White Chicken Enchilada Bake

I attempted a white chicken enchilada bake and it turned out pretty good! A few adjustments will be needed for next time, but I was pleased with it.

I started out with some crockpot chicken*, cooked with peppers & onions and taco seasoning. Stir together with 1 cup monterrey jack cheese, and half of a can of chopped green chiles (save the other half for the sauce).

In a saucepan, I melted a few tablespoons of better, and stirred in a few tablespoons. Then stir in 2 cans of chicken broth (I used 98% fat free chicken broth). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the rest of the green chiles, and a cup of sour cream. Don't bring to a boil, but heat until it thickens. It's best to whisk it, but I couldn't find a whisk...

 Place about half of the chicken in a pyrex dish.

Pour a little of the sauce over it.

Quarter some flour tortillas (I used a pizza cutter). Place a layer over the chicken.

Place the rest of the chicken on top. Add another layer of tortilla quarters. Pour the remaining sauce over it.

Top with another cup (or two) of monterrey jack cheese or quesadilla cheese blend (I used both).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Place under the broiler just long enough to brown it.
Here's where I messed up. We cut into it after only about 10 minutes, and it was still a bit soupy. We should have let it set for about 30 minutes, similar to a lasagna. The longer it sat, the thicker the sauce got.
I served it with some long grain rice, cooked with cheese, salsa & sour cream.

Crockpot Chicken - place boneless skinless chicken in a crockpot. Top with a package of taco or fajita seasoning. Add water (about 2 inches deep). Cook on low 8 - 10 hours. Turn up to high, add a bag of frozen peppers & onions, and cook another hour or two. Use a fork and shred the chicken.

The enchilada bake is based on Joyful Momma's Chicken Enchilada recipe (HERE).

In the Kitchen: Part 2

UPDATED 2/10: I updated the ranch chicken pasta based on my experience with it last night, including a shot of it (just before it was finished off - everyone seemed to like it!)

I got some encouraging feedback on the last recipe post, so I've decided I might start posting recipes a little more often. Particularly those that are easy and kid-approved! As I start doing this, I'll try to remember to take pictures of our actual dinners, so I'm not having to share other people's photos with you!

This week, I took the crockpot once again. I had two recipes involving cubed or shredded chicken, so I decided to handle the chicken for both at one time. (Next time, I might try to come up with more than two recipes needing shredded chicken because it was really nice to have the chicken ready to go for more than one meal!)

I started with 6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, and a little water. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours, or until the chicken will shred easily. Shred the chicken, add a bag of frozen 3 pepper & onion blend and some garlic (plus any other seasonings you like), and cook on high for about an hour.

I dumped half of the chicken into a collander to drain. I drained all but an inch or two of the liquid from the chicken remaining in the crockpot. Added a packed of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (I used store brand), stirred, and left on low for a while longer. Turned off, and placed the ranch chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for another night.

The mexican chicken is always a hit. I'm actually making the ranch chicken tonight, so the verdict is still out on it.

Recipe 1: Mexican Chicken
I wish I could remember where I got this recipe. It's really good, and really easy. Mix together two cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 can of chili (I had homemade chili left from Super Bowl Sunday, so I used it), 1 cup of salsa, and 1/2 cup of diced onion. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom with tortilla chips. Top with half of soup/chili mix, then half of the chicken, then 1 cup of grated monterrey jack cheese (or any other cheese you prefer). Repeat layers: chips, remaining soup mix, remaining chicken, and finish with another cup of cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. I served it with some mexican style rice. It's also nice to put out sour cream, salsa, and jalapenos as toppings.

Recipe 2: Cheesy Ranch Chicken Pasta

This is based on Cheesy Chicken Ranch Lasagna by Rachelle from "Mommy? I'm Hungry" http://mommyimhungry.blogspot.com
So Rachelle's recipe is for lasagna, but I'm changing it up. Why? Well, regular pasta doesn't require cutting, so it's easier for kiddos. And I always have half-used boxes of pasta sitting around that need to be finished off!



