Leftover Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas

It's not an uncommon thing for me to have leftover chicken in my fridge after a lazy rotisserie chicken dinner or roasting chicken at home. I first found this recipe after Thanksgiving, when here was a plethora of leftover turkey but nobody wanted to eat plain turkey anymore. But it works great with any leftover poultry. Or you can buy a rotisserie chicken and make this recipe for a quick dinner.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 3/4 cups finely chopped onions

1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce

5 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chilies

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups coarsely shredded cooked turkey or chicken

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

12 5- to 6-inch flour tortillas or 8 10-inch tortillas

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add 1 1/2 cups onions and cook about 5 minutes until fragrant and tender. Add the enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Stir the sauce, then cover and simmer 20 minutes. Make sure you stir the sauce regularly while it simmers.

Remove the sauce from heat and mix in 1/2 cup cilantro. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix together the turkey, 11/2 cups cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup onions and 1/2 cup. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350F/176. Using a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish, spread 1/2 cup sauce in the base of the dish. Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place it seam side down in dish. Continue this until the tortillas are all rolled. Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake enchiladas for about 30 minutes, until they are heated through. While baking, rewarm the remaining sauce over medium-low heat. Transfer to sauceboat or bowl and serve the sauce on the side with the enchilada.

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