Neighborhood Pot Luck Dinner

There are not too many young people in our neighborhood so the young couples have banned together and maintained a pot luck dinner every month. We have so much fun just hanging out, eating and drinking on a casual week night.

This month was our turn to host our neighbors for dinner. Austin and I love cooking but like to stick with recipes we have made before, you know, the ones that you don't have to think twice about. Well, I decided we needed to spice things up a bit and try a reciepe I have never made before...Martha Stewart's Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce. Luckily, one of our friends, Oliver, was brave enough to be my guinea pig a week before I made the real thing.

Now, I don't know what I would have done if Oliver had not come to be my taste tester because he is a great cook and ended up teaching me a thing or two in the kitchen!




Oliver teaching me how to shred chicken...I had no idea...

The enchiladas turned out great! I have listed the recipe below. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
Serves 6
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.

2.Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

3.Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.

4.Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

To make these up to a day ahead, prep and assemble the enchiladas (steps 1 to 3); cover and refrigerate. Go to step 4 when you're ready to bake and serve.

Before filling, soften the corn tortillas by stacking them between damp paper towels and heating for a minute in the microwave. This makes them more pliable and prevents tearing.

Prep: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes