Chicken Enchiladas (Slow Cooker Mexican-style Chicken Meat and Seasoning Mix)

Today I'm sharing my favorite Mexican-Style chunk/shredded

chicken that can be used in a variety of ways.

The good news is ~ 
It can be made in your slow cooker.
You can make just what you need 
or make plenty as this freezes really well.  
Just portion into freezer safe containers or plastic bags 
in the amount you'll need for each meal.

Use it for filling for:

Enchiladas

Tacos

Tamales

Taquitos

Quesadillas 

or in 

Mexican-style Chicken Salads
Mexican-style casseroles
Mexican-style Soups (Caldo de Pollo)

Nachos

Chilaquiles
Mexican Sandwiches Tortas

Spanish-Portuguese-style Migas

Empanadas

Colombian and Venezuelan-style  Arepas
In omelettes and frittatas
Also really good served warm over rice with melted cheese.

To season the chicken you can use a commercial

packet of Taco seasoning ~ but I really recommend making

your own.

 It's very simple, just combine the dry ingredients (you probably already
have them in your spice collection.)
This tastes much better than the commercial version 
and you know just what goes into the seasoning you make. 
You can control the degree of spiciness you prefer, 
as well as the salt content. 
Plus you can avoid preservatives, chemicals and artificial colors.

 For the Taco seasoning mix recipe Click here.
I always quadruple the recipe and store in an airtight jar 
and keep it with my spices.


To cook the chicken using the slow cooker:

Click here for the Mexican-style Chicken (Slow Cooker) recipe

You can use the chicken pieces you like best. Some prefer
boneless chicken breasts, but I prefer using bone-in, skin-on for
the extra flavor those pieces provided. (After the chicken is cooked
the bones and skin are easily discarded, then I skim any excess
surface fat with a spoon ~ or you can chill the boned/skinned cooked
chicken and broth and lift the solidified fat from the broth.)

If you are using 1 pound of boneless chicken breasts, 
this can usually be ready in less than 3 hours. 
But this depends upon the amount of chicken you are cooking,
the size of your slow cooker and if using boneless chicken
or not.

When using other pieces, I do cook longer to compensate for the

thicker pieces and bones, beginning on high for a couple of hours, then
shifting to the low temperature setting.

I cook until the chicken is very tender, until it easily be pierced, 
and using forks or your fingers, can easily be removed from the bones 

(but I make sure not to overcook so it remains moist and

flavorful, not dry and stringy.)

You can see that if I'm going to freeze some of the meat, I don't really shred it, but leave it in chunks. 
The quality seems better when frozen in larger chunks 
(If I use it shredded, I do so just before adding to the recipe.)

Here it is again, already to eat or use in your favorite recipes, skinned, 
boned, broken into large chunks after cooking. 
I de-fat the delicious, flavorful broth and spoon some over 
the chicken that will be eaten that day.

I divide the remainder, spooning it over the cooked, chunked chicken 
in each container before freezing. 

Besides being ready to use in your favorite recipes, 
it is delicious served over rice, or rice and beans. 
You can use some of the broth to flavor the cooking liquid for your 
rice and beans, too. 
I divide the remainder, spooning it over the cooked, chunked chicken 
in each container before freezing. 

The recipe for the seasoning and directions for slow cooking the chicken
can be found here. 
(Again, I always increase the amounts so I can have plenty of left-over chicken and broth to freeze.)


I don't freeze many things besides homemade soups/broth, marinara,
and pizza/bread dough, but I do freeze this. It is so handy to have on hand,
and tastes delicious even after freezing.







And here it is transformed into simple Chicken Enchiladas ~
for this version, I just warm some to the cooked chicken in a pan with
some broth, dip the corn tortillas in hot oil (until they are flexible) and
drain them on paper towels.  While still warm I fill the tortillas with
the chicken meat and roll them*. 

Secure with a toothpick if necessary and
place in baking dish (or place them in baking dish, 
seam side down so they do not unroll.) Spoon some enchilada
sauce** over and sprinkle lightly with shredded cheese.
Cover very loosely with foil and warm in a preheated 350ºF oven 
until hot throughout and cheese garnish has melted. This
only takes about 5 to 10 minutes if you've filled the tortillas
with warm chicken.

