I'm currently going through a refining stage with All Kinds of Yumm, where I'm realizing that there are a few recipes that need to be seriously upgraded. My chicken enchiladas was one of those dishes. I actually deleted 3 other recipes of this sort in favor of this one variation.
Sometimes, favoritism is necessary.
The best part about this new (to me) spin on these is that it involves the crock pot. Now, if you're new here, you might not know that I am ob-SESSED with my crock pot. I know so many women, God bless them, who have time to make everything from scratch and can start cooking at 4 pm. They tend to have dinner on the table at 5:30 pm, sharp. Their men must be happy.
Now there's no judgment here-that's the rule. I applaud these ladies. I am not, however, one of them. I stumble into my apartment at about 5:30, and contrary to popular belief, most days I don't feel like cooking a meal. I normally feel like making brownies, but my husband pulls the whole, "I-need-a-well-balanced-meal" thing.
It's an epidemic, I tell ya'. So the more I can use the crock pot, the better. Seriously. It's like...hiring a halfway cook. For about $20. From WalMart.
I'm waiting for a gadget that will do my laundry, clean Tim's toilet (care to help?), and rub my feet at night. Better yet, I just need a Mexican vacation. Mom, pack your bags. We're making enchiladas. Olé.
Now, this is really the time-saving way to make enchiladas. If you're looking for a better-quality tortilla taste, go with the method I use in my traditional chicken enchiladas, and just crock pot the chicken.
Ingredients (makes 10-12 enchiladas):
- 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 3 14-oz cans enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso)
- 1 15-oz can black beans
- 10 oz shredded Mexican cheese (2 1/2 cups)
- Tortillas
Directions:
- Leave chicken in crock pot with entire packet of taco seasoning 6-8 hours or until cooked.
- Shred chicken with two forks
- If you have time to make the chicken the night before you need it, after shredding, combine an extra can of enchilada sauce and let sit in the fridge overnight.
- Fill each tortilla with a tablespoon-full of chicken. Add small amount of enchilada sauce, black beans and shredded cheese.
- How much you specifically put is your call; just remember, it shouldn't be busting at the seam.
- Roll each tortilla up tightly and place on a baking sheet. Continue process until you either a) run out of room on the baking sheet or b) run out of ingredients.
- Top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
- I typically use one can of enchilada sauce in the filling and two to top the enchiladas with.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
- Serve immediately with sour cream.
Words don't even do this justice. It's such a cheater meal, because it will absolutely seem like you spent at least an hour preparing these. And my timer says...13 minutes prep time. Who doesn't have 13 minutes to make dinner?
Love and Mexican (again),
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