Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans and Rice

This is a great recipe for leftover chicken and rice. It's adapted from an old spiral-bound cookbook (c. 1978), "It's a Long Way to Guacamole," written by two homesick Texans who were living in the Washington, DC area with their families. Recreating the Tex-Mex food of  their native state provided comfort, and eventually expanding friendsips as their informal dinners grew into a large gathering of people of varied backgrounds who shared an appreciation for this tasty cuisine.

Traditional Mexican cooking can be quite time-consuming. I have simplified the recipes quite a bit. Of course making fresh salsa or enchilada sauce or making the refried black beans from scratch would make the meal much better. If you do want a fresh sauce for the enchiladas, add a little chicken broth to my recipe for Salsa de Tomatillos (12-6-11), puree in the blender, and simmer in a pan with a little vegetable oil for about 15 minutes (add some green food coloring if the color of the cooked tomatillos is unappetizing to you -- that's what the restaurants do!). A lot of people make their own tortillas and they are really easy and delicious...just follow the directions on the bags of Masa Harina (in the same section of the store as the flour). But if you're feeling a little lazy (as I am today), but still want a nice home-cooked dinner the following is easy and delicious!

Green Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 jar green chile salsa (I like the SafewaySelect brand salsa verde)
2 cups chicken broth, warmed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 325.
Place shredded chicken, onion, chicken broth to cover, and a little of the liquid from the salsa in a bowl. Add cumin and white pepper to taste and toss with a fork to combine.  Allow to sit uncovered for about an hour, adding chicken broth as the chicken absorbs the liquid.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, dip each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds -- until it softens. Drain on paper towels. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, add a sprinkling of cheese, roll, and place flap side down in a greased casserole dish. When the enchiladas are arranged in a single layer in the casserole, spoon more sauce over them and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Black Beans

canned black beans
chopped onion
chopped garlic
chopped jalapeno
Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Because this is the lazy cook's Mexican dinner, I've just used canned black beans. The Goya brand is good, but so are others. Season them to taste with sauteed onion, garlic, chopped jalapeno, etc. while heating over medium heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors, then -- with the heat on low -- mash with a potato masher (adding a little vegetable oil if you like) until you have the consistency you want. Top with grated Monterrey Jack cheese and serve immediately or transfer to a casserole dish and warm in the oven until needed.

Easy Spanish Rice

1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup green pepper
3 cups canned tomatoes
salt

Sautee onion, garlic, and green pepper until onion is translucent. Add rice. Stir to mix. Add tomatoes with liquid. Stir. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.