Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

Even though I've done chicken enchiladas before (green chile - to boot), I found this recipe on skinnytaste.com and wanted to give it a shot. She only calls for 8oz of chicken and a can of navy beans to fill out the enchiladas. And her sauce is different than mine. And hers is a lot healthier than mine.

Good thing they were fantastic.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

(from here)

Chicken and White Bean Filling:

1 tsp olive oil
8-10 oz (uncooked) chicken breast (or 8 oz cooked, shredded chicken)

salt and pepper
1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans)

1/3 cup water

1 chicken bullion cube

1 tsp cumin
4.5 oz chopped green chiles (or 1 large fresh green chile)

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:

1 tsp butter

1/2 onion, diced
pinch of salt

2 tbsp flour

1 cup fat free chicken broth

4.5 oz can chopped green chile (or 1 large fresh green chile)

1/2 cup light sour cream

3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese

8 medium low carb tortillas

chopped fresh cilantro or scallions (to garnish)

==

If you don't have any cooked chicken on hand, just toss some breast meat into a hot pan with a thin layer of oil.

Salt and pepper.

Flip and cook til just done.

Even slightly under-done would be fine since we're going to be cooking it a lot more in a second.

Remove from the pan and let cool until you can shred it.

Add the onion to the same pan and add a pinch of salt.

Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onions soften.

Add the garlic, beans, cumin, bullion cube and water.

Throw in the green chiles.

I didn't roast them first because I was in a rush. Turned out fine.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.

==

Meanwhile, start the sauce and preheat the oven to 375F.

Add the butter and onions to a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the flour and stir to combine.

Cook for a minute.

Slowly add the chicken broth and stir constantly.

Keep stirring and the sauce will thicken as it comes up to a simmer.

Let it go for 5 minutes or until it's thickened considerably.

Add the green chiles in.

Stir to combine and let cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

==

Meanwhile, add the shredded chicken to the beans.

Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

When your sauce is done, remove from the heat and add in the 1/2 cup of sour cream.

Stir to combine and set aside.

==

Grab a 9x13 pan and spread 1/4 cup of the sauce to the bottom to prevent sticking.

Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of filling and roll up.

Add to the baking dish.

Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

I had exactly enough filling.

Cover with the sauce.

I liked the ends not completely covered. It gave a nice texture to the finished enchiladas.

Cover with the 3/4 cup of cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and let cool for a few minutes.

Serve with some cilantro and maybe some hot sauce.

I thought these enchiladas were really outstanding. The meat had great flavor and the sauce was creamy and satisfying. The beans not only added some nice flavor, but the texture was a great addition.

I can't believe that these are healthier than my normal method. I guess it just goes to show that you don't always need the extra butter (sorry, Paula D).

Enjoy!