Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican food is unfortunately scarce in Israel.  Thus, every month or so my flatmates and I would attempt to reproduce some of those flavors on our own.  My first real experimentation with Chicken Enchiladas began with one of those flatmates (and the blog with that recipe can be found here) and it is at the prompting of a different flatmate that I post my current recipe (or at least a rough estimate of it) now.  It varies a little every time I make it, so I'll try to give the basic idea and put in a few options you can try.

To assemble these enchiladas you will want a number of ingredients on hand.  Most of these ingredients can be bought in the States, but often have to be made by hand in Israel.  Depending on which path you take, enchiladas can be an all-day undertaking or about an hour long task.  Either way, you will need:
Tortillas (about 10 per pan, depending on how many pans you want to make...  I usually use flour tortillas, but corn can be used too)
Black Beans (cooked or from a can...Or if you want you can use a different kind of bean or leave them out completely)
Salsa
Rice (cooked - this can probably be started at about the same time you start the sauce or done in advance)
Shredded Cheese (In Israel we used mostly emek, I think, sort of a white cheese, similar to Monterey Jack in texture.  A mixture of white and yellow (cheddar) cheeses is probably ideal, but whatever you prefer).  

Also, for toppings to have on hand I recommend:
Guacamole (optional, but tasty)
Sour Cream
Olives (in Israel we use the sliced green olives...surprisingly tasty)
Cilantro
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Extra Cheese

Ok, on to the actual recipe
Well, one more comment first.  I tend to like to make way more than I will need for one meal because if I'm going to do that much work, I might as well do just a little more work and eat twice as much.  They freeze well, so you can have a fast meal later.  I will try to estimate amounts I would use for one pan and encourage you to double it. :)

You will need:
1 medium onion, chopped
3-6 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste), minced
Olive oil or butter

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder (or paprika if chili powder is unavailable)

1/2 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp flour
2 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream
1-2 cans green chilies (depending on taste - we had to do without these in Israel, but they add some zing)

3 Chicken breasts (or other chicken parts...cooked and cut or shredded into bite sized pieces)
Salt
Pepper

*Please note that all of these ingredient amounts are approximate.  Feel free to vary depending on what you like and what feels good to you.

In a large frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic with the oil.  If you have raw chicken it can be thrown in and cooked with the onions at this time, though there are also good reasons for cooking it separately and throwing it into the sauce later.  Whatever.  When the onions and garlic have sauted for a while, add the chopped pepper and the spices..  When the pepper is starting to get tender stir in the flour until it is incorporated with the oil.  Add the milk and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens.  If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.  If the sauce is too thin, you can sift in some flour, stirring quickly to try to avoid lumps.  Add the sour cream and green chilies at this time.

Before adding the chicken, set aside some of the sauce (about a cup) for later use.  (If the chicken is already in the sauce, you can  still reserve a cup or so, and try to take out most of the big chunks of chicken.)  Add the chicken to the rest of the sauce.  Taste the sauce and add salt, pepper, and other spices as needed and desired.

Time to assemble the enchiladas!*
1. Take a tortilla and put a couple spoonfuls of the chicken and sauce mixture in (more or less depending on the size of tortillas and how full you want them).
2. Place a spoonful or two of rice on top of the chicken mixture.
3. Place a spoonful or two of black beans on top of the rice.
4. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Wrap up tortilla and place in a greased pan (probably the 13"x9" or 12"x8" size, or something similar)
6. Repeat until you run out of pan space or ingredients.  Hopefully that will occur at roughly the same time.
7. Spread your reserved sauce over the top of the assembled enchiladas in the pan.
8. Sprinkle the whole pan with cheese.
9.  Bake at about 400F until the cheese gets bubbly and brown on top...maybe about 20-30 minutes?

Serve with sour cream and salsa (and whatever other toppings you want).

*Other assembly methods can be used.  Ingredients can be layered in the pan, like lasagna, if desired.  (Layer of sauce, layer of tortillas, layer of rice and beans, layer of cheese, repeat...)

** If you are in a hurry and don't have time to make the sauce yourself, cream of chicken soup mixed with green chilies and sour cream works pretty well.