chicken enchiladas

those of you that know me know i love mexican food.

like... conversation normally goes like this:

anybody/anytime: what should we get for lunch/dinner/happy hour?

me: mexican??? (saying it like a question as if i'm open to other ideas)

LOL.

so both saturday and sunday night i enjoyed mexican food. what else?

for how simple this recipe was, i really loved it.

although the dish had lots of ingredients during the beginning,

i really loved the flavors this added, while not overcomplicating the dish itself.

it was tried and true and pretty healthy.

really loved this a lot.

ingredients

3 cups cold water

2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

5 garlic cloves, crushed

4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 jalapeno pepper, halved

1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges

1 (7-ounce) can salsa verde

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

  cooking spray

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


(i increased the chicken breasts from 2 to 4, doubled the cheese,
and would have cut the water from 4 cups to three cups)

*recipe courtesy of cooking light*

directions

1. combine first 9 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.

cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

2. remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; let stand 10 minutes.

shred the chicken, and set aside.  drain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl;

reserve cooking liquid. discard solids.

3. combine reserved cooking liquid and salsa verde in a saucepan;

bring to a boil over medium-high heat. cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 30 minutes).

reduce heat to low; stir in whipping cream. place pan over low heat.

4. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. place chicken in a medium bowl.

add tomato and next 5 ingredients (through cream cheese) to chicken; toss.

(you're going to need to turn your head for this one. ha!)

6. dip each tortilla in sauce mixture for 10 seconds.

fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up.

arrange filled tortillas, seam side down, in an 11 x 7–inch glass

or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

7. spoon sauce over tortillas; top evenly with cheddar cheese.

bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

enjoy! :)