Chicken Enchilada's

I am pretty sure these enchilada's are not an authentic ethnic recipe.  LOL  Regardless, they are so good!  I don't stick hard and fast to any recipe but I'll give some direction and approximate amounts.  My family loves chicken enchilada's... only one out of ten of us doesn't care for it. (and she's 6 years old, so I just keep telling her when she's bigger she'll probably like it. )  Tonight I actually used turkey in my filling since I roasted a turkey Sunday.  We also used whole wheat tortilla's and 2 of the 3 cans of cream soup were Healthy Request 98% fat free.  I didn't notice much difference at all in taste or texture with these healthy changes! 

Chicken Enchilada's

Filling:

3-4 C. chicken, cooked and diced or shredded

1 C. cooked rice

1 onion, chopped

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 T. oil, butter or margarine

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Sauce:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C. sour cream

1 C. milk or water

1 small can of diced green chili's

1 package of flour tortilla's.  I like the medium sized ones because they fit nicely in my 9x13 pan.

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onion and celery in oil, butter or margarine.  Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl, including the veggies you just sauteed.   Mix up the sauce ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread 1/2 C. of the Sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Put some of the filling in a strip across the middle of a tortilla (maybe 1/2 C.) and roll.  Place in prepared baking pan.  Continue with filling and rolling until all filling is used up.  I usually get 7-8 enchilada's in one pan & end up with 2 or3 I put in a separate smaller pan.  Pour sauce over rolled tortilla's, spreading to edges.  Wiggle a knife or spoon between each tortilla to let a little sauce between them.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. 

Joy's Notes:  The filling is really flexible.  If I have less chicken, I use more rice.  I've been wanting to try adding a can of black beans to it, but haven't gotten around to trying that yet.  The kids like sliced olives in the filling, I can take it or leave it.  If you'd like your filling spicier, add a can of green chili's to that as well as the sauce.  Sometimes I need to add an extra can of cream soup, or more sour cream to have enough sauce to cover it well... depends on how much filling I end up with and how many tortilla's it fills.  :) 

This will be a great way to use up that Thanksgiving turkey!  You should have no complaints about serving leftovers with them dressed up as enchilada's.  :)   Enjoy!