No offense to Avu, but I have a love affair with enchiladas. Always have. Growing up on Tex-mex food, enchiladas were a staple dish in our house, and one of the first things I learned how to make for myself when I start seriously teaching myself how to cook in college.
Nowadays, my friends call me the enchilada queen. I have so many recipes for enchilada combinations, from the filling, to the cheeses to the sauce. At some point, I plan to post about all my favorite enchilada recipes (including one starring pumpkin). For now, I though February, the month when we celebrate love, would be the perfect time to showcase one of the dishes I love most.
My go-to enchiladas are full of chicken, two kinds of beans, and veggies. (I left tomatoes out of my most recent version because Avu doesn’t like them, which hurts my soul a little bit, but not the point right now.) I use flour tortillas, lots of sharp cheddar, and classic red enchilada sauce. For this easy go-to recipe, store bought enchilada sauce works justtttt fine with a little sprucing up. I do have recipes for homemade enchilada sauce…so stay tuned for that in the future. For now, check out this easy, delicious and comforting dish, perfect for a weeknight meal with a side of rice or salad, or just all by themselves.
ETL’s Classic Enchiladas
Chicken & Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pound chicken breast shredded*
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can yellow corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes & green chilis
- 1 can enchilada sauce (28oz)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 tsp chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
- salt & pepper
- 10-12 flour tortillas
- 1 block cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-12 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. (You can also use foil, but I find that sometimes gets annoying when trying to cut and serve the enchiladas).
- In a pan over medium heat, add your cooking oil of choice and sauté onions until they start to soften.
- In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken with 1 teaspoon of the cumin, coriander, garlic powder and chili powder, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Add the shredded chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes and green chilis to the pan with the onions and turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, pour the enchilada sauce into a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the rest of the cumin, coriander, garlic and Chile powder to the sauce and bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Pour about 1/3 of the sauce into the chicken, bean and veggie mixture and combine.
- With the remaining sauce, ladle a thin layer on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Now you’re ready to assemble! Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into each flour tortilla (don’t overfill) sprinkle a little cheese, and roll it up.
- Place the tortilla, seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas until the dish is full.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas, and then cover the top with the rest of the cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly. (If you’re cheese starts to burn too quickly, add a layer of foil over the top and keep baking.)
Notes
*You can also use pre-shredded cheese from the store, but keep in minds they contain fillers and preservatives that may affect the taste and texture. Cheese shredded of the block will also melt a lot better. *I like to serve these up with some fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños and sour cream on top! Yummy!
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