chicken enchiladas with homemade red enchilada sauce

As I said at the top of this post, every layer of this recipe has flavor. To start with, your not going to use just cooked shredded chicken breast. Your going to use chicken breast cooked in broth with spices. If your a busy momma or daddy and like to prep ahead for weeknight meals, cook the chicken the night before . Shred it and refrigerate it to use the next day. If you’re looking for a super fast dinner, you could always use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.

Making the homemade enchilada sauce is as easy as making a homemade gravy and again, can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. You start the enchilada sauce by whisking and cooking the flour and oil together like a roux. After it’s boiled and cooked a couple of minutes, add the spices and whisk to combine. The chicken broth is added to the pan and simmered until the mixture slightly thickens. Think of it as Mexican gravy. A rich delicious combination of flavors you can make right at home.

Ingredients
2 whole chicken breasts, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
one 10 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion , diced
12 corn tortillas
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1/4 Teaspoon cayene pepper
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the diced onion, tomatoes, garlic powder, chicken broth and the whole chicken breasts in a large saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken breasts are tender enough to easily shred. Let the mixture cool. Remove the chicken breasts and shred, discard the remaining ingredients in the pot. .
Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce onto the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking pan. Spread about a 1/2 Teaspoon enchilada sauce onto the middle of each of 12 corn tortillas. Place 1 Tablespoon of shredded chicken on top of the enchilada sauce followed by a sprinkling of both cheeses. Roll the corn tortilla up and place in the 13×9 inch baking pan. Repeat for the remaining 11 tortillas.

Top the rolled enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and both shredded cheeses. Bake at 400 degrees, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce directions:
Place the flour and oil in a medium size saucepan under medium heat. Whisk and cook the mixture until it starts to boil, then boil another minute or two to remove the flour taste. Whisk in the seasonings until well blended. While still whisking, add the chicken broth to the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.