On Lily's Dinner Table: Less Stress Chicken Enchiladas

In the day and age of the Modern Girl Friday, food is something to be enjoyed. But, unfortunately, how, when, and where an MGF eats is a compromise of sorts. Speaking from personal experience, I don’t get to cook as often as I’d like between August and May because my schedule is so crazy. Work, coaching the speech and debate kids, Lenny’s even nuttier schedule, and various other activities suck up so much time that I don’t even want to THINK of a picking up a cooking utensil at the end of the day. So, we tend to order or eat out during this timeframe.

Hey, at least I remember to eat! I might know a few contributors (you know who you are) who sometimes FORGET to eat.

But there are the few down times where my hands itch to cook a meal during a spare weekend or two. Heck, I might even find time to invite friends over to eat with us just so we can have some semblance of a social life. When those times happen, I want to cook something fast, easy, and appetizing. Lily White doesn’t serve sub-par food!

In those rare moments, thank goodness for recipes like my mom’s “Less Stress Chicken Enchiladas.” I’m not exactly sure where my mom got this recipe, but it’s been a family favorite for years. While some of the preparation can be thought of as tedious, you can actually cook and prepare the chicken a couple days before you actually have to make the dish. It’s also a great dish if your kids want to help out. Nothing can tire a kid out more than shredding chicken (it was very useful when I used to be the family babysitter).

These chicken enchiladas are a real life saver too when you’ve got a potluck. Next to my adobo, it’s the most requested item I get asked to cook. But the deal is…it’s so freakin’ easy. So enjoy the recipe folks!

LESS STRESS CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

3 to 4 boneless chicken breast
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 small can of diced green chile
Half of one white onion (chopped or diced)
1 – 8 oz. container of sour cream
1 package of burrito sized flour tortillas
1 small can of red enchilada sauce
1 package of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1. Season chicken to taste and boil until cooked. Allow chicken breast to cool. Shred the chicken finely by hand (you could use a food processor, but be careful. Leave it in too long and you end up with chicken dust vs. chicken bits).
2. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, the soup, and the sour cream thoroughly. Add the green chile and the onions into the mixture.
3. Working on a flat surface, fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture and roll up the tortilla. When rolling, the tortilla should resemble a flauta (or really fat rolled taco). Place the rolls side by side in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (lightly greased with non-stick spray). Ten burrito sized tortillas should fit into the pan.
4. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
5. Spread evenly over the rolled tortillas the red enchilada sauce, and then cover with cheese.
6. Bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Cut and serve.

Notes: The recipe calls for Cream of Chicken soup, however you can use another flavor if you wish. Currently, I like adding Cream of Mushroom and Garlic. A green salad is always a good side for this dish. If you have leftover chicken mixture, I usually make grilled sandwiches out of them. And yes, if you prefer green enchilada sauce to red, by all means go and use it!