Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Ingredients:

For the enchilada sauce:

2 C chicken broth
2 T butter
2-3 T sweet rice flour
1/2 tsp cumin
A good dash of hot pepper, smoky chipotle or cayenne, to taste
1 C diced fire roasted green chiles - mild or hot, to taste

For the enchiladas:

corn tortillas
olive oil
3 cups cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder or Old Bay seasoning
salt and ground pepper, to taste
4 C Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13" baking pan.

First make the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan; add the rice flour and whisk smooth. Mix in the spices and diced green chilis, then add the liquid, whisking constantly. Heat just until the sauce begins to simmer. Continue to simmer until it thickens; feel free to taste and adjust seasonings to your own liking! You can also add more broth if it seems too thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the filling by combining the beef, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese to the filling and mix well. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.

Pour about 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Soften the tortillas by briefly frying them in oil in a small skillet (if the oil is hot, you only need a couple of seconds per side!).

Place a tortilla in the pan, on top of the sauce, spoon in the chicken and cheese filling, and roll the tortilla up. Continue until the pan is full and/or the filling is used up, whichever comes first.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbling around the edges and heated all the way through.