Mexican rice fills out a meal of chicken enchiladas
Enchiladas are always a hit in my house. We usually use the same
recipe for filling them up
– ground hamburger with sauteed onions, cheese and black olives.
But sometimes it’s nice to mix it up.
For a recent meal, I decided to try a chicken enchilada recipe
that seemed healthier than my basic recipe, but still packed with
flavor. The recipe calls for chicken breast, which is cooked in a
little bit of olive oil and then shredded. The filling is then
finished off with green chiles, chipotle chiles, tomatoes and
frozen corn.
Mexican rice fills out a meal of chicken enchiladas
Enchiladas are always a hit in my house. We usually use the same recipe for filling them up – ground hamburger with sauteed onions, cheese and black olives. But sometimes it’s nice to mix it up.
For a recent meal, I decided to try a chicken enchilada recipe that seemed healthier than my basic recipe, but still packed with flavor. The recipe calls for chicken breast, which is cooked in a little bit of olive oil and then shredded. The filling is then finished off with green chiles, chipotle chiles, tomatoes and frozen corn.
Though I usually use flour or wheat tortillas for my recipes, I went with small corn tortillas. Corn tortillas stay a little softer after being cooked in the oven and work well for warming up the enchiladas as leftovers the next day.
To go with the meal, I also decided to try a Mexican rice recipe. Now, I am historically bad at making Mexican or Spanish rice. The rice either comes out undercooked or mushy. The recipe below calls for soaking the rice for five minutes before toasting it, which seemed to make a huge difference in the final texture. The rice came out fluffy and cooked to perfection. The only downside of the recipe is that we left out the jalapeno so the rice lacked a little in flavor. The next time I make it, I will experiment with adding in more tomato juice and less water, just to add more flavor.
And, of course, a Mexican meal needs some refried beans to go with it. I found a recipe that uses canned pinto beans to create a low-fat alternative to what is served in a restaurant.
Chicken enchiladas
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 c. enchilada sauce, canned
1 c. shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes
Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes; saute 1 minute.
Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350-degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.
Mexican rice
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine
2 c. long-grain white rice
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, roughly
chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, halved
Kosher salt
Soak the rice in a bowl of hot water, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse and shake dry.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice and toast, stirring, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, puree the garlic, onion and tomatoes in a blender. Add to the rice and cook until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water, the jalapeno and a pinch of salt; cover and cook over medium heat until the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Uncover and place a clean towel over the rice, then re-cover and let stand 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork; serve with the jalapeno, if desired.
Refried beans
Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ancho chili powder, or other chili powder
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
2/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the beans and chicken broth and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon, adding more chicken broth to moisten, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the cilantro.
