Chicken Enchiladas

I love me some Mexican food. But I really love Tex-Mex. Did you know that there's a difference? I'll give you more details later on when I show you some of my favorite Mexican recipes, but all you really need to know is that Tex-Mex uses copious amounts of yellow cheese, and Mexican uses none. Man, I can mow through some cheddar. Surprisingly enough, I've managed to stay away from it pretty well lately, but every now and then, I'll get a serious craving for good old fashioned "rat cheese," usually as part of a Tex-Mex delicacy.

While these chicken enchiladas are not exactly cheesy, they've got that just-right cheddar/corn/tomato/spice combination that Tex-Mex is so beloved for. I used fat free cheddar in this version, but I'll admit that I'm not a big fan. It just so happened that I was in a bit of a POINTS™ crunch during the particular week that I made these, so I cut every calorie that I possibly could. I have made them with 2% cheese, and they were good enough to serve to company alongside a pot of beans and my favorite rice.

Quick 'n' Dirty Chicken Enchiladas (They're not really dirty--I just like to say "quick 'n' dirty.")

You'll need to shred 2 cups cooked chicken. The Mr. doesn't eat dark meat, so I usually boil a couple of breasts and call it a day. You can use whatever part of the chicken you want, and it really doesn't matter how you cook it--stew it, boil it, roast it, grill it--whatever works for you.

In a bowl, mix that with 1 cup jarred salsa. Again, just use whatever is the cheapest/in the fridge/your favorite.

Add to that 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Again, I used fat free for this round, but unless you really need to shave off those calories, go with 2% or better. That 4-cheese Mexican blend variety is fan-freaking-tastic.

Set that aside.

Now, you'll need 12 5-inch corn tortillas. Again, I'm all about versatility--you can use white corn or yellow corn tortillas. Doesn't really matter. You'll want to wrap the tortillas in a double layer of wet (not damp--wet) paper towels and microwave for 1 minute. Do that twice or more until the tortillas are pretty hot and very soft. If you don't warm them enough, they'll break when you try to roll the enchiladas. This won't effect the taste, though, so don't be too bummed if you end up with some broken tortillas. It happens to the best of us.

Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each hot tortilla and roll the tortilla up. Place the enchiladas seam-down in a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Oh, wait--you need to spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray first. Sorry about that.

Now, in another bowl mix together one can of red enchilada sauce and one can of green enchilada sauce. And guess what? Use any brand you like. I'm telling you, I'm nothing if not flexible. Pour the combined sauces over your rolled enchiladas and sprinkle with another 1/2 cup grated cheese.

Bake at 350° F until melty and bubbly.

So to recap, here are your ingredients:

• 2 c shredded cooked chicken
• 1 c jarred salsa
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided (fat free, 2%, full-fat, whichever suits your tastes and needs)
• 12 5-inch corn tortillas (fewer if you use larger tortillas)
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• non-stick cooking spray
  

And here's the final product:

Estimated Nutritional Data* per enchilada, prepared with fat-free cheese:
99 calories, 1g fat, 12mg cholesterol, 311mg sodium, 13g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 3g sugars, 9g protein.


*Nutritional data derived from www.nutritiondata.com.