Enchiladas again--Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
The Best Light Recipe Copyright 2006

1 medium onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Ground black pepper
8 ounces 50% light cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (4-ounce) can pickled jalapeno chiles, drained and chopped
½ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves I omitted this
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray
1 lime, cut into wedges (for serving) I forgot this

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the onion, oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on the instant read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bow, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the onion. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Toss together the shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of the cheddar, jalapenos, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
5. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining 1 cup sauce and the lime wedges separately.

Serves 6. Per serving: 350 cal, 10g fat, 4.5 sat fat, 65mg sodium, 37g carbs, 33g protein, 7g fiber, 980 mg sodium
_________________________

I know, I know. You're thinking 'how many times can this lady make enchiladas?' Well, plenty because I really like them.

I took some shortcuts with this recipe since I was short on time. I cut up the chicken into small pieces and put it in the sauce right off. When it was cooked, I took out the chicken (and onions) with a slotted spoon and mixed it with the other filling ingredients. Shredded meat would have been better but these were still damn good. Cook's Illustrated scores another win.

This is short because I have work to do. I need to get some nesting done. Don't panic, I don't exactly have the urge to nest but I'm afraid that by the time that hits, I'll be too big to move around. I don't remember ever getting the nesting urge with my first son either so I don't want to wait for it in case it never comes.

Question of the Day: Do you clean on schedule or on an as-needed basis?