Chicken EnchiladaI’ll be honest, when it comes to cooking we ‘wing’ it. I joke that every few weeks it’s like ‘Iron Chef’ because I need to come up with something using whatever odds and ends we have in the pantry. We like to reverse engineer something we ate at a restaurant or tweak a recipe from a cookbook, therefore, it’s not possible to have a recipe for everything – but we try!

In baking I measure ever granule, but in savory cooking I go by feel and taste. This recipe seems pretty easy to replicate and Dave and I could scale the ‘heat’ (add hot sauces etc.) once we served it. I took inspiration from Allrecipes.com and used some leftovers I had. (A bit of quinoa, mushrooms, sour cream and cheddar cheese.) I fairly certain someday our kids will ask, ‘Mom/Dad how do you make…..’ and we’ll have at least something to share with them.

I think my version is a bit healthier and less salty than the Chicken Enchilada Recipe at Allrecipes, but they have a great video so YOU can get your inspiration too.

Chicken Enchilada “Recipe”

  • 3-4 boneless chicken breasts (Poached and shredded)
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Large Onion (diced)
  • 1 Green Pepper (diced)
  • Sliced mushrooms (I only had about 4)
  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or cooked rice if you like)
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup of shredded mexican cheese (mix of different cheeses)
  • 8-9 Tortillas
  • 1/4 cup Sour cream
  • 1/2 cup Salsa (medium)
  • 1 can of diced tomato – no salt added (10-12oz size can?)
  • 1 tsp Chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cumin
  • 1 – 9×13 baking dish

Directions

  1. Poach the breasts in a pot of water with some salt and pepper. I save the ‘broth’ in the freezer and use to flavor rice or or use as chicken soup when we’re sick. Shred the chicken breasts once they’re thoroughly cooked.
  2. Saute the onion, mushroom and green pepper using about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until a light brown. Set aside.
  3. To the shredded chicken add (approx): 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/2c mexican cheese, and quinoa (or rice). Mix.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  5. Pour a third to half the can of diced tomato in bottom of the 9×13 dish. If it’s more liquid than tomato that’s fine. This will keep the tortillas from sticking to the dish.
  6. Fill, roll and place tortillas in the baking dish. Push them together tightly.
  7. Top with onion mixture. (I cover half the tortillas with, and half without because our kids don’t like the  onion/peppers.)
  8. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup of salsa to the remaining diced tomato and mix together. Pour this mixture over the tortillas.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes.
  10. Increase the temperature to 375 degrees, and add cheddar cheese to the top. Bake until melted 5-10 minutes.
  11. Let cool about 10 minutes – serve and enjoy!

Chicken EnchiladaIdeally you could fill these tortillas with whatever proteins, vegetables, or cheeses you have on hand. Have some beans leftover? Throw those in the with the filling! No quinoa, use rice.

PS: We just had a few of these from the freezer, and they tasted as if I just made them. Thaw and heat accordingly. Yum!

 

thesugarpixieRecipescheese,chicken,easy,mexicanI'll be honest, when it comes to cooking we 'wing' it. I joke that every few weeks it's like 'Iron Chef' because I need to come up with something using whatever odds and ends we have in the pantry. We like to reverse engineer something we ate at a...Misadventures and fun in the kitchen and beyond