*May add shredded cheese with the chicken filling, but I didn't this time.

**For the Enchilada Sauce you may~

Used a canned commercial enchilada sauce; your favorite brand.

or

Here is a Red Sauce recipe I've shared in the past.

or

My favorite way for sauce

when making this version of enchiladas:

Use some of the broth from cooking the chicken--
chop a fresh onion, saute in a pan with hot oil until tender,
but not browned. Place the cooked onion in the container of
a food processor or blender, 
add some of the broth from the cooked chicken along with 
some jarred salsa (choose your favorite brand.)
Whiz until smooth, adding chicken broth to make it desired
consistency ~ taste and adjust seasonings.

Tip:

To serve~

You might want to offer the following at the table, for
those who want to make them "supreme":

 grated or crumbled cheese --your favorite kind
sliced or diced avocado --or guacamole
diced/chopped tomatoes
fresh cilantro
sliced green onions
pitted black olives, sliced or halved
sour cream,
salsa or hot sauce 

I hope you enjoy!

Italian Chicken Chimichangas ... baked, not fried!

I love this time of year ~ everything in the garden is bursting with fresh new growth, and the tender, fresh basil is abundant ~ practically calling out to be included in many dishes as possible.
This one is a take-off on Mexican Chimichangas, which are usually deep fried. You won't miss the extra fat in this version because the assembled burrito is simply brushed with vegetable oil then baked until the tortilla is flaky and crispy, the filling  heated through ~ and the cheese is oozing . . . Yum!
You can cook chicken specifically for this recipe, or use leftover chicken if you prefer. (Shredded rotisserie chicken works particularly well here.)

Italian-style Chimichangas

So easy to assemble and bake ~
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 425º(F)
Place burrito filling on a flour tortilla (plain white, whole wheat or spinach wrap) :

 Layer in this order:

- Mozzarella cheese directly on the tortilla, then
- a dollop of Ricotta cheese, which has been thinned  slightly with a little milk or cream, then mixed with minced  fresh basil, minced parsley, dried or fresh oregano) salt, pepper (minced garlic-optional)
-A spoonful of marinara if desired (I didn't this time)
- Shredded chicken
Then fold up burrito style, brush outside of each burrito generously  with vegetable oil, with seam side of burrito down,  place on parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, space  one or two inches apart so they brown evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until as crispy and browned as you like.
Serve with your favorite warmed marinara (and pesto sauce if you like) for dipping.

Note: You can assemble these early in the day, (don't brush with oil yet), refrigerate, covered until baking time.   Remove from fridge about 10-15 minutes, then brush with the oil and bake as directed. You may need to reduce oven temp to 400º(F)  and increase baking time by a few minute to  compensate for the cold filling.
Something a little different ~ simple and very tasty!
If you give this one a try, I hope you like it too.


Thank you for coming by for a visit today ~ I love to hear what's on your mind and invite you to leave a comment.
Have a happy week everyone!
~mari

Chile Colorado

One of my favored ways of using my homemade Red Chile Sauce is in Chile Colorado.  Chile Colorado is made with chunks of beef, red chili sauce and just a few other simple ingredients.  Unadulterated, pure form of the dish we know in the United States as Chili.
You can use stew meat cubes from the market, or cut  your own from Chuck Steak or any of the less expensive cuts of beef; those which benefit from a long, slow cooking time.
The method is much the same for making beef stew. (I usually make mine in a pressure cooker, but you can make it in a traditional pot on the stovetop as well.)
Here's the method:
Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy pot until quite hot, season the meat cubes with salt and pepper and brown in batches (don't crowd or the meat won't brown properly.) Turn occasionally so the cubes of meat are evenly browned on all sides.  Remove the browned meat to a large plate or platter and repeat until all the meat is browned.
Add a large white or yellow onion (diced) to the pan, and cook until translucent, you may add a minced clove of garlic (or two) at the end of cooking time. Place the meat back in the pot, add some of the red chili sauce (a cup or three, depending upon how much meat you have), and add enough water or beef broth to just cover the meat.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer and place lid on pan (slightly askew so steam can escape), and slowly simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is almost fall-apart tender. Add more liquid if during the cooking time if it is evaporating too quickly.
At the finish you want enough chili 'gravy' to generously coat the meat, with some extra to serve with rice and tortillas, if desired.


