James's Chicken Enchiladas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 white or sweet yellow onion, sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 store-bought roasted chicken, skin removed and meat shredded or diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons red chili pepper
1 large and 1 regular can of red enchilada sauce
8-10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican style)
Diced tomato, diced avocado, shredded lettuce and sour cream for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high
heat. When the butter has melted, add onion slices and stir to coat well. Cook
for 1 minute; reduce heat to medium/medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes,
until well caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and stir. Cook for a
couple of minutes. Add chicken, cumin and chili pepper (some or all, depending
on how spicy you like your food). Stir, coating chicken well. The filling will
look dry at this point. Pour in 1/4 to 1/3 cup enchilada sauce (just enough so
that the filling is not soupy), stir and allow to heat through.
Meanwhile, pour remaining enchilada sauce into a medium saucepan and heat
over low until warm. Place enough of the sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish to
barely cover the bottom. When the filling is ready, take one tortilla at a time
and slide it into the warm sauce for a few seconds to coat (not too long or the
tortilla will tear while handling). Take the coated tortilla and place it in the
prepared baking dish, add a heaping tablespoon of filling and sprinkle on some
cheese. Roll the enchilada, leaving it seam side down in the baking dish.
Continue with more tortillas until you have a row of enchiladas that fit snugly
in the baking dish.
Top enchiladas with remaining sauce, sprinkle with the remaining shredded
cheese and cover with foil (use nonstick foil, or spray regular foil with
nonstick cooking spray, to prevent cheese from sticking). Bake for 10 to 12
minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish with tomato, lettuce, avocado and sour cream.