Chicken Echiladas

On Sunday evening we had chicken enchiladas with refried beans.  Both were very good.  Brian always orders chicken enchiladas when we eat out at a Mexican restaurant and he said these were  better than any his had out.  

Chicken Enchiladas

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. oregano

2 cups chicken broth

4 Tbsp. oil (vegetable or canola)

1 (15.5 oz.) can mashed lentils or black beans, drained

2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded

1 cup onion, diced

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles

3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese

8-10 flour tortillas

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish. (I used a 9 x 13 glass pan.)

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add in the first six ingredients to the oil and stir for 1 minute. Then add chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick.

In small skillet on the side, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and green chiles. Saute until onions are cooked and translucent. Turn off heat and add chicken to mixture. (Or if you are beginning with raw chicken, feel free to cook alongside the onions and chiles. Then dice or shred the meat afterwards.)

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread a spoonful of sauce in a line down the center. Then add beans on top of the sauce, then some chicken mixture, and cheese. Roll up tortilla and place seam-side down in baking dish. Once all enchiladas are made, pour extra sauce over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Then remove dish and sprinkle extra cheese on top, and bake for 5-10 minutes more until tortillas begin to brown slightly around the edges. Remove from oven and serve immediately.