Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas are easy, delicious, and a crowd pleaser.  I find that a Mexican (not exactly authentic, but still tasty) feast is great for feeding a lot of people.  I once fed a house full of people with these enchiladas, tortilla soup, and Spanish rice.

This recipe is adapted from one I found on a can of enchilada sauce.

You will need:
2-3 chicken breasts depending on size of cut, cut into small cubes.
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves minced garlic, or even more depending on your level of garlic love
salt and pepper
1 small (4.5 oz) can mild or spicy chopped green chilies
1 block of cream cheese (I use reduced fat), cut into cubes
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup-ish Shredded Monterey jack cheese, or cheese of your choice
1 package of flour or corn tortillas.  I always use whole wheat tortillas, but use what you like.

Start by cooking the onions and chicken over medium heat in a bit of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  When chicken is cooked through, mix in the cream cheese and green chilies.  If you want, you can also add some finely chopped bell pepper to this mix if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Stir the cream cheese into the chicken until melted.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and start filling your tortillas.  I don't measure anything, but I spoon in just enough to make a thin enchilada.  If you like them fuller, use fewer tortillas, or make more filling.  Roll them so the seam is face down.  Once they are all rolled, pour on the two cans of enchilada sauce, top with cheese, and bake 20-30 minutes until bubbly.  Note: I completely forgot to cover these and they turned out fine, but I believe in the past I have covered while baking, baked for a tad longer, and uncovered for the last 10 minutes.

Let cool a bit and serve with your choice of toppings.

Oh Yes

Whether it's genius or laziness, or some glorious combination of the two, I like to bake an extra chicken breast or two while my oven is already on.  I learned this trick from my mom, and it's very nice to let the oven multitask, especially in the summer when it's hot and you want to have your oven on as little as possible.  Diced or shredded chicken the beginning of a ton of recipes, so it's nice to have on hand.

To make up for my long absence, I'm doing a double feature today.  Courtesy of my mom, I have for you dear readers a variation on the enchilada recipe that is even easier.  I'm not sure where the recipe came from, so I'm not claiming this as my own.  Rather than rolling enchiladas, this is a layered casserole.

The ingredient list is very similar:
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded...ah yes, see why I included the tip?
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 container of sour cream (you will not need all of it)
Tortillas of your choice.  You won't need a whole package, maybe about half of them.
Shredded cheese.  I don't measure, so use your best judgement.
1 small can mild or spicy chopped green chilies

Cut the tortillas into strips.  I cut a small stack of tortillas in half, and cut the halves into strips no wider than an inch.

Spray baking dish.  Spread half of the chicken and chilies in the bottom of the pan.  Pour on one can of sauce, and dot with sour cream.  This is completely to your taste.  If you prefer a creamier end product, dot more liberally.  Top the layer by covering with tortilla strips and half of the cheese.  Repeat the layer.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered.

Buen Provecho!
Jillian