For the entire month of September, I’ll be participating in the SNAP Challenge and attempting to eat on $4.50 per day. Read more here.
**UPDATE: Well, I overlooked the fact that you can’t buy rotisserie chicken with SNAP benefits! You can, however, buy a fresh chicken and roast a home if you have time. There are links throughout the post on how to roast your own chicken, if needed.**
I’m back! I’ve completed the move to my new house, my internet is hooked up, and I can finally update week four of the SNAP Challenge. I was worried about not having time to cook before packing up my apartment, but I made it work. I was able to whip up these enchiladas in just a short amount of time and they helped keep me fed all week through the tough move.
For these enchiladas I utilized the convenience of a grocery store rotisserie chicken. Roasting a chicken at home is actually quite easy, but you have to have a little time on your hands. If you’re short on time or too intimidated to do it yourself just yet (promise me you’ll try it eventually), grocery store rotisserie chickens can be a good option. Sometimes they’re the same price or even slightly less expensive than fresh chickens and all the work is done for you. Just make sure to price compare. My chicken was $6.99 and I used half of the meat (about two cup, loosely packed) to make the enchiladas. I’ll explain how I used the rest of the chicken, including the carcass, in the week summary. ;)
I made a quick and easy creamy red sauce similar to the sauce used for this Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta, except I used canned tomatoes with green chiles for a southwest flavor. I then added my usual can of black beans and a cup of frozen corn (I just love that combo) to fill out the enchiladas and stretch the meat a bit further. I quickly made a batch of my favorite red enchilada sauce to pour over top (seriously, only takes about ten minutes) and then they were ready to go in the oven. Pretty easy!
Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
SNAP Challenge: Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Servings 8 enchiladasIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles ($0.73)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.75)
- 2 cups shredded chicken (about 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken) ($3.50)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.89)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.60)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 8 soft taco sized 8 inch tortillas ($1.12)
- 1 batch homemade red enchilada sauce (about 2 cups) ($0.80)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and sauté it in a large skillet with cooking oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the tomato liquid has reduced by about half and become slightly thick.
- Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the tomato mixture. The sauce will become smooth and creamy as the cheese melts in.
- Rinse and drain the can of black beans, then add them to the skillet along with the frozen corn kernels, shredded chicken, and cumin. Stir to combine. Taste the filling and add salt if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the creamy chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it up like a cigar. Place the filled and rolled tortillas into a 9×13 inch casserole dish, seam side down.
- While the oven is preheating, make a batch of homemade red enchilada sauce (or use canned), then pour it over the enchiladas in the casserole dish (you may or may not use all the sauce, it’s up to you). Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the edges of the tortillas are slightly brown and crispy.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
I used about half of the meat from one grocery store rotisserie chicken for this recipe. I was able to pull about four loosely packed cups of meat from one chicken. I find the meat easier to pick when it’s chilled, so I just popped it into the refrigerator when I got home from the grocery store. If you want to roast your own chicken instead, you can find great instructions at thekitchn.com.
I divided the chicken in two, about two loosely packed cups each. I froze half for use in a second recipe later.
To begin the enchiladas, mince two cloves of garlic then sauté them in one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until the garlic is softened and slightly fragrant.
Next, add one can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. This is the generic version of Rotel. If you can’t find Rotel or a generic version at your local grocery store, you can sub one 15-oz. can of regular diced tomatoes and one 4-oz. can of diced green chiles (usually found in the ethnic food aisle). Add the can of tomatoes to the skillet and let it simmer for about five minutes, or until some of the liquid has evaporated and it’s a little thicker.
Next you’ll need 4 ounces (half a block) of cream cheese. Cut the cream cheese into pieces so that it melts into the sauce easier.
Stir the cream cheese into the tomatoes until it melts in. It will look a little chunky to begin with, but as it melts it will become smooth…
Like this!
Rinse and drain one 15-oz. can of black beans, then add them to the skillet with two cups of shredded chicken. one cup of frozen corn kernels.and 1/2 tsp of cumin.
Mix it all up and now you’ve got a creamy and delicious chicken enchilada filling. (taste the sauce and add salt if needed. I didn’t add any to mine, but that’s personal preference.)
Fill your tortillas with the chicken mixture, then roll them up like cigars. The amount of filling and number of enchiladas you get will depend on what size tortillas you buy. I prefer smaller tortillas for enchiladas, but these particular tortillas were buy one get one free this week, so I hopped on that. There is a lot of filling, so I was able to make eight large enchiladas.
Place the filled and rolled enchiladas into a large (9×13 inch) casserole dish, seam side down.
Start preheating the oven to 350 and whip up a batch of red enchilada sauce while you wait (or use canned, but this homemade sauce is FAR superior). That recipe makes about two cups of sauce and you may or may not use all of it on the enchiladas, just depending on how saucy you like them.
Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and pop them in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the edges of the tortillas are a little brown and crispy.
