Monday, December 26, 2011

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup lime juice (about 1, 1/2-2 large limes)
2 tsp to 1 tblsp chili powder
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1, 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large breasts-the more the merrier), cooked and shredded OR buy a whole pre cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco
12-18 corn or uncooked flour tortillas (your preference)
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded for the filling
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded for the top
1, 14 oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
3/4 cup of heavy cream
nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and some to dress with

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chopped cilantro, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken, add 2 cups shredded cheese and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator.
Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees). Spray the surface with non stick cooking spray or oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.
Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add a large spoonful (about 3 tbsp) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Roll the tortillas up from one side to make a rolled enchilada- it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
Repeat with the remaining chicken-cheese mixture and tortillas. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour the mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. (I usually fill as many tortillas as possible with chicken mixture and don't add any to the sauce).
Bake the enchiladas for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, sliced avocado, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal. Usually, I just make rice and add a can of black beans, a can of corn and a few jalapenos, chopped finely.