Chicken enchilada recipe

Chicken enchiladas are a traditional Mexican dish which have become very popular in recent years. They are quick and easy to prepare, and easy to make in large quantities if you have a number of people coming round to dinner. This article contains a chicken enchilada recipe to serve eight people, along with some ideas for varying the dish.

Ingredients

- 3 tbsp olive oil - 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cubed - 2 red onions, sliced - 2 peppers, sliced - 1 tablespoon mild chilli powder - 1 large bottle of passata (around 700 ml) - 1 garlic clove, crushed - 1 tsp dried oregano - Salt and pepper - 8 tortillas - Soured cream - Grated cheddar cheese

Method

- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the onions and peppers. - Meanwhile, cook the chicken in another pan in the remaining oil until the juices run clear, then add to the vegetables when it is cooked. - When the chicken, onions and peppers are all in the same pan, stir in the chilli powder and cook for two minutes. - Stir in 150 ml of the passata and heat through. - Meanwhile, put the rest of the passata in a bowl and mix in the crushed clove of garlic and the dried oregano, and season it with salt and pepper. - To assemble, lay the tortillas flat and divide the chicken mixture between them. - Fold the ends in and roll up so that none of the filling is visible. - Add the remaining passata mixture to the oven proof dishes in which you will be cooking the enchiladas and place the enchiladas on top. - Dot the soured cream over the top and sprinkle with grated cheese. - Bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees C / Gas 4). - Serve your Mexican enchiladas straight from the oven, allowing one enchilada per person. These are great served with salad, rice, or nachos and dips.

Variation

The above recipe is not very spicy, but the spice can easily be increased by adding more chilli powder. You could even add some finely chopped fresh chillies when you are frying off the peppers and onions at the beginning. Add some variety to the enchilada filling by stirring some refried beans or tinned sweetcorn into the mixture when you add the 150 ml of passata. Another nice addition is some chopped fresh coriander.