Coronado Chicken Chile Enchilada

Ingredients:
1 store bought roasted chicken, shredded, yielding 4 cups of shredded chicken meat
1 cup frozen spinach
½ white onion, minced
1 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
2 teaspoons flour
2-3 Roma tomatoes, cubed
2 jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
4 "puya" peppers, stems and seeds removed (or other spicy dried pepper)
12 ounce jar roasted sweet red bell peppers with juice
½ cup Mexican crema
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
8-10 flour tortillas
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375oF degrees. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Fry tortilla, making sure it's completely immersed in the hot oil. When it starts to bubble, immediately remove and place on a rack to drain the oil. Repeat process until all tortillas have been lightly fried. Keep the tortillas separate while draining to prevent them from sticking together. In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, spinach, onion and flour. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated. Prepare the chile sauce by adding to a blender the tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, garlic, puya peppers, the entire can of roasted peppers (liquid included), Mexican crema, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend to a smooth saucy consistency. Assemble the enchiladas by pouring some of the pepper sauce in bowl. Place a tortilla in the bowl to cover one side of the tortilla and place on a plate or in the baking pan. Add 2-3 heaping tablespoons of chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla and roll tightly, placing the seam side down. Repeat process until the entire pan is covered and all of the tortilla and chicken is used. If necessary, use two baking dishes. Pour sauce over the entire pan to cover the enchiladas. Crumble more queso fresco on top of the sauce and bake the entire dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the queso fresco is completely melted into the sauce. Remove and rest 4-5 minutes before serving. Add some fresh cilantro leaves and more queso fresco crumbles for garnish and extra flavor. Serve with a side salad for a complete meal.