1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I always use garlic powder)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded
14oz can green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream (can substitute half and half which is what I do and can't tell the difference)
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro, to garnish, optional (it is fine without it, too)
Preheat oven to 350*. 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 while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.
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. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.
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 - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
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 this mixture 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. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.
Serves 4 to 6
* These are by far our most FAVORITE (and famous) meal! These have the most amazing flavor. My husband was a little concerned when he first heard I was going to make these but now he begs for them weekly and eats more than half the pan in one sitting. They are a little time consuming but easy and so worth it! I usually boil the chicken in the morning or even the night before and marinate it in 2 batches of the marinade for several hours or overnight and stir in the leftover marinade and any leftover chicken into the sauce mixture. I use the entire Tablespoon of chili powder and it really doesn't make it spicy, it just adds flavor! ENJOY!
