Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe that I started making over 12 years ago when I worked at Ambrosia downtown McKinney.  One of the sweet ladies who I worked with would bring this in for lunch on Saturdays and she PROMISED that it was easy enough for me to make :)  

I was skeptical because I was 21, newlywed and my cooking skills were limited but I took her handwritten recipe home, tried my hand at it and a hit was born.  I took a looooooong break from making it because NOTHING skeeved me out more when I was pregnant than cooking chicken and it took me a long time to get over that  (I still don't like cooking with it, but at least I don't gag anymore!).  

In my summer-induced organizational frenzy this summer I came across the recipe and the reunion has been sweet and delicious :) 

Here's What You'll Need...

- 4-5 chicken breasts (mine was a little under 2 lbs)

- Flour tortillas (I used 13)

- 2 cups (16 oz) sour cream (I used reduced fat)

- 2 cans cream of chicken soup

- Cheddar jack cheese (I used 2 cups)

- 2 small cans diced green chiles

- STEP ONE -

Chop the chicken into pieces... I use scissors and cut each breast into about 6 large chunks.  This will make the cooking process WAY faster.

- STEP TWO -

Put a large pot of water on to boil.  Once it's boiling, place your chicken into the water and boil until it's cooked through (mine took about 6 minutes).  Drain, let cool and then shred.  Season with salt and pepper.

NOTE - I know a lot of people SWEAR by cooking chicken in the crock pot and then using a fork to shred.  I've never had good luck with that method and much prefer to boil and shred by hand.  It's faster, I think the chicken tastes better and I can usually get a kid (or two!) to help me shred the meat.  As long as you have shredded chicken it really doesn't matter how you get there... so use your favorite method!

- STEP THREE -

This is actually kind of step 2.5 since I usually do this while the chicken is cooking and cooling.  You're going to mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chiles (drained) together and then put a thin layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (I used this casserole dish which is a little smaller because it has a lid and makes storing leftovers simple)

- STEP FOUR -

Fill the tortillas with the shredded chicken mixture and lay them (seam side down) in the pan.  Tou can fill them as much or as little as you like.  We prefer to fill them a little less because then you get more tortilla - but it's totally up to you.

I was able to fit 10 enchiladas in my casserole dish and so I put the extra 3 in a small glass loaf pan to freeze... more on that in a minute.

- STEP FIVE -

Top everything with the remaining sour cream mixture and then with as much cheese as you like.

- STEP SIX -

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes or until everything is warmed through and the cheese is bubbly.  

I didn't bake my small casserole dish, but instead wrapped it in plastic wrap, then foil, then popped it in a freezer bag.  On a night when Dave works and the kids and I have something like pancakes and eggs for dinner I'll pull this out, let it thaw and then pop it in the oven for Dave to eat after work.

Okay - so these pics aren't pretty.... but I kind of think that's just the nature of enchiladas... especially good ones :) 

These would be so easy to prep in the morning (or even day before!) and pop in the oven 30 mins before dinner.  I was lazy the other night and just sliced up an avocado to go along with them, but some cilantro/lime rice or beans would be perfect as well.

Happy cooking and happy Wednesday, friends!