Red Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil, corn oil, or peanut oil
• 12 corn tortillas, thick and sturdy
• 2 14-ounce cans red chile enchilada sauce, or 3 cups homemade enchilada sauce
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in with 3 tablespoons of water to form a slurry
• 1 medium red onion, chopped, soaked in a mixture of half seasoned rice vinegar and half water
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce seasoned with salt and vinegar, no oil
• Sour cream
• Sliced avocados or guacamole

Directions

1. For homemade enchilada sauce, warm the oil in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. If you are using canned sauce, skip ahead to preparing the chicken and tortillas.
2. Add the chili powder and cayenne to the hot oil and stir. Cook it for only 1/2 minute, because the chile can scorch quickly, then pour in the water and add the tomato paste. Whisk until the sauce is smooth.
3. Stir in the garlic powder, then the onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and cornstarch slurry. Bring the sauce just to a simmer, then take it off the heat.
4. Check the spice level. If you would like more heat, add extra chili powder or cayenne, keeping in mind that the chicken and tortillas will mellow the sauce, so it should taste a little hotter than you want the finished enchiladas to be. Stir 1/4 cup of the sauce into the cooked chicken, then set the chicken aside.
5. To get the tortillas ready, skip the messier old-school approach of saucing and frying each one before rolling. Instead, soften the corn tortillas first, then dip them in sauce when you assemble, which gives you the flavor without asking fragile tortillas to do acrobatics.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan, using a high smoke point oil such as peanut oil, canola oil, or rice bran oil, and swirl it so the pan is coated. Lay in a tortilla and warm it for a few seconds, just until small air bubbles start to appear.
7. Turn the tortilla with a metal spatula and heat the second side for a few more seconds. Place another tortilla over the first one so it can pick up some of the extra oil, then flip the stack together and add yet another tortilla on top.
8. Continue adding tortillas anywhere you see excess oil in the pan. The goal is to warm and soften them while using as little oil as possible.
9. As each tortilla becomes warm and pliable, transfer it to a paper towel so any extra oil can drain off. Add more oil to the pan when it needs it.
10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dip the tortillas, 1 at a time, into the enchilada sauce, then lay each one in a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish.
11. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped chicken into each tortilla, then add a small sprinkle of cheese.
12. Roll each tortilla around the filling and arrange it in the baking dish. Repeat with the full dozen, lining them up neatly in the casserole.
13. Spoon the remaining sauce over the tortilla rolls, then scatter the rest of the grated cheese on top.
14. A small cheese note: these chicken enchiladas are sometimes remembered with barely any cheese, though the mom attached to that memory, now in her 80s, recalls them with the sprinkle. The cook in her 50s admits memory can be slippery too.
15. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
16. Serve the enchiladas with a metal spatula. Add thinly sliced iceberg lettuce seasoned with vinegar and salt, without oil, chopped red onions soaked for at least 1/2 hour in vinegar and water, guacamole or avocado slices, and sour cream, then finish with cilantro.