cream cheese chicken enchiladas

I forgot how much I loved to cook.

Seriously. After four months of only being able to microwave and maybe slide a pizza into the oven every now and again, I forgot what it was like to make a meal from start to finish.

I didn’t think it would ever happen, but when I got back home, I felt apathetic about returning to my turf in the kitchen.

I put it off a few days after I returned home, until Mother’s Day, when I knew I needed to prepare at the very least a dinner for my wonderful momma. But, as soon as I started making these enchiladas, I knew those four months of not picking up a single pot or preheating an oven even once were just a fluke.

I forgot what it was like to turn a combination of separate ingredients into a well-designed dinner. I missed molding food into what I wanted it to be… changing it to how I wanted it to taste.

Put simply, my passion for food was just amplified. If I could, I would spend all day in the kitchen experimenting. But, as it is, I must limit myself. That being said, it doesn’t mean I am not allowed to spend maybe a third of my time in the kitchen…

…or maybe half of my time…

Anyhow, I have been craving Mexican food for about three months. I could not find it anywhere in Madrid (nearby at least). Hence these enchiladas. The cream cheese adds a great creaminess to the filling and the corn a crunchy sweetness. Amp up the heat with a hotter enchilada sauce or choose mild to cool it down a bit.

Makes 8 enchiladas

Ingredients:

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
¼ cup light sour cream
15 ounces enchilada sauce, divided
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
12 ounces frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed
4 ounces canned diced green chiles
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
8 8-inch tortillas (I used whole wheat)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, sour cream, and 5 oz. enchilada sauce with a mixer. Mix in half of each type of cheese.

In a separate bowl, mix together chicken, corn, chiles, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and half of the scallions. Add to the cream cheese mixture and thoroughly combine.

Spread out 5 oz. enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

Spoon filling into each tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining scallions.

Source: Slightly adapted from Buns in My Oven

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