Dawn's Famous Enchiladas

Hay de mi!  Isn't it funny how certain food and particular music can take you back in time like nothing else?  About six years ago, I went to a good friend's wedding in San Antonio.  Leaving soon-to-be Daddy Mac at home (I was pregnant), my old JAG buddy Dawn who conveniently lived in town came as my date.

Much to my delight, she made a big ole batch of enchiladas before I arrived.  We munched on them all weekend long while chatting away with her hilarious eight-year-old son who referred to himself as "Po-Po" for no apparent reason.  They were so incredibly delicious it was impossible to stop, and back then I had a great excuse.  (So what's my excuse now?  Sheer gluttony?  Other suggestions welcome!)  Man, they were the best enchiladas I ever had, no comparison.

Thankfully Dawn was kind enough to share the recipe with me and let me sneak it out of the Republic of Texas.  Every once in a while, I still get a hankering for them, some delectable Mexican comfort food.  Perhaps today it was the cold weather or maybe Sam's new lessons in Espanol that got me thinking of enchiladas.  Who knows?  All that matters is this --  out came the crock pot, sour cream, and a can of that magical Rotel.   And voila!

Now we've got enough enchiladas to feed an army and still some left over to freeze.  Everything's bigger in Texas, right?  (It ends up being the equivalent of a Mexican lasagna -- it just never ends, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it.)   While cooking and eating those enchiladas, though, I am always transported back in a time capsule -- in the form of a tortilla --  to that New Year's Weekend in 2005.

Without further ado, here is Dawn's Famous Enchilada Recipe!!!!!!!  Drumroll please...

Items needed:

1 can of chicken broth

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of Rotel

1/2 cup sour cream (use real sour cream not light or fat free, other wise it won't blend well)

1lb of boneless chicken breast

10-15 tortillas ( or however many you need)

2-3 cups shredded cheese -- can use cheddar/colby/colby-jack/ or any other you prefer!

1 can refried beans (optional)

In crock pot cook the broth, soup, sour cream, rotel, and chicken on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 4-6 hrs (the longer the better!)

Once the above has cooked, do the following:

Remove chicken breast from crock pot -- shred in a separate bowl with fork or you can shred/chop in food processor - I prefer the food processor!

Spread a cup or so of the broth on the bottom of a 13  x 9 inch pyrex dish (enough to just cover the bottom of dish)

If you want beans -- spread a tablespoon of beans on a tortilla,  then scoop 1/4 cup -1/2 cup of the chopped chicken (or however much you prefer) onto the tortilla, scoop a spoonful of broth over the chicken, sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top of the chicken, roll and place tortilla in dish -- repeat for as many tortillas that you need!!

Once the dish is full of rolled tortillas, pour remaining broth over the top of the tortillas -- spread around ensuring you get them all covered/soaked.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top - the more the better!!

Bake in oven at about 300-350 degrees for 20-40 minutes!!

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or any other topping you desire!!

Voila!

Enjoy! Buen apetito!  May you have happy memories of these enchiladas!  Gracias, Dawn!


LibbY