Made this the other night. We love Mexican food, and the kids have only really eaten tacos and quesadillas. I thought this might be a friendly upgrade in the cuisine. In the end, the little one still liked his quesadilla, and I think the older one thought this was only “okay”. No big deal, it was delicious, and there was more for us! Serves 8.
- 1-1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Mexican spice blend (we used an Adobo spice mix from the Spice House)
- salt and pepper (to taste; maybe less salt if there’s salt in your spice mix)
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 med. onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup salsa (spicy or mild, it’s to your liking)
- 1 cup corn
- 2 cups cilantro divided into 1/2 cup (chopped) and 1-1/2 cup
- 8 corn tortillas (can substitute flour)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (use any or mix all: Mexican blend, chihuahua cheese, pepper jack, monterey jack/cheddar)
- 1/2 c sour cream plus 2 tbsp. water
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take the chicken breasts and season with cumin, garlic powder, spice blend, salt and pepper. Coat well. Put vegetable oil in skillet/deep pan, coat well, and preheat over med-high heat. When pan is hot enough, place chicken in your pan, and sear both sides. Leave the chicken alone when you place them in the pan… just let them get nice and brown for a few minutes and then flip. The sizzling will die down and that would be a signal to check or flip the chicken. Remove chicken and set aside.
In the same pan, with all the good chicken bits, lower the heat, add a little oil if you need to, and add your onion and garlic. After a minute or two, add the salsa. This will help deglaze the pan. Stir well. Add your corn and chopped cilantro after two or three minutes and mix well. Take off the heat. Ladle some of this salsa into the bottom of your 9×13 baking dish, enough to cover. Cube the chicken breasts, which should be cooled down, and add to the salsa mixture in the pan. Place spoonfuls of chicken mixture into the tortillas and roll, then place into baking dish, seam side down. Ladle any salsa sauce left over onto the enchiladas, drizzle half of the sour cream mixture on top of the sauce/enchiladas, then sprinkle the shredded cheese all over. Bake for 20 min. or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with other half of sour cream and cilantro.
