Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas: Naturally Gluten-Free

For the holidays this year my husband bought me the best cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  It is so informative and has great ways to cook healthier.  I look for recipes that I would be easy to modify to make it gluten-free.  Lucky for me, this green chili chicken enchilada recipe was naturally gluten-free and seriously delicious!!

I modified it slightly since I couldn't find fresh tomatillos at the grocery stores in Manhattan so I bought Chi-Chi's brand green chili salsa from which had all the same ingredients such as jalapeños, tomatillos, onion and garlic.

Here is what it looked like before I put it in the oven.

I had a lot of leftover chicken filling so it was great to have tacos with it the rest of the week.
And here is the final product...delish!

Ingredients

1	package chicken thighs
2 1/2	cups green enchilada sauce (salsa)
2	tsp. vegetable or corn oil
1/2	cup fresh cilantro leaves
2	cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1-2	hot Jamaican peppers (or any other hot pepper)
2	cans Chi-Chi's green chilis, diced
10	corn tortillas (six inch)
	Salt and pepper
1	lime

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the chicken and the enchilada sauce (green salsa) in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer oven medium-low heat, 10 to 15 minutes. When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160-165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, cheese, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.

4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable cooking spray or oil. Place tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are pliable, 2-4 minutes.

5. Working quickly, while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over the clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mix evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly wrap roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

6. Pour 1 cup more of the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes longer. Use a large spatula to remove each tortilla and squirt the lime juice over the plate when serving.

No Wrong Way to Make Chili

If you like chili, this is the recipe for you.  The best part?  It's so easy to add/change any of the ingredients to your liking.  Add more spicy peppers or enhance with some fresh corn.  Add beans.  Change up the spices.  This was a creation that I made with my husband this weekend in our 6 quart Dutch oven on the stove top.  You can also use a slow cooker (a.k.a. crock pot) but it will just increase the cooking time by a few hours.

The chorizo added a nice smoky flavor, but we may have added too many hot peppers!  Our fingers were numb for hours after cutting them into small pieces (note to self: use gloves next time!) I usually eat this with GF spaghetti, but you can also serve this with corn chips or GF corn bread.

Ingredients:

2	lbs. ground beef
1	package chorizo (about 12 oz.)
1	yellow onion, chopped fine
4	garlic cloves, diced fine
1	yellow pepper, chopped medium
2	green peppers, chopped medium
3-4	Jamaican hot peppers, diced
2	cans diced tomatoes
1-2	chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2	cups GF beef broth
1/4	tbsp. chili powder
1/4	tbsp. cumin
1/4	tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/2	jar tomato sauce
2	tbsp. tomato paste
1/2	cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large Dutch oven, brown beef over medium heat by breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.

2. Remove when brown and reserve for later use. Cut chorizo into bite size pieces and add to pot. Brown for about 2-4 minutes.

3. Remove chorizo and drain grease.

4. Add onion until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Add in green and yellow peppers, and cook for a few minutes, then add in the hot peppers, cook for about 2-3 minutes.

6. Add in 1 cup beef broth, spices, and cover cooking until softened about another 4-5 minutes.

7. Add the beef and chorizo back to the pot and stir. Add in the crushed/diced tomatoes, stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium/low.

8. In separate saucepan, add in the tomato sauce and paste, stir until combined.

9. Heat until smooth and add to Dutch oven with other cup of beef broth.

10. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

11. Add in chipotle peppers and 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce.

12. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

13. When you are ready to eat, prepare the GF spaghetti following the directions on the box. Add into the bowl with chili and add shredded cheddar cheese on top before serving.

Dedicated Gluten-Free Aisle at Food Emporium in NYC!!

It's always a thrill when I find a new GF product at the "regular" supermarket...like Food Emporium or Gristedes in NYC.  But to see an entire SECTION dedicated to GF products...well, it just made my eyes tear up a bit!

Located at 83rd and 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side, this surely was an exciting trip to the supermarket!!

Thanks Food Emporium for making my evening!!!!