Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas are served all over Mexico, it is one of those "must have" dishes and as it can be expected there are many variations to them. In truth, it was a tough choice to include this baked version of the recipe because it’s more common in Mexico to make enchiladas by frying the tortillas–you don’t actually see the oven used a whole lot in authentic Mexican cuisine. But this is a much faster way to prepare them and the end result is just as tasty as the "typical" ones. 

You can prepare the enchiladas in advanced and pop them in the oven just at the last moment, which makes this dish really great for a dinner party or for a special ocasion. Kids love them too, and as always you can leave out the pepper for them.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 jalapeno chopped (you can remove the seeds if you want it to be less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 soft corn or flour tortillas
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened. 
2. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
3. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using.
4. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside.
7. -Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture in the large bowl. Also stir in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
8. Warm the tortilla on a skillet or microwave.
9. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased baking dish.
10. Heat oven to 220 C. 
11. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes, or until heated through.
12. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
13. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, if desired.