Chicken + Black Bean Enchiladas

Dinner last night was a “happy accident.” I had an art instructor in college who referred to mistakes as happy accidents. This seemed to make sense in the class, printmaking, because it is hard to always be exact. That phrase has stuck with me since that day.

Last night the dinner plan was Chicken Fajitas. I was excited. I loooooove fajitas and have been kind of obsessed with avocado lately. Pat calls me as I’m about to leave work that the bell peppers were kind of going bad. Fajitas were out. However, we had black beans, rice, chicken, salsa and avocado, so we could still make chicken burrito bowls. I arrive home and he had opened the avocado, it was bad too. I was ticked. Originally I planned to make the fajitas earlier in the week, but changed things up and the fresh produce didn't last.  I didn't want burrito bowls anymore because the avocado had gone bad. I know, that doesn't make sense, but I was annoyed and stubborn at this point. Pat mentioned enchiladas. We had corn tortillas, chicken, pepper jack cheese and black beans, but we don’t have enchilada sauce. After a quick Google search, I found a 10 minute enchilada sauce recipe! Dinner was back on!

The chicken has been marinated in Trader Joe’s Soyaki marinade. It’s a great marinade that we use a lot for fajitas. I wasn't sure how the flavors would do with the enchilada sauce, but I wasn't too worried. Turns out the random ingredients we had at home made some of the best enchiladas I have ever had! Sometimes it’s fun to try out new recipes in the kitchen.

iPhone photo of the enchiladas.

Chicken + Black Bean Enchiladas

(Recipe created by me, enchilada sauce adapted from: AllRecipes)

Serves 3 (3 enchiladas each)

For the sauce:

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 TBSP self-rising flour

¼ cup chili powder

8 oz tomato sauce

1 ½ cup water

¼ tsp cumin

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion salt

Salt + pepper

For the enchiladas:

9-10 white corn tortillas

1 lb chicken breast (I used the Just Bare Breast Filets

½ cup Trader Joe’s Soyaki Marinade (or your favorite marinade)

8 oz block of pepper jack cheese, shredded (or 2 cups pre-shredded)

1 ½ c of black beans

Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, lettuce, tomato, salsa

Instructions:

1. Toss the chicken with the marinade and let it sit for 30 minutes or more.
2. Preheat and bake the chicken in a covered casserole dish at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until done. Cool then shred the chicken.
3. Start making the sauce by heating the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour + chili powder, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
4. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water and remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add 1c of enchilada sauce to the shredded chicken. Add in the black beans. Stir till combined.
6. Add ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to a 9x13 pan. Spread it out so there is a thin layer of sauce in the dish.
7. Microwave corn tortillas, about 3 at a time, for about 25 seconds to soften. Fill the middle of each corn tortilla with the chicken + black bean mixture, roll and place seam side down in the casserole dish. Continue filling until the mixture is complete. Make sure to line up the enchiladas close to each other.
8. Top enchiladas with more sauce and the pepper jack cheese. (You will have enchilada sauce left, so use as much as you’d like)
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly!
10. Let cool about 5 minutes and serve topped with your favorite toppings!

My Thoughts: These turned out awesome! The marinade, pepper jack and enchilada sauce worked so well together! Since this was whipped up last minute, all I had for toppings was sour cream, but they were great! Happy accident!

I know, this is the first blog post in like 6 months. I haven’t decided if I would keep up with it or not. I do like posting recipes we make, because it’s easy to go back and reference them. Even if I’m the only reader + it’s my personal recipe collection!

Happy cooking!