Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

I’ve been keen on making one-pot meals these days. I had a hankering for enchiladas, but I sure mess up a lot of dishes in that process. I’ve done the enchilada casserole before, which does use a few less dishes, but that is still too many when you just want to throw everything into ONE dish and cook it. Yes, a slow cooker works like that, but it was 6 pm and no time for that. A few interwebz searches yielded the brainchild for the following recipe. I’ve decided to call it Chicken Enchilada Skillet, because that is exactly what it is. And you could make it with ground burger, steak, or pork too! A cheesy, filling dish that tastes like enchiladas, but made in only a skillet! Win-win.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (white or dark)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 10-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles (off-brands are now available)
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce (freeze the rest if larger)
1 cup frozen corn
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2.25 ounce can sliced black olives
Cilantro, diced green onions, for garnish
Sour cream and warmed tortillas, for serving

Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces, then season with the pepper, cumin, and chile powder.

Seasoned Chicken and Onions

Add the oil to a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken and onion until browned, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Browning the Chicken and Onions

Add the rice to the skillet and cook about 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sauteing the Rice with Chicken

Next add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes with green chiles, enchilada sauce, and corn. Heat up to a low boil, then turn down to a simmer.

Simmering the Enchilada Mixture

Cover the skillet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and absorbed most of the liquid.

Enchilada Skillet Ready for Garnishes

Remove from the heat, then add the black beans. Top with the grated cheese and black olives. Put under a broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Garnish with the green onions and cilantro, and serve with sour cream and tortillas.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

You can add the mixture to a tortilla and roll into a burrito, or just use it to dip into the enchilada skillet surprise!

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

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Quick and Easy Stacked Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Quick and Easy Stacked Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Talk about a super-easy mid-week meal to make when life is busy and you’re craving Tex-Mex! I was hankering some spicy, per usual, and amazingly I had every single ingredient on hand for this meal. I guess that’s not entirely amazing, since I always keep a good stock of Tex-Mex spices and herbs on hand. I was really wanting to use my new Ninja food processor I got for Mother’s Day from my fabulous family to mix up some awesome homemade Ancho chile paste for this, as I also had dried Ancho chiles sitting around. However, time got the best of me so I used store-bought ground Ancho chile powder instead. (Actually, the label on the package says Pasilla chile powder, but Ancho chile powder is dried Pasillas peppers.) Either way, these easy casserole-style enchiladas were a hit, and we barely had enough leftover for two the next day. Double or triple accordingly!

Ground Beef Ready to Mix with Sauce and Spices

Quick and Easy Stacked Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Ground black pepper, to taste
8-ounce can sliced black olives, divided
1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
1 8-0unce can no-salt tomato sauce
3 medium-size flour tortillas, torn into chunks
1 1/2 cups shredded blend of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup water
Cilantro, chopped green onion, sliced black olives, and sour cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium skillet (ooh look, my new red ceramic-lined skillet!), cook the ground beef, onion, garlic, and pepper until the burger is browned. Drain any grease. Add about 3/4 of the sliced black olives and mix well. Now add the Ancho chile powder (you can sub with New Mexico Red, or regular chile powder in a pinch), the green chiles, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and simmer for a few minutes. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with oil, then line the bottom with half the torn tortilla chunks and very lightly spray the tops of the tortillas. Spread half the meat mixture over top, then half the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas and a light spray of oil on them, meat, and cheese. Drizzle the half cup of water around the edges of the casserole. Cover tightly, and cook for a half hour. Uncover and broil for a few minutes. Take out and let rest for five minutes. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, sliced black olives, and sour cream (any or all optional). I had this meal prepped, cooked, and on the table in one hour flat. Can’t go wrong with that! And plates were licked clean.

Enchilada Sauce Ready for Casserole

Easy Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I’m spending a quiet day at home, although I have many friends celebrating today with fiestas full of food and drink. I made this rice dish last week when we had chicken tacos one night so thought it would be appropriate to share on this Mexican Holiday that is celebrated throughout the United States. This is very simple to make, and is a great dish to bring to potlucks.

