Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

I must confess I really miss good Tex-Mex cuisine. Living in Texas for 11 years definitely spoiled me. And as much as I love New Orleans, it’s not a hot spot for Tex-Mex.

So I have to do it myself. Last week I had a very specific craving for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas so I made some. Here’s my recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cooked chicken meat, shredded
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 1 dozen corn tortillas
• 2 cans diced green chillies (4-ounce cans)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


Chicken Enchilada Filling

• 2 TBSP flour
• 2 TBSP paprika
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack)
• Salsa (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
2. Heat 2 TBSP vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for 10 seconds on each side. Then place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
3. In a separate skillet, heat 1 TBSP vegetable oil over medium heat. Saute onion and jalapeño for 1 minute.
4. Add chicken, 1 can of the green chillies and 1 TBSP paprika. Stir together.


Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Before Baking

5. Add heavy cream and 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Allow mixture to bubble and get hot then turn off heat and set aside.
6. In a separate large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add in flour. Whisk together and cook for a minute or two.
7. Pour in remaining chicken broth, whisk together and cook for an additional one to two minutes.
8. Stir in remaining can of green chillies, reduce heat to low and add sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and stir to melt.
9. Add 1 TBSP paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
10. To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on to tortillas, individually. Top with cheese then roll. Place rolled enchiladas seam side down in 9 x 13 casserole dish.
11. Pour cheese mixture on top of prepared enchiladas. Top with any remaining cheese you have.
12. Bake for 30 minutes. Then let cool slightly, top with chopped cilantro and serve.

Feel free to add in more green chillies or jalapeño if you want a spicier version. These can be made ahead and reheated before serving. I served mine with refried black beans, half a sliced avocado and of course a fresh margarita.

These definitely conquered my craving, but I wish more New Orleans Tex-Mex options were available. Until then, I’ll have to make my own Tex-Mex.