OK, wow, this was good. Second entry in the "weeknight cooking" series. Actually, the second recipe I've had torn out of the same magazine--Cook's Country Feb./March 2010--waiting to be tried. (Side note: That magazine has a great feature, in addition to its kitschy recipes and excellent explanations of how each recipe is developed, why we eat certain foods, where dishes come from. That is the tear-out 30-minute "weekday suppers" recipes that grace each issue--about 12 of them. They're printed with a photo on one side and the recipe on the other on pre-perforated cardstock, so you can easily tear them out and tuck them into a recipe book. And they come with "food porn"--those glossy, glistening close-up photos of delicious treats--already embedded in them!)
Moving on...this recipe initially drew my attention (for its cheese-topped, gooey upper crust...)...yes, for that, but also because it resembles a Cooking Light chilaquiles dish that we've grown attached to. Although our evolved version differs greatly from the original, essentially you just saute chicken, beans, and veggies of choice, layer them in a dish with a bit of cheese and chopped up corn tortillas, top with a broth/salsa mixture, and bake. We love our "Mexican lasagna," but you can only eat one thing so many times until it gets boring. Yet, we love all things tortilla and Mexican, so i knew there was a lot of room to expand in this field.
Instead, this recipe takes another tack. Instead of rolling, STACK. All the essential enchilada elements are there--a rich, deeply spiced tomato sauce; corn tortillas; a cheesy mixture of chicken, beans, and veggies---what's not to love? All the ingredients are layered in a baking dish, topped with sauce and cheese, and then baked until they magically intertwine in the oven into something that exceeds its humble, quick roots.
At first I was overwhelmed by the amount of seasoning in the sauce (and in fact in the recipe below I reduced the chili powder from 3 to 2 Tbsp, since it just seemed a little too heavy) but with the relatively bland corn tortillas and black beans, it really worked. It also seemed like a LOT of sauce to add to the dish, so much so that I left about 1/4 cup of it in the pan out of fear of the resulting soup I imagined would result, especially since the original instructions said to bake covered for 15 minutes. Well, I used almost all the sauce and baked it uncovered, and I think it came out pretty much perfect. It was nice and moist, but it retained enough structure that each piece held together with integrity and strength.
Verdict? Awesome. Seriously. I liked it more with every bite. It's incredibly easy, but the spiced sauce tastes like it took a lot longer than 10 minutes to develop that big, robust flavor. Plus, it goes a long way, feeding two for dinner the first day, one for 1/2 of lunch and all of dinner the next, and hopefully some still left for us to feast on tonight!
Tomorrow, dear friends, I may have a special hostess-like treat to share with you. But let me ask you to first read the Artisan Bread post, wherein I professed an important detail...I AM NOT A GOOD BAKER. Can I make a cupcake? Time shall tell, internet. Time shall tell.
Slightly amended recipe after the jump.
Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from Cook's Country Feb./March 2010
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 jalepeno pepper, halved, seeded and sliced (or leave the seeds/membranes in if you like more spice)
2 Tbsp chile powder
1 Tbsp cumin
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
2/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (or more, if you want)
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1.5 cups shredded mexican cheese blend (or pepper jack, chihuahua, etc)
12 6-inch corn tortillas
S&P
1. Preheat oven to 350, then make sauce. In a heavy saucepan, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add spices and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, stock and 1/2 tsp salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Mix chicken, beans, 1 cup shredded cheese, and 1/2 cup sauce in a small bowl until combined. Microwave tortillas for about 1 minute or until pliable.
3. Build dish. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of an 8"x8" baking dish. Top with 4 tortillas, evenly covering bottom of dish (I tore the last one in half and angled it in opposite corners), then half of chicken mixture. Top with 4 more tortillas, half of remaining sauce, remaining chicken, remaining tortillas, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven until hot, bubbling, and slightly browned--15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting and serving.
This looks really good!
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