CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH RED CHILE SAUCE

Filed under Main Dishes
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sugar
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the  onion, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.

Place the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside.  Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the onion mixture. Stir 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese and the cilantro into the chicken and onions. Toss to combine.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla (if necessary, soften the tortillas by heating them in the microwave). Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Let's Dish
I really, really love these chicken enchiladas with their creamy white sauce and I never thought a red sauce enchilada could compete.  But these can!  The secret is most definitely the homemade sauce.  If I knew red enchilada sauce was so easy to make and so much better than the canned stuff, I would have been making it a long time ago.  I like to double the sauce when I make this recipe, just so I can keep half in the freezer for another time.  My entire family loved these, and that doesn't happen very often around here.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.