Mexican Rice

1 cup long grain rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 can Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chiles), with liquid
1 1/2 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
Shredded cheese for garnish

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the rice in the vegetable oil, stirring often, until the rice has toasted to light brown. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for a few more minutes.  Add the canned tomatoes with liquid and the chicken broth and stir. Bring to a low boil, then cover, turn down and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Take off heat and let rest for five more minutes. Uncover and mix well. Garnish with shredded cheese.  Olé!

Snow Day and a Big Pot O’ Chili

Big Pot O' Camper Chili

My daughter got the snow day she was wishing for, and she spent a good part of the day attempting to sled down our steep driveway with her friends. The snow was pretty wet and eventually turned to rain, and I think they spent a majority of the time trying to build a snow ramp which self-destructed each time they went over it. I remember those snow-filled days when I lived in Ohio for a few years starting at her age (shhh…don’t tell anyone) and could spend hours and hours out in the snow and never feel cold.  I lived there during the great blizzard of 1978-79, and we missed three weeks of school. It was pure winter vacation delight! (We did suffer for that on the other end, as our summer break was shortened by the same amount.)

But let’s get back to food. The first thing that popped in my mind to make today was chili! A nice big pot o’ steaming hot chili, not only in temperature but a good dose of chili powder and green chiles to warm you up from the inside out. I had a fairly busy day at work due to my non-productivity yesterday, so I decided to resort to what I will call Camper Chili. This is what I make when we go camping because we have limited room in our tiny RV fridge and only a few pots and pans in the tinier storage space. If you make it the first night, you’ve freed up half your storage space! Pretty much everything comes out of a can or jar (save for the onion) so it’s imperative you rinse all the beans, and buy low-sodium canned tomatoes or use fresh if they are available, otherwise you’ll end up with about five times the suggested daily sodium intake.

I did have a couple of Roma tomatoes as one of the “fresh” counterparts, and since I wasn’t going to drive anywhere in that mess today we ended up with close to the true Camper version.  I scrummaged through the cupboards and came up with a variety of beans to throw in the pot. That’s also the beauty of this — you can mix and match any kind of beans you happen to have on hand. This one ended up with a can each of black, small red, Canellini, and garbanzo beans. Garbanzo beans are a wonderful addition to chili, as they add a corn-like flavor to the dish.

Now any true Texan reading this is probably gasping at the thought of adding beans to a pot of chili. And yes, it’s true that Texans don’t even think it deserves to be called chili if there’s beans in it. However, after living in the Pacific Northwest for so many years, I’ve adapted to some of the local customs, including putting beans in the pot and calling it chili. I will, however, refrain from putting this in the Texas Food category.

Camper Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons chili powder (I also added 1/2 teaspoon of ground red chile peppers, I like it hot!)
Black pepper, to taste
4-5 cans of beans, any kind, drained and rinsed
1-2 cans diced low-sodium diced tomatoes, or 2-3 fresh chopped tomatoes
1 small can diced green chiles
Shredded cheese, diced onion and sour cream for garnish (optional)

In a dutch oven or large pot, sauté the ground beef with the onion over medium heat. When almost done, add the minced garlic and stir for a few more minutes until done. Drain any grease, then return the pot to the stove. Stir in the seasonings, then add the beans, tomatoes and chiles. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least an hour to let the flavors meld, the longer the better. If it starts looking too dry you can add a little water or chicken broth. When done, heft some big spoonfuls into bowls, and serve with cheese, more onion and sour cream. I also like to scoop this up with tortilla chips. This is delicious the next day, and freezes well too.

Update: I think things in my head sometimes that I realize readers might not get. When I list 1-2, or 3-4 in the recipe that does not mean one half or three quarters, that means one to two or three to four. I hope I haven’t misguided you these past days! I use 1/2 or 3/4, etc. for true fractions.