White Woman Enchiladas

Ok, ladies (and gents), there is the easy way and the hard way. When I have time, I boil a chicken and then debone it. Sometimes I am living a real life and I just buy a pre-roasted chicken and shred it. I draw the line at canned chicken; it just isn’t for this recipe. Remember, this is a SPECIAL treat.

Chop the onion and throw it into a large frying pan. Let the onions get nice and golden, and then slide in the shredded or cubed chicken. Open the two cans of Rotel and them, along with their juice, to the pan. (If you can’t find Rotel, yell at the grocer and then grab two cans of tomatoes with chiles and other Mexican-y ingredients instead.) I usually turn the heat down to medium low and get the rest of the work done so that the chicken can marry with the other juices for a few minutes.

I ALWAYS grate my own Monterey jack cheese via food processor; I don’t skimp here by buying pre-shredded. Did you know they add stuff to the cheese to keep it separated? Yes, real cheese is needed here. I use the large block and shred the whole thing.

Once that is done, lay out an assembly line: an area for your flour tortillas, then a space for the frying pan, the 8 1/2 x 11 pan where the enchiladas are going to live, and then the shredded cheese. Once this is all set up, go back to the frying pan and turn it off. Open the cream cheese package and drop it in. You can break it up into four pieces, but then walk away for a minute or two and let it melt. You have just created the best “innards” an enchilada has ever seen. When you move the frying pan over to the assembly, stir it so the cream cheese marries with everything and you’ll have this lovely white chicken sauce.

Grab a tortilla, put a tablespoon of the mixture in the tortilla, move over the baking pan (if something drops, it’s a great place to land!) and then grab a handful of cheese and place it inside. Fold each side over and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat until the pan is full. You should have a bit of the sauce remaining. Resist the urge to create nachos and pour it over the top of the enchiladas. You should have remaining grated cheese; this goes over the top as well.

Remember the cream? No, you can’t use something lighter. No, it won’t be the same without it. Open that pint and pour it all over. You won’t regret it when you hear the collective moans of those who taste these enchiladas. Place the pan in a 350-degree oven until the enchiladas are warm and bubbly. You can make beans and rice to go with it or just serve it alongside chips. Really, no one will remember anything but the enchiladas.

Enjoy, and thank you Chris for being such a great cook!