Chimi-Enchiladas
The flavours from a chimichanga eaten as an enchilada. This hybrid of some of the most delicious Mexican street foods is saucy, cheesy and delicious. It`s super easy to make with all store-bought ingredients, but you can take it a step further by simply making one or two of these items at home.
Start by making your Chimichanga sauce. Cut one large hothouse tomato (or two roma tomatoes) in four pieces and remove the stem. Peel 3 garlic cloves and an onion and chop the onion in four pieces as well. Add these vegetables to a blender with 1 and a half tablespoons of taco spice (if you want to make your own taco spice, the instructions are at the bottom of this recipe), ½ Cup of your beer of choice and about 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Just remember, the beer you choose will impart different flavours into your sauce; a light beer will have less flavour while an IPA or Amber will make for a very flavourful sauce. We used an IPA this time.
In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of sour cream, ¼ cup of plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon each of lemon and lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt. Taste and add more lime if you wish. Reserve in the fridge until serving time.
Sprinkle 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pan and get it really hot. Carefully place the chicken on the skillet and sear about 1-2 minutes per side to brown the outsides slightly.
Add the chimichanga sauce and lower the heat to medium. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 165F).
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the heat and put just the chicken into a medium bowl. Keep the sauce in a separate bowl. Shred the chicken by pulling it apart with two forks and then add 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce to the shredded chicken. Mix and add more if you think they`re not fully coated. Keep the rest of the sauce for assembling the dish.
On a clean surface, open the flour tortilla and coat the middle of it with about 2-3 tablespoons of re-fried beans. Top it with a little bit of cheese and almost half the shredded chicken. Sprinkle with cheese one more time and fold it like a burrito (sides in, and then roll). Place it in a skillet or oven safe large pan. Repeat this process with the other tortilla.
Cover the two tortillas with the remaining sauce and top it with the remaining shredded cheese (about ½ to ¾ Cup). Put it in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with fresh herbs and serve with the Lime Sour Cream you made before, guacamole and fresh salsa (red onion, tomato and jalapenos).
Chimi-Enchiladas
Servings: 2
Time: 1h30 minutes
Ingredients
2 Large Flour Tortillas
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Refried Beans
1 ½ Tbsp Taco Spice
1 Large Tomato
3 Garlic Cloves
½ Spanish Onion
½ Cup Beer
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley/Cilantro
1+ tsp Salt
1+ tsp Black Pepper
1 Cup Shredded Cheese (Tex-Mex or Marbled preferred)
½ Cup Sour Cream
¼ Cup Plain Yogurt
½ Tbsp Lime Juice
½ Tbsp Lemon Juice (optional)
Step-by-Step
1. In a blender, mix taco spice, tomato, garlic, onion, beer, and salt and pepper to taste. Reserve sauce.
2. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, sour cream, lemon and lime juice and a sprinkle of salt. Reserve.
3. Sear seasoned chicken on a very hot, large pan. Once browned on both sides, add the sauce, cover and cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked (165F internal temperature).
4. Once cooked, remove from heat, fish out the chicken and put it into a medium bowl. Reserve sauce. Shred the chicken fully and mix 2-3 Tbsp of sauce into the chicken. Reserve.
5. On a clean surface, place the flour tortilla and generously spread refried beans on it. Top it with shredded cheese and a generous layer of the shredded chicken. Fold it like a burrito and place it in an oiled skillet/oven safe pan. Repeat this process.
6. Cover the tortillas with the rest of the sauce and top it with the rest (about ½ cup) of shredded cheese.
7. Bake it at 400F for 10-15 minutes, cover with fresh herbs (cilantro and parsley) and serve with guacamole, fresh salsa and lime-sour cream.
Taco Spice
Ingredients
½ tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Dry Oregano
¼ tsp All Spice
¼ tsp Onion Powder
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
Step-by-Step
1. Mix all spices.
Homemade Refried Beans
Ingredients
1 Can Red Kidney Beans (or your favourite type of beans)
1 Tbsp Oil
½ Cup Water (more as needed)
½ tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Ground Coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
Step-by-Step
1. Rinse the beans and add all ingredients to a medium pan. Cook in high heat stirring constantly and mashing the beans as you go. If the mixture starts getting too sticky and the beans are still kind of tough, add 2 Tbsp of water until the beans are very tender and you have a paste.
2. Remove from heat and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Servings: 2 Tortillas
Time 1h15 minutes
Ingredients
150+ g AP Flour
20+ g Oil
¼ tsp Baking Powder
100 mL Warm Water
½ tsp Salt
Step-by-Step
1. Add salt, flour and baking powder to a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add oil and pulse a few more times. Slowly add water while processing the dough until it forms a ball. Remove from the food processor and wedge with your hands, adding more flour until it doesn`t stick to your hands anymore. Divide in two, and place it in a bowl lightly oiled. Cover with a clean cloth and rest for 1 hour.
2. Once they`re rested, roll them out as thin as you can on a well-floured surface.
3. Cook them in a lightly oiled griddle, skillet or metal pan on high heat for about 1-2 minutes a side (until it starts to bubble).