I truly like this better than chile con carne!

I usually serve this with sliced avocados, a few slices of lime, rice and beans; and any other condiments you like.
I always offer pinto beans from the pressure cooker, cookedwith just a chopped onion, a little garlic, salt and pepper and water, cook until tender.


Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Mexican Red Chili Sauce

If you make enchiladas, tamales, or any  Mexican or Tex-Mex style dish that requires red chili sauce, I urge you to bypass the canned stuff and make your own sauce from scratch.
It goes together very quickly, with just a couple of ingredients  and is far tastier than canned, plus you can adjust the level of heat according the the chilies you use.
(Most well stocked grocery stores carry dried peppers in the Mexican food/ingredient  section.)
The method is much easier than you might imagine:
- Simply rinse the peppers, remove the seeds and stems (discard.)    - Lightly toast the peppers in a dry skillet to bring out their flavor.
- Remove from skillet and place in a small sauce pot with water, bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Puree the softened pepper in a blender with some of the soaking water (or plain water if the soaking water seems bitter)
- Add 1 large clove of garlic, 2 whole cloves, 2 pepper corns, 1 or 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, and salt.  Continue to blend until sauce is smooth.
- Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Taste for seasonings.
Use immediately in your favorite recipe or cool and store in a glass container then refrigerate or freeze.





Elise, over at Simply Recipes has a wonderful step-by-step pictorial, with the type of chilies to select as well as the recipe.
Next up,  I'll show you one of my favorite ways of using this Red Chili Sauce.

Thank you for stopping by, and for any comments you would care to share!  Have a wonderful week.

xo ~mari  :o)

Smoky Black Bean Soup

No matter how many pictures I click, it's fairly difficult to make black bean soup look attractive. :p
My suggestion is to serve it in your favorite bowls or mugs and garnish it with whatever seems appropriate. Once your family or guests taste it they'll forget all about how it looked before they began eating it. ;) I garnished with grated cheddar, scallions and cilantro. Sour cream and/or diced avocado (or ripe tomatoes) would be very good, too. This time instead of my usual black bean soup I chose this one, and tweaked it just a little bit.
It was delicious! I actually like this soup better the next day, but it tasted very good right after preparing it.
You can cook your own black beans, or do as the recipe suggests and just get your can opener out, and the soup can be on the table in about 40 minutes.


~*~*~*~*~

These are the changes I made to the recipe:
> Reduced the bacon to 6 strips (my bacon was extra thick cut)
> Used only 3 cans of black beans (because that's what I had on hand)
> Omitted Chili Powder and added a scant tablespoon of homemade taco seasoning  (I usually always have this in the pantry, it's so inexpensive to make, and it tastes better, too.)
> Skipped the ketchup and added a tablespoon of agave nectar and a tablespoon of tomato paste instead.
> Tossed a bay leaf in while ingredients were simmering.
> When the soup was finished simmering I stirred in about 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar. (Adds a nice bright note to the beans)
If you add cooked rice to the soup (with a little extra chicken broth), voila! You have a complete protein. The original recipe over on Food Network has received over 300 Five-star reviews (so you may just want to go with that one.)
However, my tweaked version was declared a winner here,  so I'll definitely keep it in my rotation.
If you give it a try I don't think you'll be disappointed, and it tastes so good on a cold winter day (or evening!)
Thank you for stopping in today friends.
Blessings to you and your loved ones.
~mari  . . . xo

Tequila-Lime Grilled Chicken

We're savoring the last bit of the warm weather of the year,  so the outdoor grill is getting quite a workout.  Actually we grill year round (when it's not raining),  but honestly, for me,  it's a lot more enjoyable when  the weather is warm. :)
I made this a few nights ago ~ I think this is the second or third time I've made this chicken recipe  (from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa). Ina suggests using boneless, skin on chicken ~ I had boneless-skinless so that's what I used, and just cut the grilling time so they would still be moist. 
The marinade is also wonderful for grilled shrimp, too which I've done before. But I  happened to have a few uncooked shrimp from the previous  evenings meal so I marinated those, threaded them on skewers  and placed them on the grill a few minutes before the  chicken was done. (Cluck and Surf, anyone?)


