Turkey/Chicken Enchiladas

Thanksgiving leftovers are always a challenge.  Left over Turkey is the easiest to deal with. So many options abound – soups, wraps and of course, enchiladas!  This time I decided to do a spicy enchilada using chipotle chillies and fire roasted tomatoes.  The sauce was spicy, had a great smoky flavor and overall delicious. One thing about enchiladas is that they don’t save well further. So make sure you make only as many as you can eat since you will just need to trash any left over enchiladas if you end up with too many.!

So here’s the recipe, which will make about 4-6 servings:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup, chopped onions
1 tbsp fresh garlic chopped
1 tsp, green chillies (optional)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder(cayenne pepper)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 can, 12 oz fire roasted tomatoes
2 no.s chipotle peppers in adobe sauce(chopped fine) and 1/2 tsp of the adobe sauce
1 cup tomato sauce (or fresh tomato puree)
1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
salt as needed
3 cups cooked turkey/chicken, shredded into long and thin pieces
1/2 cup Green Peppers, sliced
1/2 cup onions, sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, or mexican blend
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack for topping6 medium size flour (or whole wheat) tortillas

Method:
Pre heat oven to 350 deg F. Keep a large baking tray ready (one that will fit about 6 rolled tortillas)

To make the sauce, heat a large skillet and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Then add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Next add the green chillies (if adding), the red chilli powder, the cumin, the chipotle peppers with the adobe sauce and the fire roasted tomatoes.  Continue to saute for another 3-4 minutes till the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. Then add the tomato sauce and the chocolate chips.  Continue to cook till the sauce is of a nice thick consistency. Check for salt and add salt as needed.

Next take the shredded turkey /chicken pieces and warm if cold in a microwave or a small pan(Do not heat too much or it  will turn dry). Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Saute the onions and green peppers in a skillet/pan in a little bit of oil and keep aside.

Now to assemble the enchiladas, take a tortilla and spread about 1/2 cup of the shredded chicken and some of the onion and green pepper mixture on the bottom half of the tortilla. Add about 1tbsp of the grated cheddar cheese on top and then about 1 tsp of the above prepared enchilada sauce. Then roll the tortilla and place  on the baking tray.  Repeat this the other 5 tortillas as well.  Finally, pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas to cover them and also sprinkle the additional cheese as topping.  Run a pizza cutter or a knife over the middle of the rolled tortillas such that you get 12 smaller tortilla rolls(enchiladas). Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes and serve immediately with sour cream and guacamole on the side.

Notes:

These enchiladas taste good only if served immediately.  Also do not bake for too long as the tortillas can turn too crispy or may even get scorched.

You could also add other roasted veggies along with the turkey/chicken for the filling to make a wholesome meal!