A slightly fancy version of the ‘red’ enchiladas down at your local mexican slop shop.  Make these and you won’t be going back there any time soon (or until you feel lazy.)

Sauce

• 1 dried ancho chile, seeded torn in strips
• 3 dried new mexico, seeded torn into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 15oz can crushed tomato
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• pinch of sugar

Directions

1. Toast chiles in skillet
2. Evac to sauce pan, cook with chicken stock till soft (20 minutes)
3. Meanwhile, cook garlic 1 minute, add tomatoes with juice
4. When chiles are soft, blend, and push through chinos into tomatoes
5. Cook down till saucy (10 minutes)
6. Salt

Chicken

• 1 lb chicken (i like thighs, you may prefer breasts, its all good)
• 1 small onion, peeled, trimmed cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• Water to cover

Directions

1. Throw stuff in a pot
2. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce to a simmer
4. Cook 20 minutes
5. Evac chicken, discard rest
6. Let cool
7. Shred

Enchilada

• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup queso fresco crumbled
• 1/2 cup monterey jack shredded
• chopped onion and cilantro sprigs for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Brush tortillas with a little bit of oil and put on baking sheet
3. Warm for ~3 minutes, evac them and cover with a  kitchen towel
4. Mix some sauce into the chicken
5. In a casserole dish,  spread a little sauce on the bottom
6. Take a tortilla, put a little chicken in the middle (not too much!), and roll it up.  Place the tortilla seam side down in the casserole dish
7. Repeat till the casserole dish is full
8. Pour on rest of sauce
9. Top with cheese
10. Bake ~15 minutes.
11. Evac, sprinkle on onions and cilantro
12. Serve.

Props

Inspiration comes from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday.  I changed the way the sauce was cooked, and poached the chicken rather than using a store bought one, and changed up the cheese, but the first time i ever made enchiladas was his recipe, and it was awesome.