Chicken & Corn Enchiladas
Let's talk about toppings for a second here. People often ask me how I have the time to make such "amazing" meals every day. You guys- I don't. I work full time, and have lots of other responsibilities, plus I like to workout, watch TV or relax at the end of a long day. I don't spend hours in the kitchen making spectacular dinners every night.
The trick is presentation.
I could make crockpot chili and put it in a bowl, and it would probably look like dog food and wouldn't get many likes on Instagram. Yes, it would be easy, but it wouldn't be appetizing or as tasty. Everyone is different but I eat with my eyes as well as my mouth. When something looks really good, I want to eat it.
Think about it this way... when you're on a diet, would you rather eat a boring ugly salad that you made at home, or eat a pretty one from True Food Kitchen with a flower on the top served in a beautiful bowl. They are both good for you and healthy... but you want to eat the one that looks like it came out of a cookbook, right?!
SO- What I'm trying to say is, most of the weeknight meals I make ARE easy- I just happen to make them pretty too. I usually take 1, maybe 2 (if I'm feeling particularly creative) nights a week to make a new, fancy meal that takes a little longer, or more ingredients. But I also love cooking, and I don't have kids, I don't own a house, or a dog... so I have a little more time on my hands. But if you can master a couple of easy weeknight meals, and the art of presentation... you can cook like me too! Adding 2-3 simple toppings or garnishes makes allllll your meals #EXTRA. Learning a few simple tricks to garnishing can also make that dish look like it came from a restaurant. For example, in the photo above, I chopped the green onions on a diagonal which makes them just look nicer. I also picked the cilantro leaves off the stem instead of chopping them up, which ends up looking kindof messy. Simple, but effective. And to make up for the extra time it took to do that, I used pre-made pico de gallo from Trader Joes.
OKAY YOU GUYS RANT OVER. Let's use our new garnishing skillz to make enchiladas! Not required, but I usually serve this with a quick little side salad, which takes me all of about 2 mins to throw together, and the rest of this meal is so easy, and barely makes ANY dishes.
Creamy Chicken + Corn Enchiladas
Prep Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts
2 T chili seasoning
1 1/2 cup corn (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 pkg lite cream cheese
1 little can green chilis (In the photos I used roasted peppers because the store was out of green chilis- easy swap)
10 corn tortillas (flour works too, but I'm gluten free)
1 jar salsa verde
1 1/2 cups lite shredded cheese blend
Garnishes (Optional)
1 cup 0% greek yogurt or Skyrr
Pico De Gallo (I buy pre-made, but you can use homemade, or just chopped tomatoes)
Avocado
Cilantro
3 green onions
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and pull the cream cheese out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
2. Coat the chicken breasts in chili seasoning, then wrap them in tin foil and put them on a cookie sheet or baking dish. I usually take 1 big ol' piece of tin foil, place all chicken breast on one side, then fold the tin foil over then chicken, and fold over the edges to seam it.
3. Bake for about 25-30 mins. Then remove and shred.
4. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the corn, green chilis, (cubed) cream cheese, and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Mix together until its well incorporated and the cream cheese is mixed in.
5. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I line mine with tin foil too, because ain't nobody got time for dishes).
6. Wrap the tortillas in a wet paper towel and microwave for about 25 seconds. This just makes them easier to fold without breaking. (if they do break, its not that big of a deal though)
7. Take each tortilla and fill with about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Roll it up then place it in the pan, flap side down. Keep going, and line them up in the pan till you've used all the mixture.
8. Pour the salsa verde over the top, then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese over the top.
9. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until it's bubbly and browned on top. If it still isn't browned, pop it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes before serving.
10. Serve it up and top with avocado, pico de gallo, greek yogurt, green onion and cilantro. Enjoy!
