This easy to make Dutch oven, or crock pot, recipe is a favorite at our house.
Aloha,
Stan
Tex/Mex Enchiladas Pollo Del Rio
( River Chicken Enchiladas )
Serves about 8
The headwaters of the Rio Grand River are in southern Utah.
The river rages out of the southern Rockies in Northern New Mexico,
not very far west of Philmont Scout Ranch. It heads due south to
the west of the Texas Panhandle at El Paso. From there it forms
the border between Texas, USA and Mexico, for a remarkable
1100 miles, entering the Gulf of Mexico at Brownsville, Texas.
Every time the folks at Down-River Rafters run the Rio Grande
they serve this fantastic Tex/Mex dutch oven. We first served it
at JLT in April 1998; everybody came back for more. And then
we baked it on the banks of the Rio Grand on June 15, 1998,
the night before we rafted the Rio Grand Gorge with Far Flung Adventures.
Rich Grayson of Down River Rafters in Texas gave us this recipe.
He learned to be a river boatman with Far Flung Rafters in 1987,
and was at Philmont in 1965. Rich is an Eagle Scout. Rich says the
recipe really came from Pepe Lopez. Pepe came up with the red
chili peppers, making this a real Tex/Mex meal.
Con mucho gusto!
Ingredients:
. 40 oz. of canned chicken, or 3 roasted chickens from the deli
. About 24 corn tortillas
. 2 onions [ diced ]
. 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
[ undiluted ]
. 2 cans cream of chicken soup
[ undiluted ]
. 4 TBLS red chili powder
. A little cooking oil or margarine to grease the
Dutch oven
. 15 oz Rotel tomatoes [ or some other canned tomatoes with Mexican
spice ] don't drain
. 1 1/2 lbs sharp cheddar cheese, grated
. 1 - 4 pound bag "instant" charcoal briquettes
Directions: Get the briquets going. On a camp stove heat the two
soups, about a third of the grated cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes,
and chili powder. While this is going on, roll the chicken and
remaining cheese in the tortillas. Oil the dutch oven, bottom and sides.
Ready to bake.
Cover the bottom with some of the pre-heated soup stuff - an inch
or so. Layer in the tortillas. Neatness of stacking won't be noticed
at serving time. Pour the rest of the soup stuff over the tortillas.
Place oven on top of 8 to 10 red hot briquettes, evenly spaced. Put the rest on the lid - 20 or so.
Check in 30 minutes. If bottom is burning, remove the oven from the underneath coals.
Done when top is golden brown and bubbly - maybe 45 minutes total.
Three Nice Extras: Serve with arroz - Mexican rice - buy 2 or 3
5-oz boxes of Rice-a-Rone Red Beans and Rice, and prepare
( not in the Dutch oven ) according to directions.
And serve with frijoles - canned refried beans - buy 2 16-oz cans
and prepare according to directions.
And serve with green salad - a 24-oz bag of pre-mixed salad does
fine with a small bottle ( plastic if possible ) of salad dressing.