See Jane Cook: Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

When a friend is in need or having a hard time and I want cheer him or her up, the one thing that I turn to in helping out is bringing food. It’s the one thing I know that I’m good at and that they will appreciate. Recently, I made a big pan of chicken enchiladas to take to a pal. I put my own spin on a recipe and it turned out amazing.

This dish is great to take to a pot luck or to prepare for a Tex-Mex themed party. Everyone will love these. Just add some sides of spanish rice, black beans, chips, salsa and guacamole and you’ll have a wonderful night of noshing with friends. 

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

ingredients:

3 cups, cooked, shredded chicken (Buy a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store deli to make this easy recipe even easier.)

2 cups chicken broth

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

12 whole corn tortillas

1 Large Onion, diced

3 4 oz. cans diced green chilies

1 whole Jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 cup Sour Cream

3 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro, chopped

Salsa and Guacamole to serve on the side

directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas about 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 of seasoning packet. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add the other half of the seasoning packet. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour ranch cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with salsa, guacamole and sides (and maybe a Margarita). 

Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter@cturnip.