Ina Garten's Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas...Sort Of
But I gotta say these enchiladas -- my first time ever making enchiladas --- turned out great. My sauce was velvety and smoky. They aren't authentic Mexican, nor are they authentic Ina. I had to make lots of substitutions to suit what we had on hand. (Trying to minimize our contact with people in stores right now due to Covid.)
This isn’t a hard recipe but it does have a lot of components. It's like making lasagna. Lots of layers.
So learn from me, get everything prepped ahead of time. And give yourself plenty of time to make it. Even with roasting the chicken a day ahead, I was in the kitchen for a couple of hours.
----Barbara
It's a recipe in her new cookbook, Modern Comfort Food. I am using it for ideas more than I thought I would. Nothing radical or new in the cookbook, just easy, basic recipes, although they do tend to be heavy.
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
(adapted from Modern Comfort Food)
Serves 6 generously
1 1/4 lbs. boneless chicken thighs (Ina: 2 lbs. chicken breasts, bone-in)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 T. canola oil
2 T. Wondra flour (Ina: all-purpose flour)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. smoked paprika (Ina: ground chipotle powder )
2 t. ground cumin (Ina 1 t.)
2 cups no salt culinary stock (Ina: homemade chicken stock)
1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1.5 cups crushed tomatoes (Ina: San Marzano)
1 t. dried Mexican oregano (Ina: dried oregano, crushed in your hands)
1.5 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1 poblano pepper, seeded and small-diced (Ina: 1/2 cup)
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup minced cilantro, plus extra for garnish (Ina: parsley)
7 8-inch flour tortillas
7 ounces spreadable scallion cream cheese (Ina: goat cheese)
2 cups shredded Mexican 4 cheese mix (Ina: freshly grated extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese)
Sour cream, for serving (we omitted this)
2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced, for serving (we served guacamole but it seemed unnecessary)
I am rewriting her recipe based on what I learned.
To make the shredded chicken:
I made it a day in advance and refrigerated, covered.
I prefer boneless chicken so I don't have to worry about any bones finding their way into the filling. I make up for the difference in flavor by saving the drippings and using them to coat the shredded meat.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pat the chicken dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place a little olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish or pan, add the chicken in one layer, and roast until fully cooked. About 20 minutes for boneless thighs. 30 minutes for thick chicken breasts. Bone in chicken will take about 10 minutes longer.
Let it cool in its drippings. Remove the meat to a cutting board. (Save the drippings.) Remove any skin, fat or gristle. Shred with two forks, or use a knife to cut loose strips of chicken.
Skim the drippings of any obvious fat. Add the chicken back into the drippings and evenly coat it with the juices. This will help keep the meat moist and have more flavor.
Store in a container. I had about 4 cups of meat after shredding.
For the sauce:
Get everything out you need first before beginning this section. Premeasure the spices and have them ready in a small dish. Have the 2 cups of chicken stock premeasured. Open the cans. Premeasure the 1.5 cups of crushed tomatoes. I burnt my first roux and had to start over, so I highly recommend you get organized before you start.
In a large saucepan -- 3 or 4 quart -- heat 2 T. of canola oil over medium heat until hot (don't use high heat). Whisk in 2 T. of flour, by sprinkling it evenly over the oil, and constantly whisking. Do this for 1 minute to cook out the flour taste.
Add the spices -- chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika or chipotle powder -- and whisk it together. The roux will bind up. Immediately whisk in the chicken stock until smooth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for a few minutes until thickened.
Add the can of fire-roasted tomatoes, 1.5 cups of crushed tomatoes, dried oregano and bring to a boil. She added 1 T. of salt but I skipped and seasoned it to taste later. Lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Put on the back burner, but keep warm, but not simmering.
For the filling:
Open the black beans, rinse thoroughly and let drain well. Add 1/2 t. salt to the beans and toss and set aside until needed. (I prefer to add salt to each step. She puts it in all at once.)
In a large open skillet, heat 1-2 T. of olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion and poblano pepper, add a pinch of salt, and saute for 10 minutes (she said 5-7 mins) until tender. You want the onion to be translucent but not browned, and the poblano to soften.
Turn off the heat. Add the shredded chicken, the well-drained black bean, cilantro and toss in the residual heat, until thoroughly coated.
To assemble:
Get out a 1 cup measuring cup, a 3/4 cup measuring cup and a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
In the bottom of a 9x13 deep baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic, add 1 cup of the sauce and spread it out evenly.
Fill the tortillas:
Lay one tortilla on a cutting board, spread it with 3 tablespoons of sauce.
Spoon 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese or scallion cream cheese on the filling.
Roll the tortilla up tightly and place it seam side down in the baking dish up against the edge of one end.
Fill the remaining 6 tortillas --- you will have 7 in total-- and place them snugly in the dish.
To complete the dish:
Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top of the sauce.
Bake for 45 minutes (she says 30-35) until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
If your filling and sauce is not very warm when you assemble, it will take longer to get the enchiladas hot in the center, so err on the side of cooking it longer, just be sure you don't let the cheese on top get too dark.
To serve:
Sprinkle with cilantro.
Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with guacamole and any other fixings you may like.
Don't worry about being able to lift an individual enchilada out of the pan. I used two spatulas and made a mess. I gave up and just cut sections out, and treated it like lasagna.
This is a very filling dish.
Ina says this dish can be made ahead and refrigerated for one day, then baked, but add 10 minutes more of baking time. I would think the tortillas would get soggy. Instead, I think I would make all of the ingredients separately, and then assemble it just before baking.
---Barbara