Chicken Enchiladas with Spinach Cream Sauce
Serve with refried beans. I loved this, but Gareth only so so. It needed a lot more salt!
Serve with refried beans. I loved this, but Gareth only so so. It needed a lot more salt!
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- corn tortillas
- 1 can whole chiles, sliced into strips
- 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion, divided
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
- 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons masa harina
- 3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
- Carbohydrate 40.0123262312023 g
- Cholesterol 23.3883565575 mg
- Fat 10.4850072819538 g
- Fiber 5.96955889830697 g
- Protein 9.65338966462808 g
- Saturated Fat 4.48779919731651 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (543g)
- Sodium 1709.27569353337 mg
- Sugar 34.0427673328953 g
- Trans Fat 2.02942059777428 g
- Calories 279 calories
Step-by-step
- Place a large skillet with oil over med heat until hot.
- Add 1 c sliced onion; cook 10 min or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Stir in chicken and 1/3 c chiles; spoon chicken mixture into a bowl.
- Steam spinach leaves, covered, 5 min or until wilted.
- Place spinach in a colander, pressing with the back of a spoon until barely moist.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Wipe skillet with paper towels, and recoat with oil.
- Place over med-hi heat.
- Add 1/2 c sliced onion and chopped green onions, and saute 3 min.
- Stir in grownd cumin and minced garlic, and saute 30 sec.
- Combine masa harina and broth.
- Add masa mixture, chopped cilantro, cream cheese, and salt to pan, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, and simmer 5 min or until cheese melts, stirring constantly.
- Place the cheese mixture, 1/3 c chiles, and spinach in a food processor, and process until smooth.
- Divide the chicken misxture evenly among tortillas, and roll up.
- Pour 1/2 c spinach sauce in bottom of an 8" square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
- Arrange the filled tortillas on top of spinach sauce.
- Pour the remaining spinach sauce over tortillas.
- Cover and bake at 350 for 10 min or until enchiladas are thoroughly heated.
Working with corn tortillas requires managing moisture to prevent structural failure during rolling. Because untreated corn tortillas crack easily when cold, warming them temporarily increases gelatinization of the starches, rendering them pliable enough to bend without fracturing.
Emulsifying the Green Sauce
Blending cooked spinach, cream cheese, chiles, and chicken broth into a uniform coating relies on precise starch behavior. Masa harina acts as the primary thickener here. Unlike pure wheat flour, masa is nixtamalized, meaning the corn is cooked in an alkaline solution, which alters the bonding properties of its starches. Whisking masa directly into cold chicken broth before applying heat prevents clumping by allowing individual starch granules to hydrate evenly. As the liquid reaches a boil, these swollen granules trap water molecules, building viscosity.Thermal Control and Equipment Workarounds
Incorporating cream cheese into the simmering broth requires maintaining moderate heat. Excessive heat denatures dairy proteins rapidly, causing the emulsion to break and release free fat. Simmering the mixture for five minutes cooks out the raw corn flavor of the masa while melting the cream cheese gently. Transferring this warm mixture to a food processor yields a smooth puree, but blenders function equally well if vented properly to allow steam to escape. Pouring half the sauce into the 8-inch baking dish before adding the rolled tortillas protects the bottom layer from scorching while ensuring heat transfers uniformly during the ten-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
