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Red Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

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By , About.com Guide

Enjoy the flavors of red chiles and the texture of shredded chicken in these Chicken Enchiladas. Melted cheese and sauteed spinach and onion only add to the unique taste. And if that weren't enough, these enchiladas are so easy to make, but they taste like you've spent hours in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup crema or sour cream
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup shredded or crumbled queso fresca
  • 3 cups red chile sauce (or red enchilada sauce)
  • About 1 cup of warm oil in a shallow bowl or pie tin to dip tortillas in
  • 4 oz. cotija, crumbled

Preparation:

In a large pot, boil the chicken breast until it is cooked through and no longer pink inside, about 30 minutes. While the chicken is boiling, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium/high heat. Add in the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes until they begin to brown slightly. Add in the fresh spinach and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted and reduced.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. When the chicken is done cooking, remove the chicken from the pot and use two forks to shred it up. If you have time, you can cook the chicken ahead and then you can let it cool down and use your fingers to pull it apart into shreds.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken mixture with the crema (or sour cream,) garlic and one cup of shredded or crumbled queso fresca. This mixture will be your filling.

Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by coating the bottom with a thin layer of red chile or red enchilada sauce. Warm up the oil over the lowest heat setting in a medium pan. The oil should be very warm, almost hot, but you need to be able to touch it. Dip a tortilla into the warm oil for about 10 seconds to soften it and place it into the baking dish. Place about 1/3 cup filling down the center of the the tortilla and top with a couple of tablespoons of the red chile sauce. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in dish. Repeat with each tortilla until all tortillas are used or until the filling is used. If I have extra filling, I will make a few extras in separate smaller baking dish.

Pour remaining red chile sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas, then top off by sprinkling the entire dish with the crumbled cotija. Bake dish for 20 minutes to melt the cheese and heat it through.

More Enchilda Recipes...
Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Enchiladas Rancheras

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