Chicken and Cheese Corn Enchiladas

I admit, I am a fan of Mexican food. Most importantly, it is just really tasty. For another, it is often pretty easy to make, which I am a huge fan of. Enter this recipe. This recipe lets you use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken; easy!! (Plus I guarantee you will have loads of left over chicken for sandwiches, soup, or snacking). Because of the simplification of using a pre-cooked chicken, I decided to simplify the original recipe even more and omit the husking of fresh tomatillos and substituting canned ones, which can be easily found at your local grocery store.

The other thing that I loved about this recipe, which I hadn't done before, was broiling the enchiladas. This produces awesome results. It enhances the flavor of the sauce and it makes the tortilla shells just slightly crispy on the edges...yumm-o. And then, you will have left-over chicken, possibly sauce, and tortillas, so you can throw a couple together the next day for lunch, pop them in the broiler, and voila, lunch!

Chicken-and-Cheese Corn Enchiladas

Recipe adapted from the Food Network

Pictures by Caroline

Ingredients

1 small red onion, halved

5 canned tomatillos

1 serrano chile, stemmed and seeded

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

½  teaspoon salt

Pinch of sugar

10 corn tortillas

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

Sour cream and salsa for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Slice the onion into thin rings and set aside. Place the sliced onions, canned tomatillos and serrano on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 5 minutes, turning as needed. Set about ¼ of the broiled onions to the side. Transfer the rest of the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

2. Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese in a bowl. Spoon a portion of the chicken* mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and roll up. Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.

3. Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the broiled onion rings and any remaining cilantro. Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.

*If your chicken is cold, just wrap the shredded chicken in foil and pop it in the broiler or oven for a few minutes to heat it up before putting into the tortilla shells.