Tex-Mex Elegy: Chicken Enchiladas and Mason Jar Margaritas

I miss Taco Tuesday. A lot. I am used to eating Mexican at least twice per week. A large order of asada and chorizo street tacos with onion and cilantro with a big bowl of salsa verde would really hit the spot right now.

Once we start to move out of isolation – whenever that may be, and however safely we can do it – our local tienda and taqueria will be one of my first stops.

In the meantime, we will just have to do for ourselves. Thus, a Mason jar margarita and a big pan of chicken enchiladas are on the home menu.

Margaritas

The margarita is such a simple cocktail to make yourself. It’s as easy as 3:2:1. That’s the ratio. Tequila. Lime juice. Simple syrup.

Grab a Mason jar. Measure out three parts tequila, to two parts freshly-squeezed lime juice, to one part simple syrup. Throw in a few cubes of ice, put the lid on the jar, and shake the hell out of it. Pop the top and enjoy your drink straight out of the jar. Use a cocktail shaker and pour into a salted cocktail glass, if you fancy. We have several nice shakers that we have collected over the years, but they have become more decorative than useful to us at this point.

Making your own simple syrup is, well, simple. Boil one cup of white sugar with one cup of water until sugar dissolves and you get the slightest bit of color. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour into a Mason jar and put it in the fridge. It’s ready to go when you are, and it keeps for weeks.

Tequila is a beautiful and smooth alcohol, and adding a liqueur just gives it an alcohol wince that it does not deserve. So, if you crave that underlying flavor of an orange liqueur in your margarita, then flavor your simple syrup. Bring to boil 1 ½ cups of commercial, pulp-free orange juice with a 1/3 cup sugar. Stir and simmer until sugar dissolves and liquid reduces by about a ¼ cup. Cool. Pour in a Mason jar and refrigerate.

And a third option that’s the easiest of all – use agave syrup instead of simple syrup. My friend Lauren introduced me to this, and it’s brilliant, as tequila is fermented agave. Its sweetness is about the same as the simple syrup, so the ratio of 3:2:1 holds true.

Chicken Enchiladas

We play contract rummy or dominos (Mexican train!) with a couple of friends every Sunday afternoon. I usually make a big batch of something, and friends will bring a couple of dishes for a nice afternoon potluck. I recently asked them what their favorite dish that I make is.

Those chicken enchiladas, they said.

This Tex-Mex recipe is adapted from Ree Drummond’s recipe with just a couple of minor additions and changes, and I give the Pioneer Woman all the credit here. I love watching her on Saturday mornings, and I have a big food crush on her. She likes that little extra kick in her dishes, and she uses familiar and available ingredients. And she seems so kind and self-deprecating in her humor. 

So, if you are missing out on your Mexican/Tex-Mex food, make a big pan of enchiladas and a batch of margaritas. Until the world gets back to normal, you can satisfy some of those cravings at home.

INGREDIENTS

2 – 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups chicken broth
1 package 6-8 inch flour tortillas
1 medium sweet onion
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeños, seeded, small dice
1 TSP paprika plus
1 TSP garlic powder plus
2 TB diced chipotles in adobo, divided
2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
5 TB butter, divided
2 TB flour
8 oz. sour cream
3 cups pepper jack or Mexican blend cheese, shredded 

Boil the chicken breasts in the broth and enough water to cover until cooked all the way through, then cool to the point you can shred the chicken with two forks. Be sure to reserve the broth for the filling and the sauce.

Melt 2 TB butter in a skillet and add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook until softened. Add one can green chiles, 1 TB diced chipotles, paprika and garlic powder. Mix in the chicken and 1 ½ cups of the broth. Stir well to moisten the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste.

Melt 3 TB butter in a saucepan over medium heat until frothy. Add 2 TB flour and make a nice roux, whisking 1 – 2 minutes until golden. Pour 1 ½ cups broth in, a little at a time, and whisk for a couple of minutes. Add the other can of green chiles, a TB of chipotles and whisk. Add in the sour cream and two cups of the Mexican blend cheese and stir until smooth. Sprinkle in a little paprika, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the tortillas according to package directions – usually about 20 seconds in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel.

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Assemble the enchiladas: take a tortilla and spoon in the chicken mixture and add a few tablespoons of the shredded cheese on top. Fold over and place in your casserole dish seam-side down with the ends open. I like my enchiladas kind of fat with chicken filling so I usually get between 6 – 8 in a pan.

Once the pan is filled with enchiladas, pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle on any remaining shredded cheese.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes until sauce and cheese are bubbly.    

NOTE

I use La Costena diced chipotles. They come in a jar that you can find in the Mexican food section of the grocery. Adding a spoon to any sauce gives a nice background heat and smokiness.