Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Chorizo

Description:

Anyone who thinks that Mexican food is simple and easy to make probably has not had really good Mexican food. The art of making great Mexican food starts with fresh ingredients and requires a thoughtful process of seasoning, marinating and slow cooking your meats.

Ingredients:

4 pieces of chicken with skin and bones intact
1/2 white onion, cut in quarters
1/2 white onion, minced
3 Serrano peppers sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon canola or safflower oil
1/4 lb Mexican chorizo, casing removed & crumbled
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
4 chipotles diced
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (see recipe)
1 tablespoon of Chipotle sauce from the can
6 soft tortilla shells

Instructions:

Place chicken, onion quarters, serrano peppers, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and smashed garlic in saucepan; cover with chicken broth and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 min.

Remove meat from chicken, discarding skin and bones. Shred meat by hand and reserve broth.

Place large pan with a lid (Dutch oven) over high flame, add oil, and fry chorizo for 5 minutes. Continually mop up the excess grease in the pan with a paper towel, leaving about 1 tablespoon of grease.

Reserve one tablespoon of the excess grease from the pan and drain off the rest.

Add diced onions & garlic. Brown for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, taco seasoning mix, chipotles, 1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce and 1 cup of the broth. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until reduced. Add broth as necessary, to maintain thick consistency.

Remove bay leaves and salt to taste.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat baking pan with oil.  Roll tortillas with chicken mix and place in baking dish, reserving some of the sauce. Spoon the reserved sauce from the chicken mix over the top of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. 

Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes and serve.