If there’s cooked or rotisserie chicken in the fridge, enchiladas can be totally doable as a weeknight meal.
And, oh, what a weeknight meal they are. Loaded with spiced chicken, veggies, and beans enveloped in a spicy earthy sauce and topped with cheese, oh, yes. (Of course, they’re also popular when you have people coming by for dinner too!)
These little bundles of food are astoundingly good.
Heck, even the sauce itself is so joyfully delicious (I’m telling tales out of school here, folks), that I save the wooden spoon and pan so that Jedd can lick the spoon clean. It gives me a glimpse of what he must have looked like as a little boy begging to lick the cake beaters after his mother or grandmother made a cake.
“Jedd, I saved the wooden spoon for you to lick.”
“Awesome!”
And then I subtly leave the kitchen so he can be left alone with his enchilada sauce.
Enchiladas make children of us all.
Fun fact: You can make the enchilada sauce ahead of time. Just cool it, and place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Also, you can freeze it! That way if you have some extra ingredients in the fridge, you can defrost the sauce and whip together the enchiladas when the craving strikes. Just place it in an airtight container, date it, and use it within 3 months. Good deal, eh?
Chicken, Veggie, and Bean Enchiladas
These enchiladas are exploding with chicken, beans, and veggies in a spicy sauce. Bonus: You can pull them together quickly for a weeknight meal!
Servings 4
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Chicken Enchilada Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup cooked black beans
- 1 medium red, yellow, or green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and diced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1/2 cup prepared enchilada sauce
Instructions
Enchilada Sauce Instructions
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In a small saucepan heat the oilover medium heat until shimmering. Add the flour and stir 1 minute. Add the chili powder and tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth, and add oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve.
Chicken Enchilada Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Grease a 9×13 inch pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Reserve.
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In a large bowl combine the cooked chicken, black beans, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, ½ cup cheddar cheese, ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, and ½ cup enchilada sauce. Reserve.
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Ladle enough enchilada sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.
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Place ¼ cup filling in each tortilla, roll up tightly and place seam side down in prepared pan.
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Repeat with all of the tortillas.
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Spoon enchilada sauce over the middle of the rolled tortillas.
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Sprinkle remaining cheese over the enchiladas.
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Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove foil, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
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Remove from the oven, and let the enchiladas cool for 5 minutes.
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Top with garnishes.
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Enjoy! (We always do!)
#Chicken #Veggie #Bean #Enchiladas