Name: Chicken Enchiladas
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 12 small corn tortillas; oil for frying; 2 cups red enchilada sauce; 2 cup cooked chicken ((shredded)); 2 cups Colby Jack cheese ((or your favorite blend)); 1/4 cup Queso Fresco ((optional)); 2 Tablespoons chopped green onions; 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

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Yes, it is true…..my son is buying his first house! I swear it was just last week that he was driving around the backyard in is little red Hot Wheels Jeep! Where does the time go? He has asked me to go along and help him make a decision…..isn’t that sweet? 🙂 So far it has been narrowed down to “Grandma’s House” or “The Retro House”. Grandma’s house has been the front runner since day one. {Recipe and images updated 12/21/18}

Every other house is compared to that one. Last night we went to see “The Retro House” which is about 5 houses down from grandma’s on the opposite side of the street…awesome location. Grandma’s house got the name because the woman has lived in the house for 58 years, and it has 58 years worth of knickknacks…..everywhere!!

The Retro house got it’s name because of the kitchen…OMG… it has the original metal cabinets with a boomerang counter top with chrome trim! The 70’s harvest gold range kinda kills the mood, but that ‘s an easy fix. They are both awesome houses, and he has a difficult choice ahead of him. In the end I know he will choose the right one. {Alex put an offer in on this house, but the owner was unreasonable about the price…so he moved on}

Needless to say, I have not been cooking much this week. I dug deep into my collection of dinner photos {which have now been replaced with these new ones} and realized that this super easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe is perfect for a week like this.

Let me start off by saying that I grew up in Southern California with lots of friends that are Mexican. This is the way all of their moms and aunties make their Chicken Enchiladas, so who am I to question tradition?

How to make Chicken Enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat about an inch of oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

Pour in enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, set aside…..

Pour some of the enchilada sauce onto a plate next to the stove. Set a second clean plate next to the sauce covered plate…..

Place tortilla into the hot oil 1 at a time. You just need to “soften” the tortilla not make it crispy…..

Remove the tortilla with tongs, and place into the sauce on the small plate, flip it over to coat both sides…..

Move sauce covered tortilla to the second plate….

Wipe the tip of the tongs on a paper towel…..

and continue the process with the remaining tortillas.

Mix the chicken with about 1/4 of sauce in a small bowl…..

Place a small amount of chicken and shredded cheese in the center of a tortilla…..

Roll up, and place in the prepared pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas…..

and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese…..

Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Sprinkle with crumbled Queso Fresco {if using}, chopped cilantro and green onions…..

Serve with Mexican Rice, Instant Pot Spanish Rice, and Refried Black Beans. 🙂

Notes:

You do not have to wipe off the tongs each time, but the sauce will splatter each time you place the tongs back into the hot oil!
I used my Easy Enchilada Sauce, but you could also use store-bought.
Using leftover or rotisserie chicken is the perfect way to make this a quick meal.
I used Colby-Jack cheese, but cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or even Pepper Jack would work as well.
I added the Queso Fresco crumbles on top because I love the texture and it looks good in pictures!

Some additional Enchilada recipes that you should try:

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada Pizza – a fun twist on an old favorite

Chicken Enchilada Pasta – if you don’t feel like rolling anything

Creamy Seafood Enchiladas – with a creamy white sauce and flour tortillas

Simple Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Ultimately my son bought a house with a 4 car garage and a finished basement. He it sold it two years later when he moved to Arizona and bought an even bigger house with a gigantic swimming pool….kids! 🙂

Enjoy!!