11 October, 2014
Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Posted in : BudgetBytes.blogspot.com, Chicken, Dinner, Lunch, Mexican on by : wendland99Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 8 enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.02
- 2 cloves garlic $0.16
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles $0.73
- 4 oz. cream cheese $0.75
- 2 cups shredded chicken (about half a rotisserie chicken) $3.50
- 1 15-oz. can black beans $0.89
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.60
- ½ tsp cumin $0.05
- 8 soft taco sized (8 inch) tortillas $1.12
- 1 batch homemade red enchilada sauce (about 2 cups) $0.80
Instructions
Mince the garlic and sauté it in a large skillet with vegetable oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the tomato liquid has reduced by about half and become slightly thick.
Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the tomato mixture. The sauce will become smooth and creamy as the cheese melts in.
Rinse and drain the can of black beans, then add them to the skillet along with the frozen corn kernels, shredded chicken, and cumin. Stir to combine. Taste the filling and add salt if needed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop about ⅓ to ½ cup of the creamy chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it up like a cigar. Place the filled and rolled tortillas into a 9×13 inch casserole dish, seam side down.
While the oven is preheating, make a batch of homemade red enchilada sauce (or use canned), then pour it over the enchiladas in the casserole dish (you may or may not use all the sauce, it’s up to you). Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the edges of the tortillas are slightly brown and crispy.
Notes
Flour or corn tortillas may be used. Corn tortillas are usually smaller, so this recipe would yield about twice as many small enchiladas using corn tortillas.
Step by Step Photos
I used about half of the meat from one grocery store rotisserie chicken for this recipe. I was able to pull about four loosely packed cups of meat from one chicken. I find the meat easier to pick when it’s chilled, so I just popped it into the refrigerator when I got home from the grocery store. If you want to roast your own chicken instead, you can find great instructions at thekitchn.com.
I divided the chicken in two, about two loosely packed cups each. I froze half for use in a second recipe later.
To begin the enchiladas, mince two cloves of garlic then sauté them in one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until the garlic is softened and slightly fragrant.
Next, add one can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. This is the generic version of Rotel. If you can’t find Rotel or a generic version at your local grocery store, you can sub one 15-oz. can of regular diced tomatoes and one 4-oz. can of diced green chiles (usually found in the ethnic food aisle). Add the can of tomatoes to the skillet and let it simmer for about five minutes, or until some of the liquid has evaporated and it’s a little thicker.
Next you’ll need 4 ounces (half a block) of cream cheese. Cut the cream cheese into pieces so that it melts into the sauce easier.
Stir the cream cheese into the tomatoes until it melts in. It will look a little chunky to begin with, but as it melts it will become smooth…
Like this!
Rinse and drain one 15-oz. can of black beans, then add them to the skillet with two cups of shredded chicken. one cup of frozen corn kernels.and 1/2 tsp of cumin.
Mix it all up and now you’ve got a creamy and delicious chicken enchilada filling. (taste the sauce and add salt if needed. I didn’t add any to mine, but that’s personal preference.)
Fill your tortillas with the chicken mixture, then roll them up like cigars. The amount of filling and number of enchiladas you get will depend on what size tortillas you buy. I prefer smaller tortillas for enchiladas, but these particular tortillas were buy one get one free this week, so I hopped on that. There is a lot of filling, so I was able to make eight large enchiladas.
Place the filled and rolled enchiladas into a large (9×13 inch) casserole dish, seam side down.
Start preheating the oven to 350 and whip up a batch of red enchilada sauce while you wait (or use canned, but this homemade sauce is FAR superior). That recipe makes about two cups of sauce and you may or may not use all of it on the enchiladas, just depending on how saucy you like them.
Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and pop them in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the edges of the tortillas are a little brown and crispy.
I poured the remainder of my sauce over top when they came out of the oven and I happened to have some cilantro in the fridge, so I threw that on there for the photo’s sake. As I mentioned, these were fairly large so I ate one per sitting along with a big helping of some cilantro lime rice.
ref: Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas – Budget Bytes.
