Since Paul and I hang out pretty much all the time, we have this creepy habit where we say the same thing at the same time. This time it went like this:
*We were watching a TV show
*We looked up at each other.
*We both said at the same time: "I am really craving protein right now!"
It's a weird but awesome experience to say the same random thing at the same time as someone else. Anyway, since we both desired protein, I mixed multiple enchilada recipes from all over the internet to come up with a protein-rich meal that satisfied all of our cravings. It made 10 enchiladas.
The best compliment one can get about food: I told Paul that the meal had to last two days. So I was going to have 2 enchiladas for dinner and he was allowed to only have 3. Paul said: "Don't worry, Cris. I am not that hungry. I am only in the mood to have two." About 15 minutes later, Paul sheepishly got up and got the third enchilada... :) I will definitely be making this meal again!
What I love: Green chilies make an appearance again! I also enjoyed the taste of cilantro on the top combined with the many beans in this recipe. Yum!
Chicken and Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients:
*2-3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
*1 (4oz) can of green chilies
*1 (15oz) can of red beans, drained
*1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans, drained
*1.5 cups of shredded pepper jack cheese
*1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*cumin and cayenne pepper
*1 onion
*1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
*olive oil
*2-3 cans (15 oz each) of enchilada sauce
*1/2 cup of sour cream
*10 flour tortillas
*optional toppings: cilantro and more sour cream
Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
(2) In a large bowl, mix chicken, green chilies, beans and 1 cup of pepper jack and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, and spices. Set aside.
(3) Cut onion in half. Chop both parts of onion but keep separated. Heat olive oil in a skillet pan. Add half of the chopped onion and the garlic and saute until golden. Add the enchilada sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Whisk in the sour cream. Add approximately 1/2 of the sauce into the chicken mixture bowl.
(4) Spread approx. 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 oven proof glass dish. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave so that they are easy to work with. Fill each tortilla with a heaping amount of the chicken mixture. Roll and place seam-down into the glass pan. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
(5) Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining onion and optional cilantro. When on plate, top with optional sour cream. Enjoy!
Comments:
*I apologize that I did not give specific amounts for the ingredients. I love having heavily stuffed enchiladas, so I went a bit crazy on the amount of ingredients. It turned out that it was too much toppings and I had enough extra for two more enchiladas (but no room in the dish) at the end. I suggest just eyeballing the ingredients. It's never bad if you have extra at the end...in my opinion at least.
*For the chicken, I used a rotisserie chicken. That way, I didn't have to cook in the kitchen even longer. I love using rotisserie chickens! I had extra left over, and we used that in another meal (coming soon to this blog!). They are so handy to use for meals!
*You can probably use whatever kind of cheese you want. I liked the idea of using pepperjack and sharp cheddar. It was a great blend of spicy and tangy. Mozzarella would probably work nicely too if you want a milder taste.
*I used one large can of medium-spicy red enchilada sauce and 1 small can of mild red enchilada sauce. I had a hard time finding spicy enough sauce at my local grocery store. Use what you prefer. They had spicy green enchilada sauce but I have never had that before and it scares me a bit... If you enjoy the taste of green enchilada sauce, please let me know! I would love to know what it tastes like from an experienced person.
