Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

One of my absolute all-time favorite dishes from my childhood comes from a Mexican cookbook published in 1977 by Better Homes and Gardens.  It has some surprisingly authentic recipes in it considering the time period.  This recipe, called "Chicken Enchilada Casserole" in the book, is really known better as sour cream enchiladas everywhere else.  It has a super creamy sauce, a shredded chicken filling accented by green chiles and sweet onion, and is topped by Monterey jack cheese.  Mmmm-mmmmmm.

My mom used to make this dish all the time as I was growing up, but lost the cookbook somewhere along the way a few years ago.  So when I asked her for the recipe and she told me she didn't have the book anymore, we both searched high and low online for a similar recipe.  Most of the ones we found are made with condensed soup and flour tortillas - blasphemy!!  The more similar ones still weren't the same. Yes, we made it that many times that we knew the ingredients well enough to know the recipes weren't the same.

Well, we finally broke down and just ordered two copies of the book from a used book seller online.  So now, we both have the recipe again - and there are many other awesome recipes in the book as well.  Recipes for soups, appetizers like flautas, other types of enchiladas, stews (chile colorado anyone?), baked dishes, even breads and desserts - most are pretty authentic if not slightly changed to reflect what people would have had available in their 1970's pantries at the time.  There is also a killer chile con carne recipe we've made a few times.  The title is simply "Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cookbook." 

So without further ado, I present the best sour cream chicken enchiladas you've ever had.


Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
or Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cookbook, 1977

1 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped green bell pepper (I use rehydrated dried bell peppers because I rarely have fresh on hand)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Cups shredded cooked chicken (I use the meat from a rotisserie chicken)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles

3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup flour
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt (optional, depending on the saltiness of the broth you use)
2 1/2 Cups chicken broth
1 Cup sour cream (go full fat on this)
1 1/2 Cups shredded monterey jack cheese
12 corn tortillas (plus extras "just in case")

In a large skillet or saucepan, cook onion, garlic and green pepper in the 2 tablespoons of butter until tender.  Combine in a bowl with the chicken and chile peppers.  Set aside

In the same pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.  Blend in flour, coriander, and salt.  Stir in chicken broth all at once, whisking to prevent lumps.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Stir 1/2 cup of the sauce into the chicken mixture.  Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish and swirl to coat.  Wrap tortillas in a paper towel and microwave 30-45 seconds or until hot and pliable.  Optional - you can opt to dip the tortillas into the hot sauce instead of heating them in the microwave as the book suggests, but this gets quite messy, so I just microwave mine until they're pliable enough that they won't break when rolled.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the filling, placing each tortilla in the baking dish (I arrange mine in two rows of 6 enchiladas and they fit perfectly).  Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, making sure to coat everything so it doesn't dry out.  Top with remaining shredded cheese (I always use a little extra).

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and just starting to brown around the edges. Makes 6 servings for normal people - 4 for us hungry folks who can't seem to get enough.