Sign Us Up for Fast and Healthy Mexican!

Good evening everyone!  As followers of the blog know, I have been on an avid quest to claim gold with the perfect Mexican dish.  The qualifiers for this dish would be a recipe that's low calorie, minimal time, and, of course, taste delicious.  Whether or not I felt like I have met this goal previously, tonight's dish has definitely claimed that title and I'm excited to share with you all!

The Recipe:  20 Minute Chicken Enchiladas
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, August 2013
(Serves 6)

What You'll Need:
1 Cup prechopped Onion
1 Cup unsalted Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons ground Cumin
3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 (15 ounce) can unsalted Tomato Sauce
3 Cups shredded, boneless, skinless Rotisserie Chicken Breast
1 (15 ounce) can unsalted Black Beans, rinsed and drained
12 (6 inch) Corn Tortillas
3 Ounces preshredded 4-Cheese Mexican Cheese (shredded Pepper Jack Cheese would also do in a pinch)

To start, preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Next, in a large saucepan, combine the onion, chicken stock, flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, salt, and tomato sauce; stir to combine.  Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for two minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.  Carefully, spoon out 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture and set aside.  The sauce might be splashing on the sides of the pan, so I urge extreme caution while putting your hand in the pan to retrieve the sauce.  To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the chicken and beans and cook for two minutes or until the chicken is throughly heated.  Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Next, on a clean plate, stack the tortillas and wrap the stack in damp paper towels.  Place the plate in a microwave and cook for 25 seconds on high.  Once the tortillas are warmed, you can begin to assemble the enchiladas.  Prepare a 9x13 inch glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.  Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and roll them up.  Place the rolled up tortillas seam side down in the baking dish.  Once all the tortillas are filled, top with the reserved sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Place the baking dish in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned and the sauce is bubbly.  If you wish, serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig or two of cilantro, and enjoy!

The End Result:

Out of all the Mexican dishes I created here on the blog, this was, by far, the best one I've made.  All the flavors melded together so well and it helps that the sauce was "homemade", not from a can.  Adding shredded chicken and black beans made the filling so, well, filling.  The cheese adds a bit of melty goodness that is undeniably Mexican.  Not only was the flavor incredible, but the caloric value really made this dish pop.  At 374 calories for two (TWO?!) enchiladas, this dish has won every round in my journey of Mexican recipe gold.

Thanks for joining us this evening.  Check back tomorrow when Tyler hits us with a brand new dish.  Until then,

~Cheers!