Chicken Enchiladas

I found a new cooking blog today that I'm excited about: http://annies-eats.net/, which is where these enchiladas came from. I changed the recipe slightly, either because I didn't have the ingredients or I just didn't really follow the recipe. These turned out very good, I've never actually made chicken enchiladas before. Kalvin also approved of these enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas
                                                                                                  

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine -I didn't have any at the time but I put onion powder in there
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp. canola oil - I used butter instead of oil. Butter is just more delicious.
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped - I didn't have one so I used canned diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided -All I had on hand was cheddar so that's what I used
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro- I used dried and only put in maybe a tsp
12 (6-inch) soft tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Prep the saute pan with a little butter.  Stir in the onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.  Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer (I used a regular strainer) into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible.  Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside.  Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Add shredded chicken to the bowl with the onion mixture (the solids).  Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro.  Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Add a little cheese and a spoonful of sauce. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly butter the tops of the enchiladas.  Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly. -I didn't see them brown, but tap on the tops of them, if they are hard they are ready for the next step

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F.  Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.  Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 I should have gotten a picture of the straining process... It was weird but it worked like a charm!