HTEAC Does Dinner - Chicken Enchiladas & Spanish Rice

Hey guess what! Not only do I know my way around an oven, I'm pretty crafty with a stove too!

My boyfriend and I love to cook together. ...Well, I do most of the cooking and he likes eating it and washing the dishes. Did I hit the jackpot or what? Anyway, we cook a nice (meaning more than a box of mac & cheese) dinner at my house 2 or 3 times a week, so I thought why not post those recipes on my blog as well? I mean people gotta eat more than just cupcakes right? (Not because we want to, but because there's only a minimal amount of vital nutrients in a cupcake.)

Last night, Josh had the brilliant idea of making chicken enchiladas. I browsed Allrecipes.com for the highest rated recipes that included the most amount of ingredients I already had to make chicken enchiladas and spanich rice. I chose "Chicken Enchiladas I" and "Spanish Rice II" and made slight changes to both. You can click those for the original recipes, but I'm going to post my modified recipes here.

Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 8 (about 5 in my family, ahaha)

INGREDIENTS
3 (about 1-2 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper or cayenne pepper (optional)
3/4 cup (about a handful) fresh cilantro, chopped
1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
8 - 10 inch flour tortillas
1 - 12 ounce jar enchilada sauce

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove chicken from pan and shred or cut into small pieces.

Meanwhile, saute onion, green pepper and garlic in the same pan. Return chicken to the skillet with sauteed vegetables.

Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese, oregano, ground black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in cilantro and tomato sauce.


Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with sauce and cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Spanish Rice
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 - 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until tender. Add rice and continue sauteing until rice is browned.
Stir in chicken stock, tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

It's not very pretty, but it was delicious! :)