Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

I love shredded chicken.  To be honest, I love shredded meats in general.  I don't care if it is chicken,  pork or beef. 

To be honest, I didn't really try to shred meat for almost 20 years after I first tasted it and fell in love with the flavor and texture, what a missed opportunity!

 I think this probably stems from my mother telling me how difficult it is to make them when I was a child.

I don't think that it has become more difficult in the last 30 years but that was he line on it anyway.  I find it very easy although a little time consuming.

Maybe that was the difficulty.  The time necessary to achieve this sublime, tasty item, may have been the sticking point.  I'll ask her.

Let's get to work.

First I break down a chicken just like I did in my earlier blog.  I filmed it again this time and although I am not totally happy with the video due to two close-up moments with my elbow (boy do I need a tripod taller than three inches!), but I wanted to show you how quickly this can be done.  Here is my video of the process, again, sorry for the elbow.

For this dish I don't feel it is necessary to separate the thigh and drum stick it is easier to remove the skin when they are still attached.  The skin will not add much flavor for this dish, just rendered fat which is not my goal tonight. 

Place the breasts and legs into a pan with some onions and crushed garlic for a bed to protect it from the heat of the pan.  

Add some green chili sauce, 

cover tightly with foil and place in a 300F oven.

After 2 hours or so, check the meat to see if it is tender.  Be careful opening the foil lid as the dish will steam.  If you have ever had a steam burn, you'll know what I am talking about.  If you haven't, take my word for it.  No fun!

Once the chicken is tender, I check by pushing down gently with my finger on the thigh portion of the leg, if it gives easily it is ready.

Remove from the oven and let stand uncovered to cool.

The shredding process is easier when the chicken is still warm.  I did not have time to do it then so mine was refrigerated overnight and thus when I shredded it cold, it wasa little more difficult, but certainly what I would call a simple process.

Pull the meat from the pan and transfer the remaining contents of the pan to a stock pot and bring it to a boil on the stove.

While you are cooking the sauce, shred the chicken with your hands.  It turns out that my mother's issue with shredded meat is that she thought that it needed to be done with two forks and not with your hands.  I have used the process and it is much more time consuming.

At this point I add Cotija cheese and cheddar.  

Cheddar is not really part of Mexican cooking unless you are in the United States.  There is no cheddar in Mexico unless they are catering to the American crowd, but Cotija is a traditional Mexican cheese that is absolutely delicious.  Crumble the cotija and grate the cheddar and add to the meat.

Once the sauce is boiling, purée it with an immersion blender (or a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender).  However, if you use a regular blender, cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel and hold the lid on tight before you hit go.  The hot liquid will force the top off and put your sauce on the ceiling if it is not contained.

I add some of the hot sauce to the filling mixture and incorporate it.  Check it for seasoning and set aside.

I have a flat cast iron skillet that my mother-in-law gave me some years ago that I use to prepare the corn tortillas for the enchiladas.  

I add some oil, again a 25-75 extra virgin olive oil to canola blend, and fry the tortillas.  You want to use enough oil to make the tortillas very pliable.  If you use too little, your tortillas may be brittle and will break open when you roll them.

Since this is definitely not a diet item, best to go a little heavy than a little light on the oil.

Time to make the enchiladas!

Ladle some of your green chile sauce to thinly cover the bottom of the baking pan.

Finally!  I use 8" corn tortillas for this on, so I place a little more than a quarter cup of filling onto the tortilla and roll it like this:

Line them up as you roll them.  Not too tight, but not too loose either.  My recipe tonight made 22 enchiladas.  

Place a thin layer of your sauce on top and grate some cheddar and Cotija.  Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes as long as the dish is at room temp.  If the dish is coming out of the refrigerator, it will take a bit longer, maybe 15 more minutes  in the oven.

This recipes can also be prepared ahead of of time and frozen for a quick dinner and it turns out fabulously.  The cooking time would need to be adjusted for a thawed pan of enchiladas.