Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

When Mike and I were in Dallas last month (recap here), we ate Tex-Mex food for two of our three dinners.  We are pretty much obsessed with Mexican food, and we love trying regional dishes where ever we go.  Enchiladas are always my favorite, so when I saw a special platter at Manny's Uptown that not only had a cheese enchilada with chili but also something called a sour cream chicken enchilada, I had to try it.  Seriously, everything was so delicious there (including the amazing Uptown Queso with ground beef and guacamole), and I was officially on a mission to make my own sour cream enchiladas (since we have nothing like this in South Carolina!).  Well,  I read through about ten different recipes online and nothing looked perfectly like what I ordered.  So, I combined about 3 of the recipes (and added some spices... clearly none of these chefs had ever actually been to Texas with the lack of spices in the recipes - haha!).  To be honest, these came out pretty tame in the spice category (which worked well for a neighbor Cinco de Mayo pot luck), but I give a couple of ideas below to spice it up a bit.  We will definitely be adding more spice next time for ourselves.  

Ingredients:
Filling -
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 3 cups shredded chicken (I boiled 1.5 pounds of chicken and shredded)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional: for added spice)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and asadero cheeses)
Sauce - 
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups sour cream
- 4 oz diced mild green chiles (optional: use hot chiles for added spice)
Shells -
- 12 soft corn tortillas
Garnish -
- Cilantro

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil on medium and add onion.  Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until translucent and just starting to brown.
3. Reduce heat to low and add in chicken, salt, pepper, chili, (and cayenne, if you like) and stir until combined and warmed through.
4. Turn off heat and add cheese, stir to combine.  Set aside.
5. To make the sauce, melt the butter on medium heat and whisk in the flour.  Cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 
6. Slowly pour in the broth and whisk until thickened and simmering.
7. Reduce heat to low, and stir in salt, pepper, sour cream, and green chiles until smooth.
8 To roll the filling in the shells, they need to be warmed and pliable.  The easiest way I've found is to moisten two paper towels, place one on a plate, place two tortillas on the paper towel, and cover them with the other paper towel.  Warm them in the microwave for 25 seconds and roll them with filling immediately. 
9. Pour all but 1/2 cup of sauce over the enchiladas and bake for 30 minutes.
10. To serve, scoop enchiladas onto a plate and spoon extra sauce on top.  Garnish with cilantro. 

This recipe is fantastic to make ahead of time and store for a party the next day.  If you would like to do this, assemble the enchiladas in their shells but do not top with sauce.  Store the sauce in an air-tight container and place both in the refrigerator.  When you're ready to bake, spoon the sauce over the enchiladas and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Seriously, these are so delicious.  They are definitely reminiscent of our time in Dallas and make for a great meal.  I love that they're filled with both chicken and cheese (my two favorite enchiladas), and the fresh cilantro on top is just perfect.  

I hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo - I know these will be making an appearance at our home throughout the year!