Usually if I'm using black beans in a salad for example,  I'll just use canned, but The Pioneer woman recently shared this recipe for Refried Black Beans, cooked from scratch,  as well as the one for the Mexican-Style Rice Casserole  and they are actually quite good. However,  I didn't "refry" the beans, just served them  out of the pot.  
I tweaked the rice recipe by cutting some fresh corn off the cob  and stirred it in, just because I love corn in Mexican-style rice...  it's a textural thing!  (A little bit of turmeric gives the rice a nice  golden yellow color.) The recipe makes 12 servings, so it would be good for a large family or gathering. I reduced the recipe by a third, and there was enough to accompany another meal for the two of us.
Of course you can just scoop the rice onto the plate; this time I lined a couple of oval ramekins with plastic wrap (with a little extra wrap hanging over the rim all the way around, filled the ramekins with the warm rice, pressing down gently, flipped the filled ramekins over onto the plates the removed the plastic wrap ~ it makes a neat presentation and takes only moments if you have just a few plates to serve. 



If you click the links above, they will take you to the recipes  on Food Network.
Thank you for stopping by for a visit today!
~m.

Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob (Elote)

Corn season is in full swing where I live. Although we didn't grow corn  in our garden this year we're fortunate to live right nearby  a number of farms which grow it every year.   Nothing like sweet, juicy just-picked corn on the cob! I understand this method of preparation originated in Oaxaca, Mexico,  where it is offered by street vendors.  It's absolutely delicious ~  and of the ways I've served the abundance of corn this  summer, I'm sure I've prepared it this way more than any other.    It's THAT good.

Preparation is straightforward enough ~ shuck and clean silk  from corn, grill on a medium hot charcoal or gas grill,  turning occasionally until corn is hot and has developed  char marks here and there.





Remove corn from grill and roll or brush with softened  (or melted) butter. Sprinkle cobs with salt.  Spread an even layer of good mayonnaise like Best Foods/Hellmann's  (not salad dressing) on the cob ~ sprinkle with crumbled or  grated fresh cheese such as Cotija or Queso Fresco,  (if you cannot find either of those, I have also used crumbled  Feta cheese in a pinch,  it works ~ however,  I prefer the Mexican-type cheeses.)
I usually place some or all of the following optional condiments  on the table so each one can add what they like, if desired:

lime wedges  ground Cayenne pepper or ground Chipotle Chile Pepper a couple of tablespoons chopped cilantro Cholula® brand hot sauce
Best served piping hot (although we've been known to  eat them at room temperature as well.) 
Make plenty ~ everybody seems to love corn prepared this way.


If you would like a printable copy of the recipe click HERE.
 

Spiced Beef Turnovers with Avocado Creme Dip

I found this recipe on the Haas Avocado Board ~  they sounded so good,  and since I had all the ingredients on hand ~ I couldn't wait to try them. When I served them up, they received thumbs up all around the table.  
Yay!

You've probably surmised from the photos that the little turnovers  are made with wonton wrappers. They are filled with cooked,  slightly spicy ground beef (I added a little grated cheddar to the  beef mixture after it was browned and cooled.) 
After filling and sealing the wonton wrappers, they are fried in  about an inch of vegetable oil for just a couple of minutes,  flipping once.

                   
I'm not a fan of burning hot and spicy, and these were not. Next time though, I would either add a little more spicy seasoning  to the filling, or spice up the avocado dipping sauce a bit.
Honestly, I thought the combination was just a wee  bit bland . . .the avocado is blended with only sour cream,  a pinch of salt and lime juice. Either the filling or the dip needs more heat, imo.

But then again they disappeared within moments,  accompanied by lots of compliments and no complaints.
I'm thinking of experimenting with this method using ground chicken,  turkey or pork. Perhaps shrimp?  (I'm not so sure the other fillings  would have to be cooked first (thinking here about traditional  meat filled wontons) ...  If I do try them with another filling, I'll post about it with my results.  
Such a fun little appetizer!



If you would like a printable copy of the recipe you'll find it by clicking HERE.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today ~ 
I love to read your comments and/or suggestions!  xo~m