A New Favorite

Okay, so I have only made this a few times, but it has been a hit and will probably be a forever keeper for me. And well, if you know me at all, you know I LOVE Mexican, so no wonder I love it! I did a risky thing, actually, the 1st time I made this I made for a friend who had a new baby- and despite the fact that I used a WHOLE can of diced jalapenos on accident instead of green chilies (which ups the heat factor about 300%! When I realized I did that to a nursing mother I could have died!) she said they were some of the best enchiladas they have had and loved them, so I thought I would include them on here. I must say- I used two ingredients that were specifically Costco items and I think they were key ingredients in making them as good as they were, but I am sure if you aren't a Costco person, they will be good with whatever you do use.

Chicken Enchiladas

~~~Note: (+) means I use more to taste~~~

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 cup chopped onion (one medium sized onion)

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2-3 cups (8-12 oz.) shredded or chopped cooked chicken

**I used Kirkland brand canned chicken breast- it is good canned meat and on top of making your job easier, I like how well it shreds as opposed to cooking it myself- I think I used 2-3 cans

1 tsp. ground cumin (+)

4 oz. (+) cream cheese (the original recipe calls for reduced fat- if you prefer that)

salt and pepper

2 cans chopped green chilies

2 medium sized cloves garlic (+), peeled

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro (+)

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup tomato salsa (I used Kirkland Organic salsa- it is amazing)

8-10 flour tortillas (6-7 in. each)

2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese blend (+)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
2. Place olive oil in large skillet and saute onion and pepper over medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in chicken and cumin. Add cream cheese and place back over heat. Cook until cheese melts and creates a sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set filling aside.
3. Place chilies, garlic, cilantro, and oregano in food processor blender and blend until nearly smooth, about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and salsa and blend until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of your baking pan and set aside.
4. Place tortillas on a work surface and spoon chicken filling down center of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Take shredded cheese and set aside the majority (I just by a 4 cup bag so I don't have to worry about measuring it out and saving enough) for topping, and use the rest on top of the chicken filling before wrapping each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place them seam side down in baking dish, squeezing them to fit as needed. Pour remaining sauce over the top and top with the rest of the shredded cheese.



5. Bake until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly, 25- 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve with your toppings of choice--i.e. sour cream, shredded lettuce.

For my side items with this I like to make Mexican rice and black beans with lime juice. This time I just did the beans just because we weren't really hungry enough for all taht food. We love to scoop the beans up in the same bite as the enchilada. Mmmm.