Recipe: So-Addictive Chicken Enchiladas

So-Addictive Chicken Enchiladas - A Skinny Taste Cookbook Recipe
194 Calories || Serves 8* 

I had actually never tried enchiladas prior to testing this recipe. Something about the way the sauce covers the burrito has always looked messy in Mexican restaurant menus for some reason. But I figured for under 200 calories, INCLUDING a tortilla wrap, and knowing my husband loves Mexican food, I thought, "Why not?!" 

It was delicious. Mike worked late and ate around 8:30pm and would NOT SHUT UP about how amazing they were. I can't say I was mad about it; it's nice to hear your cooking and time are appreciated. Especially when 3.5 years ago when we got married, all I could cook was a grilled cheese and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. He's loving the new me-in-the-kitchen. I kind of love me too. 

The recipes claims to serve 8, but in our house that is never true. One serving for me is one burrito, Mike had two, and Liam ate one. Yes, my 16 month old eats as much as I do. So that really old fed us for dinner and then lunch today, but because I cooked so much shredded chicken, it left us with a great deal of THAT, so if I wanted to make more enchilada sauce or simply had BBQ sauce to it, I can, and that will serve us for a another two meals probably. 

For the Enchiladas:

1tsp EVOO
1c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c canned tomato sauce
1/3c reduced-sodium chicken broth
9oz cooked, shredded chicken breast (see below for how I cooked this) -- I chose to used 4 breasts so we would have a substantial amount of leftovers! 
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1tsp McCormik's chili powder
1tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp dried oregano
3/4tsp kosher salt
EVOO cooking spray
8 low-carb, whole wheat flour tortillas
Made from Scratch Enchilada Sauce (ingredients and instructions below)
1c shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
2tbsp chopped scallions
4tbsp light sour cream (I chose plain Greek yogurt and there is no taste difference! 

For Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

1/4tsp EVOO
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2c chicken broth
3c canned tomato sauce
2tbsp chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce (If you REALLY love spice. Otherwise I highly recommend less. I used about 1/2 tbsp and it was perfect spiciness to me!)
1tsp McCormick's chili powder
1tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp kosher salt
Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

For Shredded Chicken:

Place thawed chicken breasts in crock pot and add 3 cups chicken broth. Feel free to add onions, parsley, or other herbs. Let sit for 2-3 hours to cook. Don't leave it all day -- it will dry out.

Remove chicken breasts and move to a cutting board. I am not fancy and don't own the incredible KitchenAid Mixer so I used two forks to shred the chicken and I threw a little fresh parsley on top. But I've seen the shredding attachement on the mixer and it is too cool...



For the Enchilada Sauce:

Heat a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic, cooking and stirring until golden (less than 2 minutes). Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, simmer 7-10 minutes.

For The Enchiladas

Preheat over to 400 degrees. 

In a deep nonstick skillet, heat oil over low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring until soft (about 2 minutes). Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, cooked chicken, 1/4 cup of cilantro, the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt, Simmer until flavors blend, 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with oil. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla, roll them up, and place seam side down into the dish. Top with the enchilada Sauce, then sprinkle the top with cheese. Cover the dish with foil. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. 

When serving, top with scallions and remaining cilantro, and serve with light sour cream, or, my personal favorite, plan greek yogurt as a sour cream substitue!