For Her Daddy

Maya's Daddy is in Mississippi and we are in Kansas. She is missing him. He is missing her. Her newest trick was discovered today--tongue clucking. We were driving along and from the back seat I heard her little cluck cluck cluck. We thought Daddy might want to see her new trick (and hear her chatter).

Kendra's Chicken Enchiladas

I didn't know what else to call these to differentiate them from the ones in the previous post because although these too are chicken enchiladas, they are altogether different from the previous ones. Not only that - this started out as burrito filling and turned into enchiladas. I combined several recipes and added my own touch to get the finished product so my husband gave me the okay to call them mine. And I have to admit I'm proud of myself because I rarely ever venture out and create something in the kitchen - I'm more of a 'stick strictly to the recipe' kind of gal.

I began with the recipe from allrecipes for Salsa Chicken Burrito Filling:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used large ones)
1 (4 oz) can tomato sauce (I used at least twice that amount, if not a little more)
1/4 c. salsa (I used 1/2 cup)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix (the kind I had on hand happened to be Cheese flavored)
1 t. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. chili powder
hot sauce to taste (I didn't add hot sauce)
To turn this into enchilada filling I also used:
1 can black beans (drained, not rinsed)
1 green bell pepper, chopped

Place chicken breasts and tomato sauce in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the salsa, seasoning, cumin, garlic and chili powder. Let simmer for 15 minutes. I added 1/2 c to 1 c of water during this step to keep enough liquid in the skillet - oh, and I used a skillet instead of a saucepan...

With a fork, start pulling the chicken meat apart into thin strings. Keep cooking pulled chicken meat and sauce, covered, for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add hot sauce to taste and stir together. Before this step I added a can of black beans and 1 chopped bell pepper to the skillet - I then covered it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes to heat the beans and pepper through.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce
While the chicken was simmering in the first step I made enchilada sauce - I didn't have any cans of it in the cupboard so I found a recipe and made it from scratch.

1 T flour
1 1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t cayenne
1 t cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. chicken broth (all I had was beef broth so I used that...)
1/2 to 1 c. tomato puree (I used closer to 1 c.)
1 T lime juice (I didn't have any so I omitted this)

In a large heavy skilled saute the flour and oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add herbs and spices and garlic. Cook 1 more minute and then add broth, tomato puree and lime juice. Raise heat to high and boil stirring constantly until thickened.

To make the enchiladas I used 9 small flour tortillas. I spooned some of the filling along with a pinch of cheese into each tortilla. Then I placed them next to one another in a greased 9x13 casserole dish seam sides down. Then I dumped the homemade enchilada sauce on top and sprinkled with more cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until hot, bubbly and cheese is melted.

These go great served alongside some Mexican Rice.

Mexican Rice

3 T vegetable oil
1 c uncooked long grain rice
1 t. garlic salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. tomato sauce
2 c. chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Eating Well When You're Expecting. I made it in the states when I was pregnant with the first kid. We recently got a shipment of beautiful mission brand tortillas into the country so I've been on an enchilada kick lately and I remembered these. They're easy, healthy, spicy (especially if you load them up with jalapenos like this momma) and tasty.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 med red bell pepper, diced
2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
pinch of salt
1 T + 2 t. olive oil
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, with their juices
1 can (about 15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
4 large corn tortillas, about 10 inches in diameter**
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 300. Place the chicken, bell pepper, chili powder, oregano, salt and 1 T of olive oil in a large bowl and toss to mix. Heat remaining 2 t. olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and bell pepper mixture. Cook until chicken is cooked through (5-7 minutes). Add the tomatoes and black beans. Cook until heated through (about 3 minutes).

Place the enchilada sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until heated through (3-5 minutes). Brush each of the tortillas with a little of the enchilada sauce. Spoon some of the chicken and bean mixture into the center of a tortilla and roll it up. Place the filled tortillas in a 9x13 inch baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Bake the enchiladas until the cheese melts, 15-20 minutes.

**When I make this I use several (8-10) small flour tortillas. Instead of rolling them up I do layered enchiladas. I start with a layer of tortillas that have been dipped in the sauce, then spread some of the chicken and bean mixture over that (you can add cheese here before next layer of tortillas but if you do you'll need more cheese than what the recipe calls for...). Continue layering tortillas and chicken mixture ending with a layer of tortillas topped with cheese. Enjoy!