What's for dinner tonight?

Good morning. I woke up this morning and made coffee, only to realize that the faucet was leaking and there was a puddle in the cabinet underneath. Ugh, that's just not a great way to start the day. But, I'm on my second cup of coffee and I've already had a muffin so I'm feeling better. Now on to what I started this blog for...Chicken enchiladas. The easiest chicken enchiladas I've ever made.

I took a home economics class in middle school and this is by far my favorite thing we learned how to make ( the ziploc vanilla ice cream comes in at a close second though). We only had a limited class time, so it had to be pretty fast to make and it had to please hungry middle schoolers. It passes.

We will start off with what I had to prepare with. I conveniently laid it out on the table a took a photo for you.

 

• I started with one large skillet, I don't know the exact size of mine, but it's the largest I have. 
• One large pot, something you can fill with water and boil 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 
• I use the larger tortillas, but I'm sure you can use whatever size you want. 
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It wouldn't be chicken enchiladas without them!
• The original recipe calls for monterey jack cheese, but I use the fiesta type when I can't find the monterey jack cheese. 
• 1 medium onion.
• Salt and pepper. 
• Chili powder.
• Small can of diced green chili peppers. 
• 1/2 cup sour cream.
• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
• 9 x 13 baking dish.

To start, boil a pot of water with enough water to cover the chicken breasts. When the water is boiling drop the chicken in and return to a boil. Then boil for about 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads between 165 and 180 degrees. This part generally takes the longest, so plan accordingly for the water to boil and the chicken to cook. You could do this step ahead of time if you wanted. Also, the original recipe says to cube the chicken and cook it in about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, slightly browning it. That's faster, but I prefer the boiling, I feel like it's healthier.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After you check the temperature of the chicken and it's done, lay it out on a cutting board and let it cool. Now we'll start on the filling that the chicken will be added to. Place the skillet on the stove and add some butter. I used a little less than a tablespoon. When the butter is melted, add the diced onion. Saute the onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the soup and sour cream and stir to combine it all. Heat the mixture, but do not boil. While you are letting it heat up, you can shred the chicken. Just lay it on the cutting board and using a fork pull it apart .

Now, you can add the chili powder and chili peppers. Here's what it should look like :

 

If only you could smell it now. Mmm, you'd want to eat it right out of the skillet.

Mix in the diced green chilies and add in the shredded chicken. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Simmer the filling for 3 minutes then turn off the heat. During these three minutes I usually set up my enchilada assembly line. Skillet of filling, cutting board to roll tortillas on and a baking dish covered in aluminum foil. Heat the tortillas in the microwave.

Start the assembly: 

Lay out a tortilla. I rip a little off the top so it will fit correctly into the baking dish. 

Spread some of the filling on the right side of the tortilla. Make a nice line so it rolls cleaner. Now, roll it up.

Place it in the aluminum cover baking dish. When they are all stuffed in there snugly, sprinkle cheese over them.

Bake them for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is nice and gooey. When it's ready, let it cool. Then, carefully pull the aluminum foil and enchiladas out. It will look like this:

 

Lining the pan in the aluminum foil makes for easy clean up and easy removal of enchiladas. Now all you have to do is place the enchiladas on a plate, cover them with sour cream and salsa and enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

·        1 medium onion

·        1 can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

·        ½ cup sour cream

·        ½ cup canned green chili peppers, diced

·        1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

·        3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·        Salt and pepper to taste

·        8 flour tortillas

·        1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1.     Boil enough water to cover the chicken breasts. When water is boiling drop in chicken and return to a boil. Boil for 30 – 40 minutes; or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees or above.

2.     Once the chicken cools, shred it.

3.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4.     Heat the margarine in a pan and sauté the onions until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.

5.     Stir in soup and sour cream.

6.     Heat the mixture, but do not boil. Add in the chili peppers and chili powder.

7.     Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes, and then turn off the   heat.

8.     Heat tortillas according to directions.

9.     Place an equal amount of filling in each tortilla and roll them. Arrange in a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese.

10. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve with salsa and/or sour cream.