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Presidents/George W. Bush

AT THE TABLE WITH GEORGE W. BUSH

Chicken enchiladas with red sauce

Warming the tortillas first makes them much less likely to crack.

Dinner50 minServes 4
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Chicken enchiladas with red sauce — the modern table
The modern table · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

A Tex-Mex preference becomes a home dinner

More about George W. Bush →

The forty-third president was governor of Texas before entering the White House.

Historical reconstruction

Personal aide Blake Gottesman identified Tex-Mex as George W. Bush’s favourite cuisine. Chicken enchiladas translate that recorded cuisine preference into a specific dinner with red sauce and melted cheese.

The president & the table

Asked about George W. Bush’s favourite food, personal aide Blake Gottesman identified Tex-Mex as the best answer rather than selecting one particular dish. That is a useful distinction: a recorded preference for a cuisine gives a reconstruction a solid starting point.

Behind this story

Blake Gottesman, official White House question-and-answer session.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Serves 4

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Soften onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili blend and cumin for 30 seconds, then tomatoes, water and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

  2. Mix chicken with one-third of the sauce and one-third of the cheese. Warm tortillas briefly until flexible.

  3. Spread a little sauce in a baking dish. Divide chicken among tortillas, roll and set seam-side down in the dish.

  4. Cover with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20–25 minutes until bubbling and the filling reaches 74°C / 165°F.

  5. Rest for 5 minutes and add optional cilantro and sour cream.

Cooking notes

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.

STAY FOR ANOTHER COURSE

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