Firecracker enchiladas

Mexican food is my absolute favorite. It is so versatile, flavorful and makes great leftovers. This recipe, slightly changed from Rachel Ray's, is one of our favorite dinners. The sauce is so delicious, that you will NEVER buy store-bought sauce again! These go well with cornbread, chips and salsa or guacamole. It's not one of the fastest meals to prepare and it is a little messy, but it's a great weekend dish and most definitely worth the effort. You won't believe how tasty they are!

Firecracker enchiladas

3 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp flour
1 29-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
2-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb munster cheese, grated
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, SEEDED and finely chopped
12 6 inch corn tortillas

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season water with chili powder, cumin, cilantro, paprika, salt and pepper (or any type of chicken seasoning), so that you have about 2 tbsp of seasoning in the pot (this seasoning is in addition to what is included in the ingredient list). Add chicken to boiling water and cook 7 minutes, covered, or until cooked through.
2. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Shred chicken (this is easy to do with two forks).
3. Meanwhile, in a medium - large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add two-thirds of the onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in 1-1/2 cups water and the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.
3. Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken, two-thirds of the cheese and chiles.
4. Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in a large casserole dish. Dip 1 tortilla in the remaining sauce to coat both sides. Fill with a small handful of the chicken mixture, roll up, and transfer seam side down to large casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Top with remaining onion, sauce and cheese. Broil until golden, about 5-8 minutes. Turn off the broiler and leave the enchiladas in the oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Tip- I usually make this recipe in two medium baking dishes and freeze one. Then, a couple of weeks later, just take the dish out and defrost overnight, heat in the oven, and you have a homemade dish with virtually no effort at all!

Variations- Where to begin... there is so much you can do with this recipe, just don't change the sauce! To make this easier, you could buy a 2 lb. rotisserie chicken and shred it, rather than cooking chicken as in step 1 and 2. Queso fresco or shredded mexican cheese would also work, but I definitely recommend using at least some munster, as it melts well and has a great flavor. To make a healthier version, you could use 1/2 - 3/4 lb cheese. Use two different cheeses to mix it up! Topping the enchiladas with scallions is another possibility.

The chiles in adobo sauce really make the sauce exceptional. If you've never bought these, you can find them in the mexican foods section at nearly any grocery store (they're usually in a blue can). Make sure to remove the seeds, as they are extremely spicy (and I really love heat!). Increase or decrease the amount of chiles and their sauce to adjust to your liking.