Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was born out of sheer necessity.

When I was single, I had this pesky habit of not going to the store on a regular basis.  Because of this, I was often left making meals out of whatever I happened to have on hand.  In the case of one cold March day, I had just the right items to make enchiladas.  And make them, I did.

The portion size is perfect for 2 people and then leftovers for lunch the next day, or, if you have a husband named Bruce that happens to love these bundles of spicy joy, you may not get any leftovers at all!

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can/jar enchilada sauce
salt
ground black pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
2 cups Mexican Blend cheese, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided (optional)
6 6-inch corn tortillas
cooking spray

Directions:

Add the minced garlic to the enchilada sauce in the crock pot.  Salt & pepper the chicken and add to the crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender and would shred easily. Remove the chicken from the sauce, set aside and let both the chicken and the sauce cool. (If you're not able to do the crock pot option, you can do this on the stove, cooking the chicken in a large skillet in the enchilada sauce for 20-25 minutes).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Using two forks, shred the chicken and then transfer the shredded chicken to a large bowl. Add half the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of the cheese and the 1/2 cup of cilantro to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.

Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the center of the tortilla. Gently, but firmly, roll the tortilla around the filling and place into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Lightly spray the tortillas with cooking spray. This will help the tortillas turn golden in the oven and will also help keep them from cracking. Place baking dish in the oven, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until the tortillas begin to turn golden.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro. Lightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place into the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil after 20 minutes and bake, uncovered, for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Remove form the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

100% husband approved.

Enjoy!