This is a fabulous recipe to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but it’s also just a great family meal that will incorporate all the essentials of a well-balanced meal: veggies, meat, fat and carbohydrates. You will walk away satisfied, you might even walk away with a little salsa in your step! Hey, why not!
Here are the directions;
Dice 1/2 of white onion into tiny bits. Set out a large frying pan and drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion until slightly translucent. Then, chop 1/2 of a large beefsteak tomato and toss in the tomatoes with the onions and let them cook for roughly 5 minutes. Add some ground sea salt for flavor.
In the meantime, dice up the whole Rotisserie chicken, discard the skin and bones and keep the juices.! Toss the diced up chicken into the frying pan with onions and tomatoes, along with the juices. Drizzle in a few good drizzles of olive oil, and a squeeze of half of a lime. Stir well. Add in the salt and black pepper. Next, wash two bunches of scallions. Cut off the dark green stems and use only the white and lightest green parts. Dice into tiny pieces. Add half of this to the frying pan, reserving the rest for the finishing touches of your enchiladas.
Open the can of whole tomatoes and add them to the frying pan. Chop up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and let this continue to simmer for about 25-30 minutes, on low heat. You want to keep as much juice as you can so that the chicken remains moist! Lastly, rinse the cilantro and use a small handful, discard the stems and chop. Add to the pan, for flavor and a pop of color!
In the meantime, while the chicken is simmering, start your cheese sauce. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a small sauce pan. Put it on low heat add in the flour and whisk these ingredients together for 2 minutes. Then, add in the warmed milk, still whisking…Then, add in the shredded white cheddar cheese (roughly 2 cups) and whisking just until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens, adding in your salt, pepper and some paprika for a hint of color and flavor. Cheese sauce can be fussy! Just whisk and don’t let it overheat or it might curdle and you will have to start over! (and waste all the cheese, so keep an eye and tend to the pot!)
Next, prepare your rice. Heat the rice according to the directions on the package. Add about 3 cups of cooked white rice to a bowl. Open a small can of corn, draining the juices. Toss the corn in with the rice. Once the cheese sauce is ready, take it off the burner and add a few tablespoons to the rice mixture and stir in some seasonings: salt, pepper, and paprika. Set that aside.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. You will need a large baking dish with a 3-inch depth. Start by layering the rice mixture in the bottom of the dish.
Take out the large white flour tortillas. Using a slotted spoon (to drain the liquids) start by filling the chicken mixture inside the tortilla, fold in the ends and roll them, then place seam side down on top of the rice. If you want extra cheesy goodness, add shredded white cheddar inside the tortillas. Don’t over stuff them though, because you want them to be tightly wrapped and place one up against the other.
You will have enough room for roughly 6-8 tortillas, depending upon how many your dish can hold. Then, drizzle the liquid from the chicken mixture on the top of the tortillas. Next, add the cheese sauce all over the top of the tortillas, a dash of paprika and the remaining diced scallions.
Bake in the preheated oven uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover and then serve with pureed black beans and sour cream. Yum! Walk away from the dinner table satisfied (or salsa away!). The kids are going to love this!!!!!!