Deliciously creamy and savory, these enchiladas are packed with chicken, veggies and beans and make for a perfect family-favorite meal. They are simple to make, and easy to serve!
This recipe is based on a family classic from my mother-in-law. It was one of the go-to dinners of my husband’s family growing up. It really is quite simple and easy to put together, and so it makes for a great family dinner on a busy night.
Enchiladas are delicious. But typically they are a tortilla stuffed with meat and cheese, drowned in sauce and more cheese. That makes them feel pretty heavy on the stomach. My modifications were to add more bulk to the filling. I add onion, zucchini and carrots as well as beans (white, black, pinto, which ever you prefer!). Sauté the veggies for about 3-4 minutes to give them a nice, savory flavor.
I usually use canned beans to save time. Be sure to rinse your beans before adding them to your meal. This greatly reduces the “musical” effect of beans, if you catch my drift.
I reduced the chicken in the recipe down to about 1 lb—usually 2 large chicken breasts. These are boiled in chicken broth so that they are easy to shred. I suggest slicing the large breasts in half length-wise for better/quicker cooking. The real thick parts will take forever to cook through and leave you with chewy and dry chicken.
The sauce is the chicken broth that you boiled the chicken in, thickened with water/cornstarch. Then you add some seasonings and about a cup of plain yogurt. I LOVE using plain whole-milk yogurt in place of sour cream. It tastes great and adds a little protein and you still get that creamy without feeling quite so heavy. It doesn’t take much to accomplish this either.
After the sauce is ready, you add the beans, veggies, and chicken back in, stir it all up and you are ready to fill your tortillas.
The trick is to not add too much filling per tortilla. That way it will roll together well and be easier to eat.
The only modification I make to this recipe for my kids is the amount of sauce on top of the rolled enchiladas. They prefer less sauce—even though they really like the flavor of this enchilada sauce. I put theirs in a 9x9 pan and spoon a light layer of sauce on top, add cheese.
The rest go in a 9x13 pan and I pour all the remaining sauce over the top, add a sprinkle of cheese and bake. At the end of the time, if they haven’t yet got that delicious browned and bubbly cheese top, switch to broil for 2-3 minutes and finish them off.
The Meal:
· 1 enchilada (cut in half so it looks like 2)
· Romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes
· Salsa
· Tortilla chips
Other things that would go great with this meal:
· avocado and/or guacamole
· side of melon
· side of roasted carrots or green beans
Recipe Used in this meal:
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Serving size: 1 enchilada
Servings per Recipe: 14
Ingredients
· 2 large chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb)
· 3 cups water
· 2 tsp chicken bouillon
· 1 onion (diced)
· 1 large zucchini (shredded)
· 2 large carrots (shredded)
· 3 Tbsp cornstarch
· 1 tsp Italian seasoning
· ½ tsp salt
· ¼ tsp pepper
· 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
· 1 1/2 cups of beans (black, white, or pinto)
· 14 tortillas (burrito size)
· 2 cups shredded cheese
Directions
1. Slice chicken breast in half lengthwise so that each piece is about ½ inch thick. Place in a large saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Add bouillon, and bring to a boil. Boil until the chicken is cooked through, approx. 10 minutes. Remover from broth and shred, then set aside. DO NOT DISCARD BROTH!
2. While the chicken is cooking, use a clean knife and cutting board to chop the onion. Shred the carrot and zucchini. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and sauté veggies on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Mix 3 Tbsp of cornstarch in ¼ cup cold water, stir vigorously, then pour into the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, allowing the broth to thicken. Then add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add yogurt and combine well. Then add shredded chicken, sautéed veggies and rinsed black beans. Stir.
To make the enchiladas:
4. Ladle enough creamy enchilada sauce into a baking dish to cover the bottom. Lay out tortillas and portion filling into each tortilla using a slotted spoon. The filling for each tortilla should be saucy, but not soupy. Roll the tortilla enclosing the filling, leaving the ends open. Transfer the tortilla to the baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
5. Pour remaining sauce over the top of rolled enchiladas if desired, and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 375⁰ for 30 minutes. Serve hot.
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Nutrition Facts Label for Creamy Chicken Enchiladas:
