Caramelized Onion Chicken Enchiladas

Um, what happened to January?

I should probably take down my holiday decor.  And is there a rule that states the appropriate amount of time to keep holiday cards hanging up?  We’ve still got like 40 beautiful families staring at us.  I kind of love it.  

I mean, weren’t we JUST brainstorming Thanksgiving sides, Hannukah dishes, Christmas cookies, and New Years Eve apps?  

Basically it’s summer.  Could life just slow down for a second?  PLEASE! Just slow enough for me to show you how to make these kick ass chicken enchiladas, made with my slow cooker shredded chicken.  

So. Good.  

Ugh, and these sweet caramelized onion are to die for!

Just stop it now.  

The secret to really good enchiladas, is homemade sauce.  Shhhhhh.  You can 100% use store bought enchilada sauce, but once you make your own, it’s hard to go back.  And it’s suuuuuuuuuuuper easy! Throw together some spices and stock…

And done. 

I used this recipe for the red enchilada sauce (and added a little lemon).

And you should too.

Caramelized Onion Chicken Enchiladas

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the sauce

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

For the enchiladas

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• 1 ½ pounds cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (shredded (see note))
• 4 ounce can diced green chilies
• 8–10 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 3 cups mexican blend shredded cheese
• 1 batch red enchilada sauce (or 1 can store bought)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper

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Instructions

1. Make enchilada sauce (if you’re making your own). Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium/high heat. Add flour and stir for one minute. Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano. Then gradually add in the stock, whisking continuously to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick. Off the heat add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan heat oil and butter until melted. Add onion, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook over low heat until caramelized. About 20-25 minutes.
3. Add cooked chicken and green chilies to the pan, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line. Tortilla, sauce, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay a tortilla on a flat surface, spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on top, add a spoonful of the chicken mixture, sprinkle ⅓ cup of cheese, roll it up and place it seam side down in a greased 9×13 dish. Repeat.
5. Spread the extra sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, and serve with sour cream and avocado if desired! Serve immediately!

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Notes

*I used shredded chicken that I made in my slow cooker, but any precooked chicken will do. To make shredded chicken in the slow cooker, add 2 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts to the cooker. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, and ¼-1/2 cup chicken broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken easily pulls apart with a fork.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

 Get rollin!