Quick-n-Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

This is my version of a much lighter and much quicker version of traditional Mexican enchiladas. One of these babies is enough to fill you up. They are tasty and are always great for those nights where you don’t feel like slaving away in the kitchen for hours using 50 of your 55 dishes to make one meal! I used Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, 99% fat free cream of chicken soup and reduced fat cream cheese. Feel free to mix it up based on your tastes. Serve these enchiladas alongside a big scoop of Spanish rice and an ice cold Corona J

Cheers!

Shelly  

RECIPE

Ingredients
2 TBSP Olive Oil

3 cups cooked/shredded chicken (I used Rotisserie chicken, but you can also use canned chicken, boiled chicken breast, etc)

1 TSP each: cumin, Mexican chili powder, dried cilantro & paprika

½ TSP cayenne pepper

1 can cream of mushroom (feel free to use cream of chicken) 99% fat free

¼ block of cream cheese (I used reduced fat)

½ can black beans

1 small can diced green chilies

2 cups Mexican shredded cheese

1 can red (or green) enchilada sauce

6 Flour tortillas

Freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add cooked chicken and spices. Toss skillet around in the skillet to ensure all pieces are coated with spices (about 2 minutes). Add the soup and cream cheese. Continue to stir until ingredients are blended and cheese is melted. Add in beans and green chilies and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove skillet from heat.ba

Add two large, heaping spoonfuls of mix to each of the 6 tortillas. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the mixture on each enchilada. Lightly cover bottom of a glass baking dish with enchilada sauce. Fold each tortilla over and place fold side down in the baking dish. Cover all enchiladas with enchilada sauce and then use remaining cup of cheese to sprinkle over each tortilla. Finish by sprinkling fresh cilantro over each enchilada.

Place dish in oven and bake on 350F for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with a side of Spanish rice and enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I found a quick and easy recipe for mini pot pies on the food network and decided to put my own spin on it and create one large pot pie. This recipe serves as a healthier option since it contains no cream, butter or milk. I was amazed at how tasty the dish turned out without all of the fatty ingredients usually called for! Once you remove the dish from the oven, let stand for a good 10 - 15 minutes to cool and let the contents thicken a bit (I dove right in and it was a little runny at first). I had my girlfriends over to enjoy this dish and they loved it! I served a small mixed greens salad and a bottle of Pinot Grigio with the Chicken Pot Pie and it was a hit.
Cheers!
Shelly

RECIPE


Ingredients

1 box pre-made pie crust
2 (bone-in/skin-on) chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes - peeled and diced into bite size pieces

1/2 large white onion - diced

2 stalks celery - diced

2 carrots - peeled and diced

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 bag of frozen green peas

Directions

Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator to let sit at room temp. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with 4 cups of chicken both. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 40 minutes. Remove chicken, to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle remove the meat and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Reserve the broth the chicken was cooked in.

In a medium pot heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Slowly stir in the flour, poultry seasoning, and salt/pepper to taste - cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the reserved 4 cups of chicken broth, whisking to remove any lumps. Add the diced chicken and peas (make sure to rinse these under warm water before adding). Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Line the deep pie dish with part of the pie crust. I used a circular 9-inch corning-ware dish. Add the entire mixture to the dish on top of the crust-lined dish. Then cover the dish with a round piece of dough and press around the edges to seal.

Cut 3 steam vent slits in the top and brush with oil or milk to prevent burning. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes to allow sauce to thicken before diving in.