Easiest Chicken Enchiladas

I have always felt somewhat ambivalent about enchiladas. In my mind they felt like tacos smothered in sauce and cheese, which felt undeniably "tex-mexy." Since Tex-Mex is not really one of my favorites, I had little motivation to make enchiladas. However, The Husband occasionally bought frozen enchiladas from Trader Joe's for easy lunches and I often thought to myself, "I can totally make that." 

So then I did. And he liked them. And so did I! 

This recipe is adapted from this one from Serious Eats. However, I only followed the recipe for the sauce, which is the only part I've include here. 

Chicken Enchiladas

4-6 servings

Ingredients for Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chili powder

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons sugar

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

Remaining Ingredients

12 corn tortillas

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 can black beans

Shredded cheese of your choice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cook chicken as you like it. I seasoned the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and grilled on my George Foreman grill. Chop into bite sized pieces when cooled. Mix with black beans and 2 handfuls of cheese. 

3. Pour some sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.  

4. Heat/microwave tortillas until soft and pliable. Fill with chicken, beans, and cheese mixture. Roll tortillas and arrange in casserole dish. 

5. Pour remaining sauce all over enchiladas and cover with cheese. 

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until cheese is browned and gooey. 

You can serve with lime wedges, sour cream, etc if you'd like. We like it as is. These are particularly good reheated later in the week for lunch and can be easily frozen for later. 

Have a eventful Wednesday!