Honey -lime chicken enchiladas (with apologies to Kira).

I promised my friends to blog that honey-lime chicken enchiladas recipe, so apologies to all the family members who read Kira's blog and have already seen this. It turned out pretty great, although I think with the right cheese it would be better. Just trying to be frugal, and sometimes it backfires! (Notice the real plate Kelli? Are you proud of me?).


1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)/ I used some fresh mozzarella I had from a catering job, but I recommend cheddar or Mexican blend.
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (I think red would be fine, and actually look prettier)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream (I used fat free sour cream -- and it was fine)
nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish (and chili powder or paprika to sprinkle)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator while you prepare the tortillas. Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada, and place seam down in a pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Garnish with swirls of chili powder, paprika, and chopped cilantro. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal. Serves 4 to 6 (so I doubled it so I'd have leftovers - I baked for an hour)

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