Chilli Chicken Enchiladas

  

I'm blogging when I should be:

folding laundry

reading school newsletters

clearing the table that is still covered with dishes. (Nice. Want to come over?)

mopping the floor

sorting the stack of magazines I've collected on my other dining table (yes, I have two. A food obsessed woman with two dining tables... that can't be good.)

wiping down the kitchen counter

watering the garden

feeding the chickens

Thank goodness you guys are here to distract me from my fun life.

Chilli Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 6
adapted from Lisa Fain's The Homesick Texan Cookbook

For the Chilli Sauce:
4 dried ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup refried beans
2 cups chicken stock
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Enchiladas:
12 wholemeal flour tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
600g chicken breast fillets
1 cup your favourite salsa
1 cup of Mexican blend cheese, grated

Make the Chilli Sauce:
In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the ancho chillies on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chillies. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let the chillies soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Once hydrated, discard the soaking water and rinse the chillies. Place in a blender.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil , and cook the onions, occasionally stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Place the cooked onions and garlic into the blender, along with the cumin, oregano, allspice, cinnamon, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.

In the same pot you used to cook the onions and garlic, on medium heat, add the chilli puree, the refried beans and the chicken stock, heat on high until boiling, and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, add salt and black pepper to taste.

Make the Enchiladas:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. 

Add a tablespoon of oil to a large skillet and fry the chicken breast fillets until they are golden on both sides and just cooked through. Let them rest for about 10 minutes, then shred with two forks. Pour a cup of the chilli sauce into the shredded chicken meat and mix to coat all of the chicken pieces.

Pour half a cup of the chilli sauce into a large baking dish, then tilt the dish to coat the bottom.

Take a tortilla and use tongs to dip it into the sauce. Shake off most of the sauce, but be sure that it's moist enough to be pliable. Lay the tortilla on a plate or clean cooking surface, add a few spoonfuls of the chicken down the center of it. Roll the tortilla. Place the rolled enchilada in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over enchiladas and then pour the salsa over that  and top the lot with grated cheese. Bake for about 15-20  minutes or until the cheese is metly and the enchiladas are good and hot.

I served mine with rice and avocado salsa made with chunks of avocado sprinkled with sea salt flakes and lime juice and sliced jalapenos, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves.