Enchiladas De Gallo

Most people that know our family know that we keep chickens. I'm rather fond of chickens. They are a great theme for French country kitchens, and rustic decor. In fact, some kids at my church call me the "Chicken Lady". Not the most flattering nick-name in the world, but I'm glad they know who I am.
Chickens are an easy homesteading project - a good starting point to a working farm. Besides being fun to watch, pretty, and a great alarm clock (sometimes in the wee hours of the morning) chickens are a good sustainable source of food. It doesn't take a large flock to have more eggs than you know what to do with. That's when you can get inventive. I've browsed recipes to try and find the ones that use the largest amount of eggs at a time. Pound cakes and angel food cakes are the big winners around here. Quiches make a great brunch, and souffles are versatile and delicious.
We took a few steps further in our chicken operation last year and bought an incubator. It was such a joy to wait and watch for the eggs to hatch. The kids (especially the youngest) fell in love with those fuzzy little baby chicks. We doubled our flock, but half of them turned out to be roosters. So the next, most natural step in my mind was to slaughter them and put them in the freezer. I remember butchering chickens as a young girl. My brother had raised some for a project in Ag Class. They were young, fat, birds - unlike my almost 1 year old roosters. Hubby called them "athletic", which I found to be an accurate description - especially when we had to catch them.
So, for the first time as an adult, we butchered some of our own chickens. It was a nice, cold day for it. I wasn't nervous about it, but I did wonder how I was going to feel when we cut off their heads, and cleaned them - our beautiful hand raised birds. But throughout the process (I'll spare you the details) it honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world.
The roosters weren't old, but they were past butchering age, and had not been fed a diet that would keep them fat and juicy, so they were a bit leaner than your average chicken. Of course, they were perfect for soups and dumplings, but the recipe we liked the most were the enchiladas. So I'll share the recipe with you. I adapted and blended several different recipes to create this one. So I don't know if I'd call these "authentic", but they were good none the less. I'll call them affectionately Enchiladas de Gallo. (Rooster Enchiladas)

Enchiladas de Gallo

1 old rooster (a fryer from the grocery store will due)
enough water to barely cover the chicken
2 1/2 - 3 tsp salt divided
1 1/2 - 2 tsp pepper divided
1 recipe homemade flour tortillas (or a 12 pack from the store)
1/4 cup flour
1 c milk
1 1/2 tsp cumin divided
2 tsp garlic powder divided
1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced
1 onion, minced
1 can rotel
1 package queso fresca (from the Hispanic section, or monterey jack will due in a pinch)
1 small tub sour cream
no stick spray
large casserole dish

Put your chicken in a pot and cover with water. Add 1 tsp each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down heat. Simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Take meat off bone, and shred or chop. Set aside. Strain off 2 cups fresh chicken broth and put in a pan. Heat on medium. Meanwhile gradually whisk flour into your milk. Pour into broth, whisking briskly so no lumps form. You may have to use more or less broth, depending on the consistency of the sauce. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk in 2 or 3 Tbsp sour cream, and turn sauce down to low. (you may want to adjust the spices to suit your taste - this was just an estimation) Saute onion in oil or butter in large cast iron skillet. Add chicken, remaining cumin and garlic, salt and pepper, and oregano. Add 1 can drained Rotel and 1/4 cup of your sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes on low. Add 2 Tbsp of cilantro (optional) mix well, and turn heat off. Heat tortillas so they are pliable. Fill each tortilla generously with chicken mixture, and place in greased casserole dish. Fill casserole dish with enchiladas. Pour sauce over the enchiladas, and crumble cheese over the top. Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake for 10 - 15 more minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool ten minutes. Spread a thick layer of sour cream on top, and sprinkle with more fresh cilantro.