This recipe for pollo guisado is super easy and very tasty. The spicy, shredded chicken is a great filling for both tacos and enchiladas. Yum!

Because good tomatoes aren’t in season yet, I used 6 whole canned tomatoes which equaled the same amount of 3 medium fresh tomatoes. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of chipotle in adobo sauce. This is the sauce that the chipotle peppers are packed in. Instead of scooping out the sauce, I used one whole chipotle pepper and pureed that with the tomatoes. The mixture was pretty spicy but still good. For a milder sauce, use less chipotle pepper or just use the adobo sauce like the recipe says. This recipe could easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Enjoy!

Pollo Guisado
-recipe from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Cookbook by Guy Fieri
(adapted recipe from Maria’s Taco Xpress in Austin, TX)

The pollo guisado chicken is a little bit sweet, spicy, tender. It’s crazy good. Makes 4-6 servings.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup canned chipotle en adobo sauce
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
Serving suggestions: crisp taco shells, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Put the chicken in a saucepan with salted water to just cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool; shred the chicken.

Put the tomatoes, chipotle sauce, cumin, garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the chipotle mixture and bring to a simmer. Then add the chicken and simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the pollo guisado in crisp taco shells with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

Tags: Chicken, chipotle en adobo sauce, enchiladas, pollo guisado, shredded chicken, tacos

If you’re looking for a new recipe to make for Cinco de Mayo (or any Mexi-themed meal), try these Quick Turkey Enchiladas! They’re super easy to make and quite tasty!

I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand, such as using a shredded Mexican Four Cheese Blend instead of Monterey Jack cheese. I also used 7 medium soft-taco size flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas because I forgot to get ‘em at the store (whoops!). The flour tortillas worked fine but I would’ve preferred the corn variety. I also skipped the jalapenos because I used a spicy enchilada sauce.

My flour tortillas were soft and pliable so I didn’t need to microwave them before filling and rolling. I spread a little enchilada sauce in the baking dish before adding the filled tortillas, and skipped spraying them with cooking spray. I baked the enchiladas until bubbly (20-30 minutes). Olé! 

Quick Turkey Enchiladas
- recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers (Spring 2009)

Adding cheese to the warm turkey binds the mixture together, making assembly quick and easy. Serves 4.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (see note)
1/4 cup drained pickled jalapenos, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
10 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups cheese, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, jalapenos, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Stack tortillas on plate, wrap with plastic, and microwave until pliable, about 1 minute. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of turkey mixture and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in pan and spray lightly with cooking spray. Top with additional 1 cup enchilada sauce and remaining cheese; cover with foil. Bake 10 minutes, remove foil, and continue baking until cheese is completely melted, about 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing remaining heated enchilada sauce at table.

Test Kitchen Note: You will need two 10-ounce cans of enchilada sauce for this recipe.

Tags: corn tortillas, enchiladas, ground turkey, Monterey Jack cheese, onions, Quick Cooking, red enchilada sauce, turkey

I like the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner but I don’t like it so much that I want to eat the same meal multiple days in a row. After the main Thanksgiving meal and a meal of leftovers the next day, I’ve pretty much had my fill of turkey and stuffing to last me until next Thanksgiving. At that point, I’m ready for something new. That’s exactly why I like to use the leftover turkey in a different dish like these delicious, creamy enchiladas. I brought them to a potluck and they were gone in no time. I doubled the recipe but probably should have tripled it.

Pretty much the only thing I did differently was to soften the tortillas in the microwave instead of frying them in oil. To do this, I wrap the stack of tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and microwave them at 30 second intervals until warm and pliable. Not only is this faster but it slims down the recipe. I like to garnish the enchiladas with sliced green olives because I love the salty flavor and color that they add to the dish. You can substitute cooked chicken for the turkey if you like. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas
- recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine - epicurious.com

Yield: Serves 6

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup vegetable 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
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
12 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas
*Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce are sold at Latin American markets, at specialty foods stores and at some supermarkets.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 11/2 cups cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup onions and 1/2 cup cilantro in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce separately.

Tags: Casserole, Christmas leftovers, enchiladas, holidays, leftover turkey, Main Dish, Mexican, Thanksgiving leftovers, turkey