Chicken Enchiladas

I am a huge fan of Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine of any type - flan, chimichangas, chile rellenos, sopapillas, anything with tomatillos, etc. In fact, if I never had to eat any other type of cuisine, I'd be perfectly happy. But I can't stomach Mexican fast food, so I started making my favorite dishes at home years ago. And even though a ton of really great, authentic Mexican restaurants have opened up in our area in the past several years, I still enjoy doing it myself.

My absolute favorite is Swiss style chicken enchiladas or (testing out my very rusty high school Spanish here) Enchiladas Suizas con Pollo - hope I got that right. Even my mom, who is notoriously picky and barely likes anything besides hamburgers or fried chicken, has admitted they're pretty tasty. You have no idea how big of a compliment that is from her :)

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (reserve about a cup of the broth)
Vegetable Oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 small can of roasted green chiles, diced
3/4 c Milk
Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Taco Seasoning (to taste), recipe below
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour *
Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (or Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Swiss, whatever you like or have on hand)
4 oz of sour cream
8 Tortillas*
* I make this with both wheat tortillas and wheat flour, so mine may appear a little darker.

Taco Seasoning:
6 tsp chili powder
5 tsp paprika
4 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
a pinch of red pepper flakes

1) Stir together all of the ingredients and store in a sealed container.

Enchiladas
1) Heat about 1 - 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the diced onions and bell peppers and cook until the onions begin to turn translucent. Then, add half of the diced chiles, all of the shredded chicken, the taco seasoning (I usually add about 2 - 3 Tbsp to the chicken mixture), and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together well. Add about half of the reserved chicken broth and about 1/4 cup of milk or cream. Stir together, and allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2) In a smaller skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Then, add the remaining chicken broth and about 1/2 a cup of milk or cream. Stir together well. Now, stir in the taco seasoning to taste (I usually add about 2 -3 Tbsp to this, as well) and add the rest of the diced chiles. Stir in the sour cream and about 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Let the sauce simmer until the cheese has completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3) Microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds so they're more pliable. Place a couple of large spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla, sprinkle a little cheese on top, and roll the tortilla up. Place each rolled tortilla in a baking dish, seam side down.

4) Pour the white sauce on top of the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top and bake in a 350F degree preheated oven for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Just before going in the oven.

I like a little fresh salsa with enchiladas.