Chicken Enchiladas

Let me introduce you to one of the absolute favorite dinners of Grant's and mine......something we could seriously eat every week and not get tired of it. The kids.....not so much.....we can't figure out why. I guess that's why I don't make these too often. But when I do, I have a VERY happy husband. The original recipe came from Allrecipes, but I have tweaked it quite a bit. This recipe makes about 8-10 enchiladas...depending on how full you fill them. I doubled it the other day (making dinner for 2 friends who had babies) and ended up with 18 hearty enchiladas.

Recipe:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 T. olive oil
1 small-med. onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup or homemade equivalent
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes OR 1 (9 0z) can green chiles OR 1-1/2 cups salsa, divided
2-3 cups cheese (I use Colby-Jack or cheddar)
10 8" tortillas

If you're starting with raw chicken, as I always am, cover with water in a large pot and boil until done. Remove from pot, cool a bit, and shred.

While chicken is cooking, chop up veggies and saute in olive oil with spices until tender. Add shredded chicken to veggies and stir well to combine. Add in half of rotel tomatoes.

In a separate bowl, stir together sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and remaining rotel. Put a couple of spoonfuls into the chicken just to moisten it and stir well. Spread a thin layer of cream mixture on the bottom of a 13 x 9" pan + an 8 x 8" pan. (I usually need both pans to hold 9-10 enchiladas).

Top tortillas with about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in pan. Spread remaining sauce on top of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

I had started eating this one when I realized I had forgotten to take photos. Hence the ragged appearance.