Summer Recipe: Honey Chicken Enchiladas

• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast or tenderloin
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• Two cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups queso fresco or Mexican cheese
• Sea salt
• 30 oz. green chile enchilada sauce
• 3-4 tbs. lime juice
• 1/3 cup Walker's Clover Honey
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• 2 tbs. sour cream
• 1/2 tbs. cumin
• 1/2 tbs. ground cayenne
• 10 wheat tortillas
• 3/4 cup milk

The sun was (finally) out, the cilantro looked fresh, and I had a craving for cheese: it was an enchilada kind of day. I gathered up my ingredients and got to work. Here's how you do it.

First, chop up your onion, measuring out 1 cup.  You can save the rest for a topper if you want some more crunch on top of your enchilada.

Throw the 1 cup of onion and your 1 1/2 lbs of chicken into a 3 quart pot or larger, along with 2 cloves minced garlic (I took the easy way out with the pre-minced jar, feel free to peel and smash two cloves out of a whole garlic instead). Pour in just enough water to cover the chicken, sprinkle in a pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes  (longer if you're using very large pieces of chicken).

After the chicken has cooked, strain the water from the chicken & onions. Put the chicken and onion mixture in the refrigerator to cool for 10-15 minutes.

While you're waiting for the bird to chill out, whip up the marinade.

Grab 1/3 cup Walker's Clover Honey, 3-4 tbs. lime juice, 1/2 tbs. cayenne (this measurement can change, depending on your heat preference), and 1/2 tbs. cumin. Whisk these three ingredients together, tasting to decide if you'd prefer more sweet or spicy. It should look like this:

Your chicken should be the right temperature for shredding now. Take two forks and, pulling the meat apart in opposite directions, shred it up. After you shred, pour your marinade over the chicken and onions, and stir to coat. Place the chicken back into the fridge for 30 minutes to properly soak up that delicious marinade.

Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 350F. 

While the marinade is soaking in and the oven is heating up, start prepping a 9 x 13 inch pan to bake your enchiladas in. Pour approximately 1/2 an inch of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. After your thirty minutes is up on the marinade, start portioning your shredded chicken mixture in your wheat tortillas with a sprinkle of cheese, then roll.  Place each enchilada seam side down in pan, then cover with enchilada sauce and cheese.

Pop the pan in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 25 minutes.

While the enchiladas are baking, it is time to make the enchilada topping. Chop up 1/3 cup of cilantro (leaves and stems), then add it to a saucepan with 3/4 cup milk, 2 tbs. sour cream, and 1/4 cup of your remaining enchilada sauce together in a saucepan and put over medium heat, stirring frequently until heated together (about five minutes).

Take the enchiladas out of the oven, allowing 5 to 10 minutes to set (they'll stay together better), then pour the sour cream sauce on top. If you want to, you can top with more sour cream, fresh onion, or cilantro to taste if desired! We paired our enchiladas with a glass of refreshing Meadarita. This dish would also taste fantastic with some of our bubbly sangria, or a crisp glass of Semi Dry Mead.

Show us your #HoneyRecipe creations on Instagram and Facebook! Let us know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy!

(Recipe created by Alyssa Rogers for Walker Honey Farm. Please credit if used!)