Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

     Thanks to the encouragement of my dear friend Angela, I have decided to do some procrastinating and post about these delicious enchiladas instead of attempting to be productive in other areas of my life.  Food is always a priority in my life.  Trust me, the first planning I do for each day or week begins with the food I will be consuming.  Therefore, I decided the other things I planned on doing would just have to wait a few minutes.  People need to eat!

     I am so pleased I decided to try these beauties.  Enchilada recipes in my life tend to fall into two extreme categories: 1. Way too Plain or 2. Way too Crazy.   My Mom makes a delicious, yet rather simple, enchilada recipe which I go to when I am seeking traditional, and the other enchiladas I have made involve pumpkin cream or delicious Asian inspired flavors.  If you don't believe me, check out the Pumpkin Cream Enchiladas or the Thai Chicken Enchiladas.  This recipe, however, falls nicely in between those extremes.  Thank goodness my husband asked me to try something fairly traditional but with more flair (aka more sauce and more spice).  The recipe below meets that criteria to a T.

     The recipe below is from the Colorado Classique cookbook which is a favorite among many of my friends and family members.  I can honestly say I have never made or eaten a recipe from this cookbook that was not 100% satisfying.  So if you like this recipe, GET THE COOKBOOK.  You won't be sorry.

     Anyway, onto the good stuff.  The cheesy sauce pairs nicely with the spicy jalapenos...and grilling the chicken adds some nice flair.  Nothing beats the flavor of grill.  That sounds gross, but you know what I mean.  =)  Plus, the black beans add the perfect touch to bring each bite together in perfect palate harmony.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  They are certainly going to be a dish I go back to time and time again (although, my Mom's will always be popular in the recipe books as well).

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:

• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 t coriander, ground
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 t cumin, ground
• 2 T butter (or you can sub olive oil to make it healthier)
• 3 T flour
• 8 oz. sour cream (I use light, but if you love the real deal, go for it!)
• 2-1/2 C chicken broth (round up or down if that makes life easier)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced fine with seeds (I use seeds from 1 but not both, but I like mild)*
• 4 oz. can of diced green chiles
• 1 C cheese, shredded (Mexican, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack for more spice)

*For the jalapenos, I used fresh, but the cookbook I used calls for a 4oz. can of jalapenos.

Enchiladas:

• 4 chix breasts, halved (so they grill faster), grilled and cut into bite size pieces*
• 8 medium flour tortillas
• A 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 C cheese, use the same that you use in the sauce
• 1 C chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 C sliced green onions

*For the chicken, I make the breast thinner before my husband grills for easier cooking.  I marinated the chicken breast with a small amount of olive oil and some salt and pepper, but they don't need much because the enchiladas are very flavorful.


DIRECTIONS:

1.  Grill the chicken ahead of time if possible.  If you are feeling lazy, you can cook the chicken ahead of time with another method, but I highly recommend grilling.
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. In a large sauce pan, saute the onions and spices for the sauce in the butter (or olive oil if you prefer).  Cook until the onions are tender.
4. Meanwhile, stir together the flour, and sour cream.
5. When the onions are tender, add the flour/sour cream mixture to the saucepan and mix well.
6. Stir in the broth, jalapenos and canned chiles.  Stir the mixture until it thickens and the sour cream and flour smooths out.  This can take about 10 minutes.
7. Once smooth, remove the sauce mixture from heat and stir in the 1 C of cheese. 
8. Set aside.
9. Once all your other ingredients are prepped, set up a space to assemble the enchiladas.  I usually have one plate piled with tortillas, one plate where I wrap, and the greased Pyrex all in a row.
10. Mix 1/2 cup of the prepared sauce with your grilled chicken in a small bowl
11. In each enchilada add a spoon full of the chicken, a spoonful each of black beans, diced tomatoes, green onions and a pinch of cheese. 
12. Roll up the enchilada and place it seam side down in the 9x13x2 baking dish.  This helps to keep the tortillas rolled while you fill the others.
13. Once all your tortillas are filled, top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
14. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Begin checking around 25 minutes to make sure the cheese isn't burning, and if you run into problems with too much browning, cover the pan with foil for the remaining bake time.
15. Allow time for the enchiladas to cool slightly, then serve warm and garnish with more green onions and tomatoes if you have some left.  Otherwise, it is delicious as is!

P.S. The series premiere of "The Taste" is on tonight and you can bet I will be tuning into that new show!  Get people to enjoy your dish in one bite?  I imagine that could be tricky!

Bon Appetit!