Skinny Enchiladas

I've been seeing a recipe for "Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas" pop on Pinterest for months now, but I've ignored it because it seemed too good to be true.  Mexican food is my comfort food, and comfort food is rarely diet-friendly.  So I've been avoiding making Mexican (my favorite cuisine) because I haven't been able to bear the thought of turning my beloved recipes into something that tastes "healthy".  But on the hundredth viewing of this recipe, I finally gave in and decided to give it a try.  I went in feeling very doubtful.  I must have warned my husband ten times not to expect too much because it was made "healthy".  I started feeling hopeful, however, when I saw that the recipe was very similar to my own enchilada recipe.  So I combined my own recipe with Skinny Mom's recipe, and...oh.... my....gosh...  It was crazy good.  It was gooey and creamy, and spicy and hot.  It did not taste "healthy".  It tasted like the comfort food I've missed so much since I've started this diet.  I can say, without a doubt, this is by far my favorite "healthy" recipe I've made so far.  Did I mention it's under 300 calories a serving?!

SKINNY ENCHILADAS

Makes 8 Servings 

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs of chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 can of Original Rotel; undrained

1 can Diced Green Chiles (4 oz)

1 Onion, thinly sliced

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning (or your own seasonings)

16 oz Light Sour Cream

98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup Cilantro; chopped

1/2 cup Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

8 Low Carb Tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

2. In a large pan, over medium-high heat, saute the onions in olive oil until they begin to soften.  

3. Stir in the taco seasoning, Rotel, green chiles, and shredded chicken in with the onions. Reduce heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes to let flavors mingle. Add in a little water or chicken broth if necessary, to keep the mixture moist.

4. In a medium sized pot, add in sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Mix together, and turn the heat to medium.  Allow it to slowly heat up, stirring constantly until it has warmed throughout, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

5.  Evenly divide the chicken mixture into the 8 tortillas and roll and wrap them up tightly. Place the enchiladas (seam side down) in a large baking dish (I divided mine into 2 Corningware dishes). Pour the sour cream mixture over the tortillas, making sure all are evenly coated.  

6. Sprinkle the cheese over the enchiladas, cover, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1 Enchilada

Calories: 287

Carbs: 22

Fat: 11

Protein: 29

TIPS:

*That morning I threw my chicken breasts in the slow cooker with a cup of chicken broth and cooked it on low until that evening.  After 10 plus hours of cooking, the chicken was easy to shred and moist.

* Since it makes so much, I only cooked half the enchiladas the first night, and the second half the next night. I divided it into 2 separate baking dishes and cooked one, and put the other in the fridge, covered.

* You can lower the fat content even more by using fat-free sour cream. I personally cannot stand fat free sour cream (I think it tastes like yogurt), so I opted to use the light instead. 

* You could add in some spinach to Step #3, if you wanted to up the nutritional benefits. I meant to do it, and forgot.

*If you aren't a "cream of (whatever) soup" kind of cook, you can make your own without all the additives and preservatives! 

* I drizzled Valentina on top after I served it, for added heat and flavor. It was a great addition! 

***********Recipe adapted from Skinny Mom************