Reading The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer put everyone in our mother-daughter book club in the mood for good Mexican food. Here’s a recipe for chicken enchiladas that you can serve when you’re considering a Mexican-themed dinner for your book club discussion.
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Prep and bake time: 1 hour
- 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 4 cups torn fresh spinach or 1/2 of one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
- 1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
- 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free milk
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained
- 6 7-inch flour tortillas
- 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (1-1/2 ounces)
- Chopped tomato or salsa (optional)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)
In a 3-quart saucepan place chicken in enough water to cover. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from saucepan. When cool enough to handle, use a fork to shred chicken into bite-size pieces. (You should have about 1-1/2 cups.) Set aside.
If using fresh spinach, place spinach in a steamer basket over boiling water. Reduce heat. Steam, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. (Or, cook in a small amount of boiling water, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes.) Drain well.
In a large bowl combine chicken, spinach, and green onions; set aside. In a bowl combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin, and salt. Stir in milk and chili peppers. Divide sauce in half. Set one portion aside.
For filling, combine one portion of the sauce and the chicken-spinach mixture. Divide the filling among the tortillas. Roll up tortillas. Place, seam side down, in an ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish.
Spoon reserved portion of sauce over tortillas. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. To serve, if desired, garnish with chopped tomato or salsa and additional green onion. Makes 6 enchiladas.
