Talk about a fabulous taste delight for guests at the Thanksgiving table, This recipe for Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Havarti Cheese makes my mouth water just thinking about it. You serve a surprise meal that is so melt-in-your-mouth yummy that family and friends beg for the recipe.
This is one of my special recipe treats and it is a real treat. So so good. The secret ingredient is the Jalapeno flavored Havarti cheese. The secret to the delicious-ness is the soft and gently bathed corn tortillas. Read on.... You'll love this one!
Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Havarti Cheese
1 cup onion, chopped course
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped fine
2 tbs olive oil (EVOO)
2 cups cooked chicken pieces, chopped and shredded
1 (4-oz) can green chili peppers, chopped (Old El Paso or Ortega)
3 tbs butter, melted
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, course grated
12-24 slices Havarti cheese, Jalapeno flavored
12 green olives, pitted (optional: stuffed)
12 (6-in) fresh corn tortillas
Sauce:
In large sauce pan, add butter and warm over medium heat. Stir in flour and salt until creamy (about 1 minute). Stir in broth. Add 1 cup of Jack cheese. Cook and stir until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Cook and still 1-2 minutes more, remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Set aside to cool.
The flour is the secret to getting the sauce to "stick" or bind to the tortillas enough to flavor the enchiladas properly for this recipe.
Filling:
In small skillet, heat olive oil, add onions and bell pepper and saute until tender.
Remove from skillet to large bowl, add chicken, green chili peppers and 1/2 cup Jack cheese. Fold ingredients to mix, but be careful not to turn mixture into mush. Set aside
Tortillas:
In
a small skillet which should be a tad bigger than a corn tortilla, add a
couple of big scoops of Crisco to the pan. Heat to reduce Crisco to hot
oil. The oil should fill about half of the frying pan when heated. Add one tortilla at a time to the hot oil for 4 to 5 seconds, and turn tortilla over. Remove from oil and rest on paper towels. Blot top of resting tortilla with paper towel. Repeat until all 12 tortillas are bathed in the oil. Tortillas will be soft and pliable.
It only takes a few minutes for the tortillas dipped in the hot oil to cool enough to touch.
Add
3 to 4 ladles of the cream sauce to a pie plate. Take one tortilla and
bathe it in the sauce. Lay a scoop of filling mixture in a row down the
center of the tortilla, and roll tortilla over. 
Place
on baking sheet. Arrange rolls next to each other, but not touching.
Repeat until all 12 tortillas are assembled and placed on baking sheet.
Place green olive between each roll. Top each rolled enchilada with 1-2 slices of Havarti cheese. Cover with remaining sauce and grated Jack cheese.
Bake uncovered in 350 degree pre-heated over for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
DElicious!!!
Serves: 6-12
Keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can make ahead. If you have a large baking sheet with a removable plastic cover, it stores beautifully, and you can set things on the top so you don't lose refrigerator space.
These fabulous enchiladas make a great choice for an entree or side dish.
Tip: Substitute the chicken pieces for turkey pieces for a real Thanksgiving treat. Serve with cranberry sauce infused with sliced jalapenos and chopped scallions.
That's it for today, blog.