Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Green Chicken Enchiladas and Homemade Refried Beans


This was our dinner tonight. It was very easy to put together, and it is very yummy. These refried beans are our favorite way to make refried beans--just make sure you plan ahead since they are made in the slow-cooker. Save the leftover broth from the beans--it makes a great base for soup the next day.

Green Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 4 to 6
You can use shredded mild cheddar cheese in place of the Mexican blend.

2 (10-ounce) cans green enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Salt and pepper
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Puree enchilada sauce and 1 cup cilantro in blender. Combine 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, chicken, and 1½ cups cheese in large bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Wrap tortillas in clean kitchen towel and microwave until pliable, 30 to 90 seconds. Top each tortilla with ¼ cup chicken mixture and roll tightly. Arrange, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray, then top with additional 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture and remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

Refried Beans Without the Refry

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)

1.Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the broth and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.

2.Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

5 comments:

  1. My mouth is watering! This looks SO good. I love cooking beans in the slow cooker, but I love the addition of the spices and seasonings. I can't wait to try this!

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  2. I made this last night. All I can say is I felt like I was at an up-scale Mexican restaurant! These enchiladas are better than the ones served at our local famous Mexican restaurant. They are seriously delicious! I served them with Cafe Rio Lime Rice and refried beans (from a can, because I didn't have time/ingredients to make the homemade recipe; but next time I'm going to make the beans, too!

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  3. I've made the green chicken enchiladas a few times. They are seriously delicious! The corn tortillas give it a different flavor than my usual flour tortilla enchilada recipe. And I've bought more rotisserie chickens the past few months than I have my whole life. The bean recipe is wonderful. It makes a huge batch. What do you do with the leftovers, Valerie?

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  4. We love the leftovers! We make burritos, nachos, or soup with them. They can also be added to a pot of homemade chili to help thicken it.

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  5. Just made these again tonight with leftover Cafe Rio chicken that I've had in the freezer for a few months. They turned out delicious, as usual!

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