Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

 

This will be my third meal this week using tortillas. I think I will be ready for some Chinese or Indian food after this.  There was an article in the paper about how much food people throw out each year, so I really HAD to make three meals with tortillas.  The package had 24 tortillas and there are only the two of us!  There were a few left over, but they are starting to get stale and I can't face any more tortillas for a while.  It's salads for us the next few dinners!





Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

If you are a vegetarian, leave out the chicken part.  I gave the recipe for making the chicken in my Chicken Tacos post.  Basically, you cook the thinly sliced chicken breast with onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin.  Don't bother to reheat it if you made it previously.  It will heat in the oven.

Chicken cooked with Mexican spices.  If you like hot foods, add jalapeno.
2 cups shredded cheese.  I used a mix of Cheddar and Monterrey Jack.
1/4 cup diced red onions
1 seeded and diced Roma tomato
5 tortillas (because that's what fit in my baking dish.  Feel free to double the recipe and use a 9 X 13 baking dish)
1 10 oz. can of enchilada sauce


If the chicken is left over, this is a fast dish to make.  It will be mostly assembly and baking time.  With a little bit of shredding and dicing, thrown in.  Preheat the oven to 350 and spray an 8 X 8 baking dish with Pam.

 

Heat the enchilada sauce in a medium sauce pan.  Using tongs, dip the tortillas in the warm sauce.  Don't let it stay in the sauce for long as it will  start to disintegrate. 

 

Place the wet tortilla on a plate and fill it with a portion of chicken, cheese and onions.  Place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish.  Do the rest of the tortillas in this fashion.  It isn't a big deal if they develop a little tear.  This is because you have been eating from this package for a week!

Pour the remainder of the sauce over the rolled tortillas.  If you are like me you will say, "I wish I had bought more sauce!"  But you didn't so you will keep going.  After I took the enchiladas from the oven, they looked fine.  If you like a very saucy enchilada, buy more and use more.  This worked for me.

 

There should be some cheese left over.  Maybe a few onions or some chicken.  Sprinkle the cheese and onions on top.  Tuck the chicken here and there so it won't dry out when heating.

Place the dish in the oven.  You only need to heat things through.  Twenty-five minutes worked for me.  Make sure the cheese is melted and the rest should be warm enough.

 

Serve with the fresh tomatoes on top.  DON'T leave the dish with the tomatoes in the kitchen and notice them after dinner.  Then you will have to save them for tomorrow's salad, like I did!

Serve with a salad or fresh fruit.  Especially if you used jalapenos and the spicy enchilada sauce!