Chicken Enchiladas

Hello everyone! My next couple of posts are going to be food related so brace yourself for some pretty yummy recipes! For dinner last week I decided to make Stephen's favorite dish... Chicken Enchiladas and I couldn't wait to share the recipe with you! It's super simple and delicious! Enjoy!!

Ingredients: 

2 chicken breasts

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

About 4 cups of spinach

2 tsp. garlic

Marinade for the chicken (I used a Cilantro Lime marinade that can be found here)

1/2 cup uncooked rice

1 bunch of cilantro

2 limes

1 package of tortillas

Rice Preparation:

I like to use Chicken Broth when cooking rice so I would recommend using about 1 and 1/4 cups of Chicken Broth.  You can use either a whole grain rice or white, I prefer short whole grain rice as it has a really good texture.  The only downside to this type of rice is that it tends to take longer to cook and requires a bit more liquid.  But I have found that if you start off with around 2 times the amount of liquid to rice it turns out really well :)

Chicken Preparation:

For the chicken, I like to let mine marinate for about 20 minutes at room temperature in the Cilantro Lime marinade (the link is listed above).  On a heated pan, spray a little PAM to prevent sticking and then place the chicken breasts on the pan.  I like to cover them with a lid and put just a splash of chicken broth on the pan to let them steam.  This allows for quicker cooking time and a juicier finished product. Once thoroughly cooked, let the breasts rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes and then shred using a fork.

Filling Preparation:

For the filling of the Enchiladas I like to put garlic on a hot pan and then (before it get's too browned) toss all the spinach on top letting it wilt.  While the Spinach is wilting, use a colander to strain the beans and the corn (this removes all the black liquid from the black beans so the filling doesn't turn into a black mess).  After the beans and corn have been rinsed, pour them into the pan with the spinach and let them heat up.  (At this point I also like to add a sprinkling of Cilantro to add depth of flavor)

Assembly:

OK! So now that everything has been prepped all that is left is assembling the enchiladas. I like to use a casserole dish and line the bottom with Salsa Verde, then take each tortilla and lightly "baste" them with the salsa so that they don't get too crispy in the oven.  Next place the desired amount of rice, filling, and chicken inside each tortilla then fold in half and place inside the casserole dish.  Once they are all finished, I like to sprinkle a little bit of cheese over the entire dish and then place inside the oven (at around 350) for 5-10 minutes (or until the cheese is melted).  The finished product is delicious and you can use any leftovers to create a great Southwest Chicken Salad!

Marinating the Chicken

A beautiful bunch of Cilantro

Wilting down the Spinach  

The Enchiladas Before They Were Put Back Into The Oven


Unfortunately, my husband, his brother and I ate all of them before I remembered to take a picture!! Needless to say they were quite delicious! If you have any questions feel free to comment below :)