I poured the remainder of my sauce over top when they came out of the oven and I happened to have some cilantro in the fridge, so I threw that on there for the photo’s sake. As I mentioned, these were fairly large so I ate one per sitting along with a big helping of some cilantro lime rice.
I never get sick of enchiladas!
Thinking of making this for my momma, who does not do spicy at all. Will the green chiles add heat? Thanks!
I depends. Some canned chiles are completely mild, while others do have some heat. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, they’ll label them “mild”.
Great work! Love your blog. So glad someone is doing this!
Do you think this would work with green enchilada sauce instead of red?
Probably, yes. :)
This looks very good and balanced one, is using olive oil instead of vegetable gonna change the taste a lot? I am just looking for a healthier tweak but as a whole this looks great!
Nope, that should be an unnoticeable swap. I only used vegetable because it’s cheaper. :)
Does no one else have a problem with their tortillas turning into glue from the oven? I’ve tried enchiladas with every tortilla imaginable, they always fall apart from cooking in the oven. I just refuse to make them anymore.
Warm the tortillas up first
Holy moly these are good!! Just finished leftovers of these from last nights dinner. This is by far my FAVORITE enchilada recipe I have ever used! I did everything the same as you, except I made my own taco seasoning and used that in place of the cumin. Amazing! I think leftovers were even tastier then it was fresh last night. Thanks for this recipe!! 😃
Made these tonight and they were so delicious! My husband demanded that I add shredded cheese on top at the end, but we still had the crisp of the tortilla. I’m so glad I made the homemade sauce too. We have enjoyed many of your recipes for dinner, so thank you!
We’ve made this at least a dozen times since you first posted the recipe and we LOVE it! We follow the recipe exactly, and it is perfection every time. I think it has a lot to do with that sauce. I compared it to a canned sauce and like you said, the homemade stuff is definitely far superior. The best enchiladas I’ve ever had.
Hi Beth, love your blog. I just found it this past week when I searched for sriracha ideas. Anyhow, I made your “Fire roasted salsa” and “Honey Spice Chicken Thighs” last night which were great BTW. ( I used whole chicken breasts instead of thighs). Being the leftover re-engineer chef that I am, I shortened this by taking the leftover salsa and chicken and then added the cream cheese, corn, black beans and then whipped up your red enchilada sauce and this turned out perfectly simple. Thanks!
These are awesome!! I have made this recipe 5 or 6 times and it always turns out great! Super easy and very filling. I brought them to a pot luck and everyone loved them! I haven’t frozen them, but they are great as left overs.
To make things easy (I hate having left over ingredients), I just use the whole chicken, 20 oz total of the tomatoes and green chiles (I can only find 10 oz cans so I just use 2 cans) and a whole can of corn (a little more than what the recipe asks for). I double the cumin and garlic and add a little cayenne. With the extra ingredients, it usually ends up making about 14 enchiladas… I use one 9×13 casserole dish and one 8×8 casserole dish, although I did manage to pack them all into a 9×13 once :)
To update your SNAP information. Most larger stores now sell cold rotisserie chickens that can be purchased with SNAP. Enjoying your recipes.
My local grocery store is having some awesome Cinco de Mayo sales so I got a lot of BOGO ingredients with this recipe in mind. I left out the chicken to keep it vegetarian and to make it a bit more low-fat (but making it less budget-friendly) used low-fat Laughing Cow spreadable Swiss wedges instead of the cream cheese. Also used your homemade enchilada sauce (with my frozen tomato paste from last month which I never would have thought of prior to your website!) and everything has turned out fabulous. I also added gob of shredded cheddar, because, well, cheese. Next time, though, I’ll use one of the suggestions in the comments and add some onion to the mix. Great idea!
Another home run Beth. Thank you.
I made these and they were great! I had a question about it though. We made en extra pan of it to freeze and take out for a day no one felt like making anything for dinner. We added the sauce like you’re supposed to do right before you put them in the oven, but didn’t bake it before putting it into the freezer. Any suggestions or thoughts on how to heat it up since we didn’t bake it before?
I think I’d try lowering the heat a bit and maybe even cover it for half the baking time. It will take longer to bake since it’s frozen/cold, so generally you want to go a little slower and at a lower heat so the outer edges don’t over cook before the center is heated. Covering it will help prevent it from drying out as it reheats.
Okay. Thank you!
Beth, I am hosting a July 4th party for about 60 and this would be a great and easy entre’ for it (with beer and chips). How to ramp this recipe up for 130 enchiladas and sauce? I assume I would have to make it early and freeze them until the actual day. Would this work? Thanks.
Yikes, honestly I’ve never cooked for so many, or tried freezing this one before cooking. I don’t think I could give good recommendations without having tried it myself.
Just wanted to say, I made these for my husband and I last night and they were great! We’ve been wanting to mix up our daily dinners and this site has provided dinner ideas for us for the foreseeable. Thank you!!