Chicken Enchiladas

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (ok only about 3,300 km away and about 27 years ago … wait, you might have heard this before). So let’s do something else – there is one of my cousins who married a beautiful, young Mexican-American bride. While I have never had a chance to have her cookin’, I would hope she appreciates my version of a Tex-Mex Classic.

I have been a chilihead since I was a youngin’ in the South. Got it from my Dad who served in Thailand in the late 60s, early 70s. He grew to appreciate spicy food and the easiest spicy concoctions in the States to get was Mexican or Tex-Mex a la Taco Bell or Taco John’s (that green sauce – Chef’s Kiss!) As I grew and started to cook, I realized I loved enchiladas and chimichangas. But as my stomach decided to do me dirty and tell me I had Celiac Disease, it was harder and harder to make those Tex-Mex dished. Until Now …

The biggest thing I was missing was the cheese sauce, something closer to an authentic cheese sauce. And after checking out a recent IG post, I found a reasonably good recipe. So this is kind of a two-fer!

Chicken Enchiladas

• Chicken – 1 chipotle seasoned rotisserie chicken
• 1 red onion – diced
• half dozen jalapenos – diced
• 1 lb. (450 g) Pepper Jack cheese – shredded
• About 8 GF tortilla shells
• One Recipe – Restaurant Queso

1. Dice your onions and jalapenos, you’re going to be using all of the onions and about half of the jalapenos for this part of the recipe. Using some butter, sauté them with cumin, cilantro, garlic (minced or powder – up to you), and red pepper flakes.
2. Shred your cheese for you Restaurant Queso and your enchiladas
3. Debone and shred your rotisserie chicken. You could do fresh chicken and cook it with the onions and jalapenos and seasonings, but this made it slightly easier to use the rotisserie chicken.
4. After your onions and jalapenos are done, assemble the enchiladas in a 9×13 baking dish. Put a good amount of chicken, cheese and veggies in a tortilla, roll them and then line them in the pan (see the photos).
5. Pour the queso over the top of the enchiladas and bake them in a oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Restaurant Queso

• 1.5 lbs. (675 g) pepper jack
• 1 can small evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 small cans green chilies (or fresh – about 6-8)

1. Dice jalapenos, and then add them to the pot along with the cheese, cumin and milk.
2. Cook on medium heat and continue to stir frequently to prevent burning and clumping.
3. You could just enjoy this with chips or as you do use it as your cheese sauce for some enchiladas.