Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce

I know. I know. I start almost every post with Wow. But this one was surprisingly delicious. I had a bunch of girls over for brunch and this particular recipe was the winner of all winners.

I cheated, of course, and made my own little adjustments. The recipe calls for cooking/stewing the chicken. I didn't have the time nor the inclinations, so I bought a rotisserie chicken and took all the meat off.

My favorite part of this recipe is the part for making the chili sauce. I've been searching for a good red chili sauce to make from homemade so I didn't have to buy the can version - which is good - but to be able to control the salt and other non healthy stuff in it, it's good to have a solid recipe now for a sauce. That's all I'm sayin'.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce
Serves: 6-8

Notes: This can be made ahead of time (minus the baking) to save time. It can be refrigerated up to 2 days before baking and frozen for up to 1 month.

Sauce and Filling:

• 1 1/2 T vegetable or corn oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves; minced or pressed
• 3 T Chili powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 oz), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips (so with regard to the chicken - I used a rotisserie chicken. This recipe would work well for left over chicken too.)
• 2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (4oz) can pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped (I used the green chilies instead of jalapenos and I used 8 oz instead)
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Tortillas and toppings:
10 6-inch corn tortillas
Vegetable or corn oil spray
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup sour cream
1 avocado; diced medium

For sauce and filling: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering, but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt and sugar; cook stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the chicken (regardless of if your using left over chicken or raw chicken you can add it here) and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce and water; stir. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. (Jenn Note: even with the cooked chicken I let it simmer - because I could. But if you use cooked chicken, you really only need it to simmer for a couple of minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly and the chicken to absorb some of the flavors).

Pour the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set the sauce aside. (Jenn Note: I did this in two batches to allow more sauce to get through - that and I didn't have a big enough strainer for the whole of the sauce/chicken mixture).

Transfer the chicken mixture to a large plate; refrigerate for 10 minutes for it to cool. You don't want your mixture to be hot or warm even when you start to roll the enchiladas because it'll make the tortillas soggy.

Add to the chicken mixture before you are ready to assemble the enchiladas 8 oz cheese, the cilantro, and the canned chilies. Thoroughly mix.

Adjust the oven rack to upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 300F. Place the corn tortillas in a single layer on two baking sheets. Spray both sides lightly with cooking spray. Bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tortillas to your working area. If possible cover them with a towel to keep them warm and pliable.

Increase the oven temp to 400F.

To assemble: Smear the entire bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with 3/4 cup of the chili sauce.

Spread a large spoon full (about 1/3cup) filling down the center of a tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly by hand and place, seam side down, on the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat for all the tortillas and mixture.

Pour the remaining chili sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Be sure to cover the tortillas thoroughly. Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce so it coats the top of each tortilla.

Sprinkle with 3 oz cheese down the center.

Cover the baking dish, and bake until hot and the cheese melts; about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Use the sour cream and avocado for toppings for the enchiladas.