Cheesy and subtly spiced, enchiladas suizas satisfied hearty appetites after a day of cross-country skiing.

With just four weeks remaining in the school year, we’re increasingly looking at our pantry to figure out what needs to be used up or given away before we leave for the summer. This enchilada recipe was inspired by two cans of roasted green chile peppers we received from a friend who is leaving our village and not returning. I made my own tortillas, which I will blog about separately. We served these savory enchiladas with Spanish rice prepared in our rice cooker.

Enchiladas Suizas

Ingredients

Seasoned broiled chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (enough for 3 cups cooked cubed chicken)
• Penzeys Southwest rub, or any other mildly fiery cumin and chili pepper based rub

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. chopped green chile peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin

• 6 8-inch flour or corn tortillas
• oil for frying tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mild white cheese such as Monterey Jack (I used mozzarella because that was on hand.)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded medium-aged cheddar cheese (We love Tillamook!)
• 1 cup sour cream (thinned with a few tbsp of water to a consistency slightly thicker than heavy cream)
• jalapeño slices for a finishing touch

Directions:

Seasoned broiled chicken:

1. Coat broiling pan with oil. Position oven rack near top of oven. Place broiling pan in oven and preheat on broil.
2. Rub chicken thighs with Southwest rub.
3. Broil chicken for approximately 15 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to cool. When cool, cut into 1/4 inch thick by 1/2 inch long pieces. Set aside.

1. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Sauté onion in butter until soft. Stir in garlic. Add flour and stir until flour, onions, and garlic are incorporated. Add broth. Add chiles, salt and cumin. Stir until well mixed. Simmer mixture for 15 minutes. Set aside.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine cheeses, reserving about half for the topping.
3. Quickly fry tortillas in oil. Do not crisp them.
4. Dip both sides of tortilla in chili sauce mixture. Place about 3 tbsp of chicken down center of tortilla. Top with about 2 tbsp cheese mixture. Roll the tortilla and place into 9 x 13 glass baking dish, seam side down. Follow same procedure with the remaining tortillas.
5. Spoon remaining chili sauce mixture on top of enchiladas. Spread evenly. Spoon thinned sour cream on top of chili sauce. Spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top of sour cream. Garnish with jalapeño slices.
6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
7. Serve with salsa and Spanish rice.

Spanish Rice Recipe for Rice Cooker

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup  finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
• 2 1/2 cups white rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp oregano

Directions

1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Set aside.
2. Mix chicken broth and tomato paste until combined. Add oregano. Stir.
3. Place rice in rice cooker.
4. Pour in chicken broth mixture. Add in onion mixture. Stir.
5. Cook rice on white rice setting.
6. Stir before serving.