QUICK CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

You know how sometimes life happens? Yes... yes, that has been me. My most sincere apologies for not getting these recipes out in a timely manner! It has been a crazy few weeks, kids... crazy..

Ok, so Chicken enchiladas! This one doesn't come from Rach - but one of my favorite go-tos because it is just so simple, quick and easy!

4 - large chicken breast, boiled, shredded
2 - jars (or 1 large and 1 medium can) of store-bought enchilada sauce - the "mild" has a kick to it - be careful!
(sometimes I make my own - this is for another blog though :))
1 - 8 oz tub of sour cream
1 - can cream of chicken soup
1 - large bag of mexican mix cheese (or you can grate colby jack - does just fine)
2 - packs of tortilla shells (this recipe is going to make about 20 rolls)
1 - can black beans
1 - cup cooked brown rice
3 - tablespoons sofrito (or about 1 teaspoon of cilantro - whichever way you want to go)

Throw on the rice, first - this takes the longest to cook!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (I typically don't do this until I begin shredding my chicken - save energy, right?!)

Ok - while your chicken is boiling, mix together one jar (or 3/4 of the large can) of enchilada sauce, one can of cream of chicken soup and about 4 oz of sour cream. Stir in about 1/3 of the bag of cheese then just wait. Until your chicken is done.

Once the chicken is cooked (I typically boil for about 15 minutes), pull out and shred it with two forks; your fingers; whatever you want. Heck, cube it if you'd like! Once the chicken is how you want it, dump it in your mixture of sauce/soup/sour cream. Fold it all together.*

Your rice should be done at this point. Don't over cook it because you'll be throwing this in oven!** Mix in your sofrito or cilantro. Drain the can of black beans and fold those into the rice as well.

Now we are going to begin the assembly! (be sure the oven is on at this point!) Dump a spoonful of the rice/bean mixture then a spoonful of the chicken/sauce/soup mixture. Roll it up like an enchilada and beginning lining them up in a large casserole dish, sprayed with Pam (or non-stick spray). Do this until your dish is full - I SCRUNCH them in there - get ten in there, if you can! If you have a smaller casserole dish, you will need to do about three 'rounds' of this.. After you've smushed everyone in, put the remaining 1/4 enchilada mix from the large can and some from the small can on top - just pour it over.. doesn't have to be perfect. I typically take the back of a spoon and just smooth it over the entire area of the shells. Then top with cheese! Lots and lots of cheese! Pop it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. This is really just to heat the mixture through on the inside and melt the cheese on top.. Brown to your liking!
Pull out and serve immediately.

Now... one thing I have noticed about this is that these things do not do well reheated. The shell is always gooey and I just don't like that. This is why I have added the asteriks for you to follow, if you don't NEED 20 - and want to make later in the week. Enjoy!


*If you are wanting to make this as a make-ahead meal, this is where you would stop and refrigerate everything. This recipe is a large recipe so once everything is mixed together and you make one casserole dish, toss everything else in the fridge and make at a later time in the week.


**You can keep the rice & beans seperate as a side dish, if you'd like. Just skip the mixture steps for this if you are a weird eater and can't mix your food together!