I'd start this year out with a recipe I had never tried before: Chicken Enchiladas.  If you have read this blog or have seen my Instagram, you can tell I love Mexican food, but I have never made enchiladas before.  And to challenge myself even more I decided to make my own enchilada sauce as well instead of buying a can.  I can tell you, although there was little effort involved, it was well worth the effort.  The sauce added just the right amount of kick to the dish and my husband absolutely loved it (even though he had another pot to clean because of it).

One thing I really enjoyed about these enchiladas as opposed to others I have had in the past is their freshness.  Although in essence it is still a meat filled tortilla covered in sauce and cheese, using chicken (instead of beef) and adding the green pepper and corn provide the dish a good balance between light and heavy foods.  That being said, I was still only able to eat one enchilada for dinner.

You might think that making enchiladas is complicated, but it really is not as long as you remain organized and set up your prep station ahead of time.

 Flour and oil mixture

 Flour, oil, chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne

 Enchilada Sauce simmering

 Green pepper, corn, sour cream and chicken mixture

 One of my husband's enchiladas... he is not a fan of green peppers

Ingredient Count: 15  (I only had to buy 7)

Enchilada Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
• 1 Tbsp. flour 
• 1/8 cup chili powder 
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 5 oz. tomato paste 
• 1 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper, cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until thick.

• 2 (6-oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced crosswise 
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped 
• 2 ½ cups(s) Colby Jack cheese or taco blend cheese
• 3 Green onions, chopped
• 4 medium flour tortillas, microwaved on high until pliable 
• Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 450°F. Fill a medium saucepan with water.  Bring to a boil and salt the water. Add the chicken, reduce heat and simmer until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool; shred.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green pepper, and 1/4 tsp  salt and pepper; cook,until tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the corn and sour cream. Add the chicken, cilantro, hot sauce 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Spread 1/2 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas tightly and place seam side down in the dish. Continue to do this until the dish is full.  Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and green onions.  Serve on its own or over rice

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa

It has been a while since my last post so I figured I'd start up again with one of my favorite new recipes.  This recipe combines my two favorite things about cooking in warm weather, cooking with fresh produce and grilling.  Since I do not have an outdoor grill I use a grill pan for this recipe.  At first I was intimidated using my grill pan because it would always smoke up but once I learned the proper way to use it, I try to cook with it whenever I can.  I love fresh grill marks on chicken or steak, it just tastes so much better to me than sauteing or baking sometimes, nothing tastes more like summer than grilled meat.

Let me start by saying that I have the absolute worst kitchen to try to use a grill pan in, so I searched the internet for ways to stop my grill pan from smoking up so much and now I have finally found a technique that works.  First off, I pat the meat dry before putting it on the grill pan, this ensures the meat sears correctly and creates the beautiful grill marks on the meat :) .  Next I preheat the pan for at least 10 minutes on a medium high heat.  To test if the pan is hot enough, pour a few drops of water on the pan, if they evaporate immediately, the pan is hot enough.  If the water steams up, try the test again in a few minutes.  Once the pan is hot, coat the pan with a thin layer of canola oil.  I use canola since it has a high smoke point as compared to olive oil, never use olive oil on a grill pan unless you want a kitchen full of smoke (I have come very close to that before I researched the different smoke points for different oils).  Now I can finally use my grill pan as much as I want without fear of setting off the smoke alarms, although I still open all my windows to make sure the air is circulating because I worry too much.

Salsa

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced (about 3 cups)
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
juice of one lime

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 Tsp salt

Tacos

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp salt

1/4 Tsp pepper

8 flour or corn tortillas

In a bowl, combine the mango, pepper, onion salt, olive oil and lime juice.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Rub the mixture onto the chicken, set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the grill or grill pan.  Grill the chicken for 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.  Let the chicken rest and slice into strips

Divide the chicken between the tortillas and top with salsa.  Every so often to mix things up, I add avocado as well.

Better quality pictures to come