Justin's Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Our little homemade fiesta on a plate!

This past week was a crazy one. I had meetings or school functions almost every night. So you can imagine my relief and gratitude when Justin offered to cook us dinner and to have it ready for us when I got home. He knew that I was wanting to have a few recipe posts in the Cinco De Mayo theme this week so he even took some pictures for me too.

While he is an amazing chef and real life photographer, he is still getting the hang of what types of pictures I use for blog posts so forgive us if there aren't too many photos of the cooking process. He also is a little less precise when it comes to measurements and such so I will do my best to put his recipe into words : )

We love celebrating Cinco De Mayo but after waiting 2 hours for a table last year (I am not exaggerating, it really took that long!), we wanted to find somethings to make at home to celebrate without facing the crowds.

I was amazed at how flavorful these enchiladas were and I loved them with the corn tortillas.  They were surprisingly simple to make and we can't wait to try them again and dress them up with some fresh veggies and salsa. Pair them with my Mucho Margarita Cupcakes and you have the perfect Cinco De Mayo meal right in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Who needs to go out for Cinco De Mayo!?!

We served this dish with salad and homemade tortilla chips. We just cut up the left over corn tortillas and lightly fried them. I know we probably should have baked them but since we were going for an authentic Mexican night at home it only seemed right to do it as a restaurant would.

Justin made a homemade enchilada sauce but according to him, the recipe needs a little more refining before he is ready to share it with the world. He told me to say that if you don't have an enchilada sauce recipe at home you can always get it pre-made at the store without sacrificing any real flavor.



This is the recipe as dictated to me in an email from Justin. I laughed out load reading over it because it is a clear example of the difference in how a man and a woman would describe a recipe. Hope you enjoy hearing today's recipe as told you from a male perspective : ) 

Justin's Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

• One pound of chicken breasts
• One packet of taco seasoning of your choice (we used low sodium)
• Half an onion
• Green pepper (optional if your wife likes them, Justin's specific words here)
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt (plain)
•  Corn tortilla shells (or flour if you prefer, we felt that the corn had a more authentic feel)
• Shredded cheese, we used a 4 cheese Mexican blend, you can use however much feels right to you
• Enchilada sauce for topping, homemade or in a jar

1.) Partly cook  raw chicken by simmering in plain water in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes.

2.) Drain water and add about 1 cup of water or enough to cover chicken. Add packet of taco seasoning, onion and peppers. Simmer on low for 45 minutes to an hour or until chicken falls apart with a fork.

3.) Take the chicken out of the sauce and shred it. Leaving the sauce and veggies still in the pan.

4.) Return shredded chicken to the sauce and stir in two heaping (Yes, Justin actually said heaping) tablespoons of sour cream or Greek yogurt and mix thoroughly.

5.) Spread the chicken mixture down the center of a tortilla, roll it up and place in pan seem side down. Repeat until you run out of the chicken mixture.

6.) Drizzle any remaining sauce from the chicken over the tops of the tortillas and then sprinkle shredded cheese over them before baking.

Ready to go in the oven!

 7.) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and the tortillas are starting to brown on the edges.

Drizzle with enchilada sauce and enjoy!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***