Makes 24 enchiladas; serves 8-10.

Total preparation time is approximately

2½ hours – Shorter if you have help!

Ingredients

• 4-5 chicken breast halves, bone-in
• 1 48-oz. carton Swanson’s chicken broth (or fresh chicken broth)
• ½ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
• ½ tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp. fresh or bottled minced garlic
• 1 lb. block medium Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 lb. block Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 2 medium yellow onions, freshly-chopped
• 4-5 ripe medium tomatoes, freshly-chopped
• 1 16-oz. bottle 505 Southwestern Green Chile Sauce, medium heat
• 2 2.5-oz. cans sliced green or black olives
• 2-dozen fresh or packaged corn tortillas, 6-inch size
• 1 28-oz. can, & 1 19-oz. can of Las Palmas Green Chile
•    Enchilada Sauce, medium heat
• Vegetable or canola oil for frying
• Paper towels for draining fried tortillas
• Sour cream and freshly chopped lettuce, for garnish (optional)

Note: The unique flavors of the 505 Southwestern Chile Sauce and the Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce really make this recipe a hit. Substitute these brands only if you have to!

Chicken Mixture Preparation

Rinse chicken breasts and remove skins. Empty entire carton of chicken broth into a large saucepan, and add the chicken breasts, black pepper, red pepper, and 2 tbsp. of the minced garlic. Add water to the pot, if necessary, to cover the breasts completely. Bring liquid to a boil, then cover the saucepan and simmer breasts for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to rotate breasts.

Filling Preparation

While the chicken breasts are cooking, grate both blocks of cheese, and combine these in one bowl, mixing well. Chop the onions and tomatoes, and set aside separately.

Remove and drain the cooked chicken breasts. Set aside 1 cup of the cooked chicken broth, and discard the rest. Separate the cooked chicken from the bones; then use two forks to shred the chicken.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat; then add the remaining tablespoon of garlic, and 1/2 cup of the chopped onion. Saute the garlic and onion until brown. Add ¾ of a bottle of 505 Southwestern Green Chile sauce, and ½ cup of the reserved, cooked chicken broth. Blendthis mixture, and bring to a boil. Add the shredded chicken and reduce heat to simmer. Continue simmering for 20 minutes, adding part or all of the remaining ½ cup of cooked chicken broth, and the remaining 505 sauce, as necessary, to prevent the chicken mixture from drying out.

While the chicken mixture simmers, empty the contents of both cans of the Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce into a medium saucepan, and heat to a low temperature. Stir the sauce occasionally so sauce heats thoroughly. Do not remove from heat until all the enchiladas are ready to assemble.

Tortilla Frying

While the chicken mixture is simmering, heat 1/4 cup of oil in a medium frying pan. The oil is hot enough to fry a tortilla when a drop of water sizzles in the oil.

Set aside enough paper towels to place one below and one above each tortilla to be fried.  When the oil is properly heated, use tongs to very briefly dip both sides of a tortilla in the oil, frying the tortilla just long enough to make the tortilla limp and soft – This takes only a matter of seconds. Remove the fried tortilla and place it between 2 paper towels to drain. Repeat this process with all the tortillas, stacking the flat, fried tortillas one on top of the other, with paper towels tucked in between. Add more oil to the pan as you continue to fry, so there is approximately ¼ cup of heated oil in the pan at all times.

Enchilada Assembly and Baking

Now it’s time to put assemble the enchiladas. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 13 x 9-inch, or 14 x 10-inch casserole dishes with oil, and set these aside. Combine and mix the remaining chopped onion, ½ part of the chopped tomatoes, and one can of olives in a bowl, and set aside. Place the remaining chopped tomatoes in a small bowl, and refrigerate until the enchiladas are baked.

Line up all prepared enchilada ingredients in order, assembly-line style, beginning with the stacked tortillas on one end of the counter, or table. Place the saucepan of warm green chile sauce on top of a rack or potholder, next to the tortillas. Next to the tortillas place a casserole dish. Next to the casserole dish, place the frying pan containing the warm chicken mixture, on top of a rack or potholder. Next to the chicken mixture place the bowl of combined onions, tomatoes, and olives. Next to this bowl, place the bowl of mixed cheeses. Now you are ready to assemble!

Take a tortilla from the fried stack, and dip it completely into the green chile sauce. Then place it, flat, in the casserole dish. Place a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture in the center of the flat tortilla, and spread it lengthwise. Add to that a tablespoon of the onion/tomato/olive mixture, and top that with roughly a tablespoon of cheese. Then roll up the tortilla containing the combined ingredients, and move the roll to the edge of the casserole dish. Continue this assembly method until you have rolled up 8 enchiladas across one vertical row, and 4 more tucked in below this row, arranged in two horizontal rows of two.

Repeat this process to assemble the second dish of enchiladas. When both casserole dishes contain 12 rolled enchiladas each, split the remaining warm enchilada sauce into two equal parts, and pour one part over each dish of enchiladas, covering all 12 rolls in each dish as evenly as possible. Then, split the remaining grated cheese into two equal parts, and spread the cheese evenly over the enchiladas in both dishes. Then top both dishes with the remaining can of sliced olives, sprinkling them as heavily as desired. Bake both dishes for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese and sauce are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for approximately 10 minutes so the enchiladas and sauce can thicken. Serve 2-3 enchiladas per guest, garnished with freshly chopped lettuce, remaining chopped tomatoes, and sour cream, if desired.

Leftover enchiladas can be stored, refrigerated, for up to four days, or frozen. Enjoy!