Mexican

It’s no surprise that my husband and I love tex-mex food. Our go-to favorite home cooked meals are usually tex-mex, and when we go out to eat, it’s usually at a tex-mex place. Obsessed, much? 🙂

Whenever we go to our favorite tex-mex place, my husband either gets the fajitas or the flautas. I like to know that I can replicate what we eat when we go out, and heck, I can make fajitas, but flautas? Flautas intimidate the heck out of me! Why, you ask? Well, flautas are fried, and I hate frying. I either under-cook or burn the food. It’s always bad when I want to try to fry. I just can’t figure out frying. (I guess that’s a good thing, health-wise!)

When I saw this recipe for taquitos, flautas popped in my head. Sure, taquitos aren’t flautas, but they are pretty dang close! And the best part, these taquitos are baked. Whew…escaped frying once again! 🙂

Let me tell y’all something…these taquitos are NOT the frozen taquitos that you buy in bulk in the frozen section. I swear. The ingredients sound so simple, but whoa, these taquitos are absolutely delicious. My husband even said that this may just be his favorite home-cooked meal that I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a lot of things…this is HUGE folks!)! The combination of cheeses makes these taquitos just like the title says..creamy, and the combination of ingredients just makes these taquitos so flavorful! Now, to note…for the chicken, we used an extra chicken breast that I cooked for these enchiladas, so the flavors were already in the chicken, which I think helped to put this dish over the top, but I’m sure if you use any pre-cooked chicken, these will still taste pretty awesome.

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
Source: mildly adapted from Pink Parsley Blog, originally from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup salsa
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp. chopped scallions
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
• 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Fold in the chicken and cheeses.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap.  Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable.
4. NOTE: Be careful when working with the tortillas…they are hot right out of the microwave! Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
5. Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, queso and/or guacamole.

There are some dishes that just were not meant to be photographed by me. I’ve attempted to take pictures of these enchiladas 4 separate times, and something always goes wrong. So, the result is a picture of an enchilada with a torn tortilla…enchiladas, you win. The resulting dish just isn’t pretty. In this case, looks are very deceiving, y’all. These enchiladas are even better than the ones at my favorite tex-mex joint! I absolutely love them, and this is now our go-to recipe. 🙂

The first time I tried enchiladas was actually in college. See, I don’t like beans, and for some reason, I always thought every enchilada had beans. So, when one of my friends ordered them, insisting the ones at a restaurant were the best ever, I asked her what was in them. When she didn’t say beans, I had to try them. Why was I deprived for so long? Now, I usually order enchiladas when we go out for tex-mex. I prefer enchiladas to fajitas…crazy, eh?

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: mildly adapted from Pink Parsley Blog, originally from America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 jalapenos, 1 seeded (the other not, for an extra kick)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic, grated with a microplane or minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large roma tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (most of the times, we only need 1 large chicken breast…2 is just too many)
• 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place onion and jalapenos in a food processor until chopped very fine.
2. Combine the onion, jalapenos, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Cook the sauce on medium-low, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.
3. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.
4. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
6. Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Working with the tortillas one at a time, spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture on the left side. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
7. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don’t like the crunch…my husband loves a good bit of crunch to these).
8. Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.
9. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Source:  The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally by Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), trimmed of fat, tenderloins removed, pounded to ½-inch thickness
• 1 large red onion (about 14 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rounds (do not separate rings)
• 1 large red bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 large green bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Reserve ¼ cup marinade in a small bowl; set aside. Add another teaspoon salt to the remaining marinade. Place the chicken in the marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and the peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it smooth side down on the hotter side of the grill; discard the remaining marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers (skin side down) on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it’s well browned, 4 to 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it’s no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook the peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook the onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Working in 2 or 3 batches, place the tortillas in a single layer on the cooler side of the now-empty grill and cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side (do not grill too long or the tortillas will become brittle). As the tortillas are done, wrap them in a kitchen towel or a large sheet of foil.
4. Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl; slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and place them in the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved unused marinade to the vegetables and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade in another bowl; arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter and serve with the warmed tortillas.