New Meal Monday: Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

Every so often I like to dig through my recipe box for past recipes I haven’t made in a while, some I forgot I even had! This time I was on a specific hunt for a meal that I could prep ahead of time, and one that could feed a larger group, as we were hosting and my sister and her family for dinner. When I came across my recipe for Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas, it was a perfect fit. The original recipe makes 6 servings, but it’s really easy to double and feed a crowd. In fact, I have often made this for groups and even varied up the enchiladas by serving one batch with chicken and one without for vegetarian friends and family. It’s a great way to meet the dietary needs of a diverse group with one meal! Also, as I mentioned before, there is great value in recipes that allow for prep ahead of time. If you are anything like me, whenever we host we end up way behind schedule and serve dinner much later than expected. Now that we are managing the bedtime routine of a 6 month old, we have less wiggle room in this department and have to be more disciplined with our cooking! I recommend prepping the filling ahead of time and even filling and rolling the enchiladas. You can leave them rolled in the baking dish (covered) in the fridge until ready to bake. Then just add the enchilada sauce, top with cheese and toss them in the oven! I think it’s best to take them out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before baking to get them back up to room temperature.

Here is what you’ll need:

• 2 cups cooked chicken
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus additional cheese for topping)
• 1 can (4 oz) green chilies
• 10 ounce enchilada sauce
• 6 flour tortillas
  
  Here’s how you do it:

1. Cook chicken - Suggestion: place chicken on baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Adobo Seasoning, bake in oven at 400 F for 30 minutes. Or you can cook the chicken in a skillet until browned.
2. Heat oil in skillet, add peppers and onions and cook until tender.
3. In large bowl, mix cooked chicken, peppers, onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, black beans and green chilies.
4. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Portion mixture into 6 flour tortillas and roll up. Place each tortilla seam side down in baking dish.
5. Pour enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle additional cheese on top, as much as desired.
6. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Serve with a side of rice. Makes 6 servings.