Chicken, Black Bean, and Spinach Enchiladas
Tex-Mex is one of my most longed for foods. You would think living in New Mexico that I would have plenty of Mexican food options to choose from. But that’s just it. They are all too New Mexican for me. Nothing lives up to Pappasito’s – my favorite place to celebrate just about anything from birthday to graduations to ” just because” dates with my dad. Thinking about all of those family meals definitely brings back fond memories of growing up in Texas (even though I hated the humidity). I no longer live in Texas, so instead I’ve been left to perfecting the art of Tex-Mex in my own home.
I can’t say that I’ve made it too far on the perfection scale, but I think I’ve finally done it with these enchiladas. The filling is full of flavor and texture, plus a little spinach thrown in for good measure. And the two sauces balance each other out in taste and color. All it all, I thought it was a delicious meal and something that could easily grace the pages of a Pappasito’s menu.
For the chicken, I like to cook it in the crock pot with salt, pepper, a chopped onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, chili powder, and cumin. The chicken becomes so tender and moist that it is incredibly easy to shred. Alternatively, you can bake the chicken or used leftover rotisserie chicken, but I recommend seasoning it with the above listed spices and flavors.
See? There is absolutely no excuse why you wouldn’t have time to make these!
Chicken, Black Bean, and Spinach Enchiladas
a goodLife {eats} creation
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 ounces baby spinach, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup monterrey jack cheese, grated
- 12 corn tortillas
- Tomatillo Salsa, recipe follows
- Sour Cream Sauce, recipe follows
Spray a 9×13 inch pan with spray oil. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine the chicken, spinach, salt, pepper in a medium to large bowl. Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the beans and carefully stir in so as not to mash up the beans.
Steam the tortillas using a tortilla warmer. If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, see the bottom of this article at Food & Wine for alternative methods. Set tortillas aside and keep warm.
One by one, fill a tortilla with a small handful of filling, about 1/4 – 1/3 cup. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on top of the filling and roll tortilla up, placing the seam side down in the previously prepared pan. Repeat until all tortillas have been filled. Drizzle sour cream sauce on top, followed by the tomatillo salsa. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through. Makes 1 dozen enchiladas. Serve with a tomato and avocado salad.
Alternatively, the enchiladas can be assembled on individual oven proof plates for a prettier look (as pictured). Tent the plate with foil to cover the enchiladas; bake for 10-15 minutes and serve.
Tomatillo Salsa
This tomatillo salsa is simple to prepare and can be served alone with tortilla chips for dipping.
- 6 tomatillos, husks removed
- 1/2 – 1 jalapeno, remove seeds to adapt heat
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Place tomatillos in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover with hot water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos from water and place in a food processor with remaining ingredients, starting with only half the jalapeno. Process until smooth. Test for heat and add the remaining half of the jalapeno if desired. Set aside.
Sour Cream Sauce
To save on fat and calories, feel free to substitute low-fat sour cream. However, I would not recommend fat-free sour cream.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Stir in the sour cream, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Simmer until sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Hello! I'm Katie Goodman, author of goodLife {eats} where I share what I find good in the kitchen and in life. A mix of great recipes, family memories, and yummy photography is what you'll discover here. 
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Amy from She Wears Many Hats — January 13, 2010 @ 1:51 pm
These do look yummy Katie. Anything with black beans and cilantro together is an instant favorite. Cooking the chicken in a crock pot has got to be the best part though and I bet your house smelled divine! Will be trying this one soon – I even think my picky eater will like it.
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LobotoME — January 13, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
YUM. I'm adding this to next week's menu. thanks!
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chakhlere — January 13, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
They look so gorgeous and flavorful. Such a hearty meal!!!
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Maria — January 13, 2010 @ 3:19 pm
These look yummy! I will have to adapt and make a veggie version. One of my best friend's is from Texas and LOVES Pappisitos. I have never been, but in college she would always talk about it and wish UT had one:)
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tastyeatsathome — January 13, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
I do live in Texas, but I still love to have Tex-Mex at home. These look superb!
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Gaby — January 13, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
these could just be my favorite things in the world! I love enchiladas. I love chicken. I love beans. And I especially love spinach. Yup… its confirmed… these are my new favorite!
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The Double Dipped Life — January 13, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
Can I just say Yum! I am trying this asap!
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Marci @OvercomingBusy — January 13, 2010 @ 7:29 pm
Can't wait to try these!! My mouth is watering!!
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Krista — January 13, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
That sounds delicious! Printing recipe now
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Marla (Family Fresh Cooking) — January 14, 2010 @ 12:44 am
Katie, these enchiladas look beautiful. Wish I could have them for dinner tonight. I like the way the elements can be prepared separately. I found these really thin oat wraps at Whole Foods that would be so nice as the "tortilla." The sour cream sauce sounds so yummy!
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Amy — January 14, 2010 @ 2:13 am
These would make a fantastic lunch- I am always looking for stuff like this. I am addicted to those Amy's Organic Black Bean burritos so this is right up my alley! You always have the best recipes!
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Sheila — January 14, 2010 @ 3:32 am
Wow! I just stumbled upon your blog and these look absolutley delicious! I will certaintly test these out this weekend! Thank you for sharing
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Katie — January 14, 2010 @ 4:59 am
I just love your photography, Katie! These look great and healthy, will be trying these next week! Thanks for the inspiration.
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bed frames — January 14, 2010 @ 7:53 am
Starting the year healthy is a goal I want to achieve and so far I have been eating healthy foods! This dish looks great and so healthy!
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Jan (Mixing Bowl Kids) — January 14, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
These look so warm and comforting…and it's so nice to see something so healthy…great post.
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Alisa — January 14, 2010 @ 7:46 pm
How long do you cook the chicken breasts in the slow cooker?I love your recipes and photos…beautiful.Thank you.
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Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction — January 15, 2010 @ 2:59 am
This looks absolutely beautiful and so delicious. Enchiladas are one of my favorites. I will definitely be giving this a try!
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Katie @ Cozydelicious — January 15, 2010 @ 8:26 pm
These look wonderful! And your photos are so beautiful. This is perfect healthy food – because I can actually get my family to eat it!
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Theresa — January 17, 2010 @ 7:34 pm
I cooked these up this weekend for my hubby, kids and in-law… everyone (even the kiddos!) loved them! So flavorful and actually pretty simple when you look at all the flavor layers going on.The best part was because all the ingredients were all fresh and light, no one had that heavy, bloated mexican food after feeling! Yipee! lol
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delightfullysweet — January 17, 2010 @ 10:53 pm
Thinking this just might be tomorrows dinner!Thanks!
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Curious Lissa — January 18, 2010 @ 1:52 am
this looks so good i wish i could jump through my computer screen.
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FC88 — January 19, 2010 @ 6:02 pm
I just love the way you presented your food. The pictures you took are so beautiful. I have to try this recipe now!
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Diane {createdbydiane.blogspot.com} — January 20, 2010 @ 5:06 am
Looks delicious, I can't wait to see more of you wonderful cooking!
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Anonymous — January 27, 2010 @ 1:20 am
I had a friend over for dinner tonight and made these. They turned out FABULOUS! This recipe is definitely a keeper. They are so healthy and easy to make! ~Rachel
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Anonymous — March 21, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
Hey- its stephanie and jon…. we are making these sometime this week, and i thought about doing the chicken in the crock pot like you said. How long would that take to cook? Thanks!!!
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Carol Schantz, Maryland — July 13, 2010 @ 3:00 am
So good!!! I didn't have time to make the green sauce and ended up using hot salsa from a jar, that is outstanding on it, too!
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