nearly chicken-less enchiladas

I've been trying to reduce the number of pre-packaged spice mixes I use. When I first started cooking, I was completely dependent on them--sloppy joes, tacos, curry, spaghetti sauce, soup, pretty much everything except teriyaki sauce.

Packaged enchilada sauce is the most recent break-up. This is pretty closely based on the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. When I first made the soup, the kids said, "This is like enchiladas for people with no teeth"  Or more precisely, "Tastes good, but it shouldn't be a smoothie."

Thankfully, I fixed both recipes. This is a from-scratch enchilada recipe with a ton of vegetables and a lot of options for filling. I usually go for sliced cooked chicken (a great way to use Costco chicken), or extra chicken from another meal, as long as it's not strongly flavored. I've also made it from leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Best to make a bunch of these and freeze the rest for another day. Also, make sure you set out the proper assembly dishes so your counter doesn't end up looking like it had a nosebleed.

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Enchilada Sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
1 carton of chicken broth
3T chili powder
4T cumin
3 bay leaves
A bit of brown sugar
1-2 handfuls of corn tortila chips, smashed up
Juice of a lime
Jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 package of at least 12 corn tortillas
1 bag of shredded jack + cheddar cheese

Filling #1
A bit of olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 cooked chicken thighs
1 onion
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper
1 can of corn

Filling #2
Spanish Rice (for a meatless option)

Optional add-ins
A few handfuls of fresh baby spinach

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Making the Sauce
Dump tomato paste, tomato sauce, chicken broth, chopped jalapeno and spices into a pot and bring to a boil. Add a bit of brown sugar and lime juice. Bring to a rolling boil and let it reduce down a bit. Take a couple handfuls of tortilla chips, smash them up with your hands and sprinkle into sauce. This will thicken it up a bit. Adjust with brown sugar and lime if necessary. (I find it works better to add brown sugar first because the lime is the stronger flavor.) Remove from heat and set aside.

Making the Filling
Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a pan and add garlic. Add onions and cook until it starts to brown. Add red and green peppers, corn and chicken. Add a couple ladles of enchilada sauce. Add a couple handfuls of cheese in and stir until it just melts. The mixture will look sticky.

Enchilada Assembly
Add a few ladle-fuls of enchilada sauce into a 9-inch pie pan, or similar dish. Spoon another ladle-ful of enchilada sauce onto a dinner plate. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 in pyrex pan with a thin layer enchilada sauce. You will also need a spare 8 x 8 pan to hold a few extras.

Drop one tortilla into the pie pan and coat both sides well. Once this is done, move it to the dinner plate. Add 2-3 spoonfuls of filling in a line a little off from center of the tortilla. Roll and put it in the pyrex container, lip side down. Pour a bit of enchilada sauce over the finished enchilada so the tortilla won't crack. Repeat until you use up all the tortillas.

If there is any filling left, sprinkle it over the composed enchiladas. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and the sauce gets bubbly.

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