Chicken Enchiladas Deliciosas

Of course, my inspiration for making enchiladas was salsa – what else? I had a bunch of tomatoes that needed to be used and thought, the easiest, quickest way to use them up was to make a batch of salsa fresca. And to go with it, I decided to make enchiladas for a change.

For Halloween night, however, I didn't want to go to too much effort, so as I searched for a recipe, I decided to go for one with canned enchilada sauce. I also used canned green chiles and picked the mild versions of both the sauce and the chiles, hoping my kids might like the dish. But, alas, they did not go for it. If anyone has ideas for how to get my kids to like spicy food, I would really appreciate it. I've tried adding just a little pepper in hopes of gradually getting them to accept the heat, but no luck so far. I'm getting pretty tired of keeping the spice on the side all the time and/or making a separate meal for them.

So anyway, back to the recipe search... The one thing that frustrated me was, most of the recipes I found called for flour tortillas. Now, I thought enchiladas were supposed to be made with corn tortillas. Is that just a personal preference or is that true? Well, obviously, I googled it and a lot of people out there really think flour is the way to go for enchiladas, but it looks like, for authentic Mexican enchiladas, it's corn tortillas. So, I don't know how authentic the rest of my recipe is, but I went with corn. Besides, corn tortillas are gluten-free (although you should check the ingredients list to be sure). I found a tip online for prepping the corn tortillas too – probably not the traditional way of doing it, but it worked and brought out that wonderful corn flavor and aroma.

Here is my (probably) unauthentic recipe for chicken enchiladas with corn tortillas. Substitute flour tortillas if you must. Use left-over pre-cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or cook up a couple chicken breasts just for this. Anything should work. I like to squeeze a little lime juice over the chicken for extra flavor, but that's optional.

Chicken Enchiladas  PRINTABLE RECIPE 
Makes at least 6 servings

1-1/4 lbs pre-cooked chicken - shredded
Non-stick cooking oil spray
1 medium yellow onion - chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves - peeled & minced
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
2 cans (28 oz each) red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
2 cups shredded cheese (M. jack, cheddar, pepper jack, Asadero, or a blend - you pick)
18 corn tortillas

1. Spray a pan with cooking oil and heat to medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes, until the onion starts to caramelize.

2. Mix shredded chicken with 1-1/2 cups enchilada sauce, one cup cheese, diced green chiles, and the cooked onions and garlic. Set aside (refrigerate if it's going to be awhile) while you prep the tortillas.

3. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray both sides of 6 corn tortillas at a time with cooking oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. You can then roll enchiladas (see step 4) using the first six while the rest bake.

4. Pour some enchilada sauce into a large glass casserole dish – just enough to cover the bottom. Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture.  Roll up and place seam side down in the dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Once you have filled up the dish completely, pour over another cup of enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cup of cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes in the pre-heated 425° oven. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

6. While the enchiladas bake, heat up any remaining enchilada sauce to serve on the side. Also serve with salsa, avocado slices, and sour cream, if you like.

Chicken Divan (Gluten-Free)

A friend of mine, an American living in England, was looking for a chicken divan recipe recently. Lots of variations can be found online and in cookbooks, but most Americans use a can of condensed cream soup for the base of the sauce. Since that isn't readily available in England, my friend was looking for a substitute. I don't know if she ever figured it out, but it got me to thinking about chicken divan. My mom used to make it when I was growing up, and I've made it myself from time to time too. It's pretty easy to prepare, and comforting and delicious to eat.

Since the canned cream soups all seem to contain wheat flour, I decided to do my own search for a substitute and I found it on The Gluten-Free Homemaker. With that, and the recipe for chicken divan I grew up with, which includes sour cream, lemon juice, and paprika, I created the recipe below.

You can use leftover chicken or turkey, or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. You could also include some cauliflower, along with the broccoli, if you like. My mom used to do that sometimes. I like to top it with at least 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, but I've also used cheddar or jack – you can use whatever you have on hand. And don't worry about being precise with the measurements. I just do it "by feel" every time and it always turns out good. I like to serve it with wild rice on the side. It's a great combination.

Chicken Divan  PRINTABLE RECIPE

8 oz sour cream (I use low-fat)
1 prepared cream soup recipe (see below)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp paprika
garlic salt to taste (optional)
1 Lb broccoli florets - steamed until just tender
2 cups shredded or cubed skinless, cooked chicken (or turkey)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (or other cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Stir together the cream soup, sour cream, lemon juice, and paprika until well combined. Adjust the lemon juice and seasonings to your liking. Sometimes I add a little Lawry's garlic salt.
3. Place the steamed broccoli in a 9" x 13" casserole dish and top with the chicken. Pour the sauce over and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and light brown.

Gluten-Free Cream Soup Substitute  The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Use this soup in recipes in place of one can of condensed cream soup (like cream of chicken soup).

1 cup milk (I use non-fat)
3 Tbsp sweet rice flour or 2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1 cube chicken bouillon (Knorr bouillon is gluten-free)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
black or white pepper or to taste (I like to use white)

1. Whisk the sweet rice flour into the cold milk in a saucepan.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and heat to a boil while whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer, while whisking constantly, for about a minute until nice and thick.

 

Burnt Chicken (in a good way)

I'm working on a roast chicken recipe to share, but I haven't made it myself yet. I need to make it to be sure I've got it right and to take a photograph - I'm planning on tomorrow night. First, however, I'll be making a beautiful side of wild salmon on the grill. I need to make that while the fish is still gorgeous and fresh - that's tonight.

In the mean time, here's an easy and flavorful chicken recipe. The original recipe was given to me by a woman I used to know who came from Tennessee. It really is burnt, at least on the outside. Don't be afraid to broil until the skin is charred black and your kitchen is getting smoky. (Be sure to turn on the exhaust fan or open a window.)

When it's done, you'll have some delicious pan juices, which are wonderful with potatoes as well as the chicken. Standard mashed potatoes, or boiled or roasted new potatoes - any kind will do. Lots of flavor here with minimal work - enjoy!

Tennessee Burnt Chicken  PRINTABLE RECIPE

4 chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves - minced
juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Preheat broiler. Place chicken in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with half the garlic and pour half the lemon juice over. Broil until black.

2. Remove chicken from the oven and turn the broiler off. Set heat to 375°. Sprinkle the rest of the garlic over the chicken and pour the rest of the lemon juice, wine, and soy sauce over. Return chicken to the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until done.

Finally, a Chicken Recipe

This grilled chicken is soooo good! I found the recipe last year in Food & Wine magazine and it's now my go-to recipe for summer grilling. The Food & Wine recipe calls for whole chicken legs (legs with thighs still attached as in this photo), but it works better for me with a whole cut-up chicken. Get started early as the chicken needs to marinate for at least four hours. Then watch the heat when grilling. My gas grill tends to be hot-hot-hot and I have to keep adjusting the heat, to keep it at 325°, and/or moving the chicken around (especially the smaller pieces), so it doesn't get over-charred (again, see photo - too much char). Serve this with corn on the cob, and watermelon or a fruit salad for a really wonderful backyard barbecue.

Fennel-Garlic Chicken  PRINTABLE RECIPE

1-1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
1-1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 whole cut-up chicken

1. In a mortar, pound the garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, and crushed red pepper with 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt until a coarse paste forms. Stir in the 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil.
2. Make two to four deep slashes on each chicken piece, cutting to the bone.
3. Rub the paste into the slashes; cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
5. Start the grill and while it's heating brush the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt.
6. Grill over moderate heat (325° to 350° max.), turning, until lightly charred and cooked through - about 25 minutes.