Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Copyright: Tim McGrath

Yield: 6-8 Portions

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs

¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup onions diced

1 tablespoon garlic chopped

2 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder or ancho chili powder

1 cup ground tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1 jalapeno split

1 corn tortilla cooked on a skillet till almost burnt

18-24 corn tortillas cut into 2 ½ inch circles

1 cup salad oil for frying tortillas

½ pound Queso Cotija grated

¼ cup cilantro chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Season legs with salt and pepper. In a braising pot brown legs in olive oil. When browned remove and sauté onions and garlic in same pan. Cook until onions are lightly browned. Add chili powder, tomatoes, broth, and jalapeno and bring to a boil. Return chicken legs to pot and cover to simmer for 30-35 minutes. Remove legs and allow to cool for easier handling.
2. Return sauce to stovetop and simmer for about 10 minutes. Crumble tortilla and add to sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Now puree sauce in blender and taste for seasoning. Pull and shred meat from chicken legs.
3. Set up a skillet with salad oil and get oil to about 325 degrees. Fry tortillas for about one minute, cooking only 5 or 6 at a time. Drain tortillas on paper towels.
4. Add about 2 cups of sauce to chicken. Now dip tortillas one at a time in sauce. Spoon some chicken on top of tortilla. Repeat process 2 more times. Place in baking dish. Once all stacked enchiladas are done. Spoon any sauce that’s remaining over each stack. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Serve sprinkling with chopped cilantro.