I am NOT good at remembering to take pictures.
This was just before the last of it was scooped up!

 Take the ranch chicken from the fridge. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine 2 cans evaporated milk and 1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (Rachelle says do not use the dip mix!). Oops, I was out of HVR dressing mix! Yes, it was already in the chicken, but I really wanted another packet in the sauce. And turns out, I needed that packet in the sauce. My sauce did not thicken like it should. I tried adding parmesan cheese and some other spices, but it just didn't work.
Bring milk & dressing mix almost to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer about 25 minutes, until thickened, stirring often.
Cook pasta till ALMOST done (it will cook more in the oven). Drain. I used penne pasta.
Combine pasta, chicken, and sauce, and stir in 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup mozarella cheese. Place in a greased rectangular baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup mozarella cheese. I ended up mixing then chicken & cheese together. Then I dumped the noodles in the pan, topped them with the chicken & cheese, poured the milk/sauce over that, and topped with the extra cheese. I like the layers.
Baked at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes. As you would with lasagna, let rest (10 - 15 min) before serving.
So since the sauce didn't thicken enough, my dish was a little soupy. We just poured off the excess milk/sauce, and it was still really good.

In the Kitchen: Part 1

I really enjoy cooking. Don't get confused: NOT baking. Cooking. Honestly, it sometimes serves as my therapy. I get to be creative while doing something useful. I enjoy making things for my family. Sometimes I get the added bonus of having a helper. The two little guys tend to slow the process, but most of the time that's okay, and it's good practice for reading, math, and following directions. (when they first came home, it was also a great way to work on language/vocabulary) The hubby tends to add an extra 'kick' to whatever it is we're cooking, which is always fine by me! I like attempting to recreate dishes we enjoyed at restaurants. I'm always looking for new recipes and ideas.

I don't know if I have ever shared recipes on our blog before, but I thought I might start sharing some of our favorites from time to time.

I recently jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. I've tried two recipes so far that I found on Pinterest, and both were great. This past Friday was white chicken enchiladas. Yum. As I've never been one to follow directions or recipes to the 'T', I plan to do some modifications and come up with my own take on this. Once I do, I'll try to share it here.

The other recipe was really good as well. It comes from The Larson Lingo blog (check it out here). I like easy. I like slow cooker. So this was one I just had to try. But of course, I made some modifications!

I placed a 3-pound bag of frozen chicken tenderloins in the slow cooker (thaw the chicken first to avoid any yuckies!!). Topped that with a can of black beans & a can of corn (both drained) and a can of ro-tel tomatoes (undrained, and mild because of those that don't like spicy stuff, aka whimps). On top of that I placed a package of low-fat cream cheese. Covered and cooked on low for about 6 hours.


Photo by Mel at The Larson Lingo

 

After 6 hours, I removed the lid and pulled the chicken apart, then mixed everything together. Then Zack an I decided to add a package of taco seasoning and a bag of frozen onions/3-pepper blend (I love buying these because they're already sliced up, and great to add towards the end of a recipe for color & flavor). I turned the slow cooker to high and cooked another couple of hours.

We served it with nachos, flour tortillas, and crunchy taco shells, as well as cheese, salsa, lettuce, and sour cream. Everyone loved it, and it made A LOT. There were eight of us eating it, and still lots of leftovers

My plan next time is to leave the taco seasoning out the first night and serve it over rice. Then add the taco seasoning and serve it wit the shells, chips, etc. the second night.


I've recently been reading some tips for using a crock pot/slow cooker. Here are a few that might be useful. First, don't remove the lid during cooking! Every time you take the lid off, you need to add about 20 minutes of cooking time. Don't add too much liquid. Slow cookers are designed so that there won't be the level of evaporation you have with other cooking methods, so you could end up with soggy food. Also, add things like tomatoes towards the end to retain texture and flavor (I don't always follow this one, like in this particular recipe).