June 6, 2017
Most of the recipes you’ll find on my blog are “reimagined” Paleo or Whole30 versions of my favorite dishes. This week’s project – enchiladas. I’ve always been a fan of enchiladas, particularly if they’re the extra saucy variety. And although one may consider an enchilada a fairy simple & healthy dish – just meat, tortilla & sauce = there is more to it than meets the eye. Most store bought versions of enchilada sauce have that one little ingredient that I do my best to avoid. I’m sure you can guess it by now…. sugar! Reading labels is no joke, my friends. Typical red enchilada sauce is a pretty simplistic tomato based sauce but you would not believe all the ways that the big companies sneak in additives. I understand that making your own sauce may sound like a lot of work, but isn’t your health worth the effort? I double up this green chile recipe each time I make it so I can have some stored in the freezer in case an enchilada craving arises.
In order to make these Paleo, I substitute Siete Foods almond flour tortillas in place of the traditional flour ones.
I warned you, I like my enchiladas extra saucy so prepare to get your hands dirty on this one. I swear that every time I make enchiladas I end up finding sauce in places I didn’t know existed. I don’t know what it is but I can’t keep my kitchen clean while making them. This recipe is so tasty, though, that I’d say it’s worth the trade.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 c chicken stock
- 14 oz green chile drained & diced.
- 1 lb chicken breast (2 1/2 c shredded chicken)
- 1/2 c cilantro
- 1 tbsp water + 1 tsp tapioca starch
Instructions
- In a medium-large pot (large enough to place 2 chicken breasts side by side) melt ghee over medium heat.
- Add Onion, cumin, oregano, salt & pepper. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes until translucent then add garlic. Let the garlic become fragrant about one minute.
- Add the chicken stock & the drained green chiles to the pan. Stir to combine & scrape bottom of pan to remove any pieces that became stuck during step 1.
- Once combined, add chicken breasts. I thin out my chicken breast to reduce cooking time. To accomplish this either pound or butterfly the breasts. Once in the pot, chicken breasts should be mostly covered by the sauce mixture. Place lid on the pot & allow chicken to cook for 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken in cooked, remove it from the pan & set aside for shredding. Transfer sauce, along with 1/2 cup cilantro to a blender or bowl with depth for an immersion blender. Blend sauce until smooth.Transfer the sauce back to the pan & allow to boil. Combine the water & tapioca starch. Whisk the mixture into the sauce and allow it to thicken.
- Preheat the Oven to 325
- Shred your chicken & place in a small bowl. Add 1/4 C of sauce into the bowl of chicken. Stir to combine. In a 9X13 Inch baking pan, pour half of the remaining sauce into the bottom of the pan & spread to cover.
- Optional: Heat tortillas in microwave for 15-30 sec before assembly.
- One at a time, place a single tortilla in the baking pan to coat lightly with sauce. Fill tortilla was 1/4 C of chicken mixture. Repeat until you have 8 enchiladas in the pan. Use the remaining sauce to coat the top of the enchiladas.
- Cover & place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncover & cook for 5 additional minutes. Change oven to broil & cook for the remaining 5 minutes.
Veronica
These look amazing! I have been really enjoying Siete’s tortillas, but never thought to try enchiladas – I can’t wait to try this! 🙂
eating.at.altitude
I love them too! I actually like the flavor more than regular tortillas!