Chicken Enchiladas

When our younger son and his family came to visit in January, we knew we’d try a new recipe out with them. They are foodies and love to try new things—plus since they’re a family of five, we knew we could make the recipe and have only a few leftovers. As it turned out, we didn’t which was fine by us.

You make the dish in two stages—the first stage is in the slow cooker and can be done well ahead of time. Then you assemble the enchiladas and briefly bake them. Using the slow cooker for the chicken and sauce means you can shred the chicken in the sauce. That makes assembling things easier, and it’s easier to eat, too.

Slow cooker ingredients:

• 2 T unsweetened cocoa
• 2 adobo chilies in chipotle sauce, diced
• 1 batch enchilada sauce
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Slow cooker directions:

Bear paws shred like a champ

1. Mix the cocoa, chilies and enchilada sauce together. 
2. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and top with the wet mixture.
3. Cook on high for four hour or on low for eight hours.
4. Shred the meat while it’s still in the sauce (Kent likes his bear paws for shredding).
5. Divide in half; after the mixture cools, put half into a freezer bag and freeze for future use. Continue on with the recipe for the reserved mixture.

For the rest of the dish:

• About 2 cups shredded cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese
• 12 to 14 small corn tortillas

Assembling the dish:

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.
2. Grease a baking dish or use cooking spray.
3. Put about half the meat mixture in the baking dish.
4. Place tortillas flat on the meat mixture, and top with about half the cheese.
5. Repeat to create a second layer.
6. Bake until bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Enjoy!