Chicken Enchiladas

This was the "recipe makeover" for the April/May issue of Cook's Country this year. Most of the calories (and fat) seem to have been cut by replacing the cheese with a lower fat version. They also recommend using breast meat for the chicken which, while a bit drier and less flavourful, is also leaner.

I was dubious of the use of low-fat Cheddar -- low fat never seems to be as good as its full fat counterpart -- but this actually came out pretty darn tasty! I was hoping for something a bit more innovative than low-fat cheese for the big makeover, but the results are good, so I guess I can't really complain.

Chicken Enchiladas
Slightly modified from Cook's Country April/May 2015
2 onions, minced
1 tsp. corn oil
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 tsp. adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. chili powder
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
black pepper, to taste
8 oz. lactose-free skim milk cheese
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas or tostadas

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add half the onion and all of the sea salt. Cover and cook over medium-low for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic paste, cumin seeds, and chili powder. Cook for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add chicken. Return to simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, flip chicken breasts, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat. Remove chicken from sauce.
6. Now is a good time to grate the cheese and chop the cilantro. Combine the cilantro with the remaining onion and half the grated cheese. Add 1/2 c. of the sauce from the pot. Add black pepper to taste.
7. Now that the chicken has had a few minutes to rest and cool, shred it using two forks and combine the shredded chicken with the cheese, cilantro, onion, and sauce.
8. Spread 1/2 c. sauce from the pot over the bottom of a lasagna pan (9x13 baking dish).
9. If (unlike me) you were able to find corn tortillas: Fill them with the chicken mixture, roll them up, and place them on top of the sauce in the pan.
If you're using corn tostadas instead: Place 6 tostadas in the pan, covering the sauce. Spread the chicken mixture over top of this. Then layer 6 more tostadas on top.
10. Pour any remaining sauce over top of your enchiladas.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
12. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
13. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.