Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

These Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos have been floating around the blogopshere for awhile now. I finally got around to making them this past weekend and like everyone always says, I can't believe I waited this long.


Not only were they easy to make, the flavor is outstanding. SP was a little disappointed that I wasn't deep-frying them but we both thought the tortillas had great crunch just from baking. The only change I made to the original recipe was to use flour tortillas instead of corn because SP isn't a big corn tortilla fan.

I HIGHLY recommend doubling the recipe and freezing half. It takes almost no effort to double all the ingredients and now I have a nice bag full of taquitos to bake up one night when I don't feel like doing anything too involved for dinner. I also recommend making these on a weekend day if you are planning to roast your own chicken for the filling. I bought bone-in, skin-on breasts, seasoned them simply with salt and pepper and roasted them for an hour. The meat was so tender and juicy (recipe below).


I served them with yellow rice and a mix of sour cream and leftover salsa verde to dip. SP did straight sour cream. I think taco sauce or a thinned out guacamole would also be good, but use whatever you like.

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
Pink Parsley

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup salsa verde
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken*
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

*To roast chicken - Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a piece of aluminum foil across a baking sheet, and arrange bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts in a single layer in the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, or season as you wish. Bake for 1 hour, or until it is cooked through. Allow to cool and then remove meat from the bones, discarding skin.

**To freeze, prepare the taquitos, but before baking, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the taquitos are completely cold. Wrap each taquito in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and freeze. To bake, unwrap the taquitos and cook in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes (no need to thaw first).

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Secret Recipe Club: Angie's Chipotle Shredded Chicken Tacos

This is my first time participating in the Secret Recipe Club, a large-scale version of the recipe swaps I do on my cooking board, only instead of being assigned a single recipe you are assigned a blog and asked to pick a recipe, make it and then blog about it on a specific day.

I was assigned Farmgirl Gourmet, written by Heather, a mom of two who loves cooking and lives on 20 acres with 8 goats and 15 chickens. Her blog is full of gorgeous food and recipes, most of which she either grows herself or sources locally. Check it out for more delicious recipes.

I chose her recipe for Angie's Chipotle Shredded Chicken Tacos, partly because I wanted to try an experiment with my crock pot and partly because it looked delicious. We love tacos but I rarely make them so this was a great excuse.


Even though I don't usually cook with chicken thighs I decided to stick to the original recipe. I'm glad I did - the thighs were deliciously tender from the slow cooking. I served the tacos with a lot of toppings:


We really enjoyed this recipe and I had a lot of fun browsing through Farmgirl Gourmet for inspiration. I'm writing this post about 3 weeks after I made the chicken tacos and there are a bunch of new recipes on the blog that sound good. Enjoy!

Angie's Chipotle Shredded Chicken Tacos
Farmgirl Gourmet

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup salsa
2 tablespoons canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Warm tortillas
Toppings: Shredded cheddar cheese, lime quarters, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, salsa

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chipotle chilies, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt to taste. Add a 1/4 cup of water if the mixture looks too dry. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours.

Transfer chicken to a serving bowl, shred with 2 forks. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Spoon onto warm tortillas and add toppings.

Kitchen Tip: If your slow cooker is on the larger size (6-quarts or larger) you may have issues with recipes burning. Most slow cooker recipes seem to be for 4-quart cookers. To make the space smaller, put a Pyrex or Corningware dish into the slow cooker and put the ingredients inside the dish.

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Spicy Citrus Shrimp Tacos

I love shrimp and I love tacos, but I rarely make them. That needs to change. Shrimp on a regular basis used to be out of my price range, but lately the price for frozen shrimp at the wholesale club seems to be dropping. I've seen this recipe for Spicy Citrus Shrimp Tacos floating around my cooking board recently, so I thought I'd give it a try.


We thought these were good (and probably would have been better with a squirt or two of lime once the tacos were assembled, which we forgot in our haste to eat), but we both prefer the Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno-Ranch Sauce I've made a few times before. Citrus will cook the shrimp if left to sit too long, but that means I didn't taste any of the flavors after only 30 minutes. I'm planning to try the marinade with chicken since that can sit longer and really soak up the flavors of the orange, lemon and lime.

Spicy Citrus Shrimp Tacos
Slightly Modified from Pink Parsley

Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
2 chipotle chiles en adobo
1 teaspoon adobo liquid
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
Shredded Monteray Jack cheese
8 small (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 lime, cut into wedges or slices

Southwest Cream Sauce
1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients for the marinade, through the salt and pepper, and process until smooth and well combined. Pour over shrimp in a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the southwest cream sauce.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers, and grill on a well-oiled grate 1-3 minutes per side, until opaque and cooked through. Use the grill to heat the tortillas as well. You can also cook the shrimp in a skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes per side.

Assemble tacos with shrimp, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese and cream sauce. Spritz with lime wedges.

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Spice-Rubbed Chicken over Spaghetti with Salsa Verde Cream Sauce

As I was going through my recipes trying to decide what to make for the week I remembered that I had some salsa verde leftover after making these Baked Chicken Chimichangas. Cassie's recipe for Spice-Rubbed Chicken over Spaghetti with Salsa Verde Cream Sauce had sounded delicious when I first saw her post about it and I couldn't wait to make it.


As expected, it didn't disappoint. Like Cassie I really enjoyed the Mexican flavors of the salsa verde, sour cream and cilantro, but the spice rub for the chicken needed to be more pronounced. I've upped the amounts in the recipe below. I'm a sucker for anything in a cream sauce so this was right up my alley, although I just realized I never added the heavy cream (or in my case it would have been half-and-half). Since I didn't miss it I'm leaving it out of the recipe below as a way to save calories. Another winner, thanks to Cassie.

Spice-Rubbed Chicken over Spaghetti with Salsa Verde Cream Sauce
Slightly adapted from Cassie Craves

1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup salsa verde
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Set aside.

Place chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a small bowl, stirring to combine. Sprinkle over both sides of chicken, then rub. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes each side. Continue cooking another few minutes to make sure the chicken is completely cooked. Remove from pan and cover with foil until ready to serve.

In the now-empty skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cooking and stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro, stirring to combine. Just before serving add cooled pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.

Cut chicken into slices. Spoon pasta into serving bowls and top with slices of chicken breast. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro, if desired.

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Baked Chicken Chimichangas

After seeing this recipe for Baked Chicken Chimichangas in the Mexican recipe swap I knew I had to make it ASAP. I have a mild obsession with Mexican food and SP really likes chimichangas so I knew these would be a winner.


Because I didn't read the recipe completely before putting it on the menu I didn't realize until the morning I was prepping these that the chicken is supposed to be cooked in the crockpot. Oops. I ended up poaching the chicken then mixing it with the Rotel. For the original directions using the crockpot, head over to Katie's blog. SP couldn't find roasted tomatillos in the supermarket so he bought me a jar of salsa verde that seemed to work well, although I have nothing to compare it to. He also bought me smaller tortillas than the recipe calls for, so I ended up with 7 over-stuffed chimis. I gave two to my parents and froze two for later. These were really good, although SP wished I'd made beans and rice to go with them.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas
Modified from So Tasty, So Yummy

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 burrito (large) size tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Sour cream, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cilantro to garnish

Poach chicken. (I like to add cut up celery, onion and whole peppercorns to the poaching water). Combine Rotel, spices and cornstarch in a small bowl. Shred the chicken and mix with the Rotel and spices. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spary a large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Combine the shredded chicken with the cheese. Lay out the tortillas and top each with 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Roll up the tortillas burrito style, tucking the ends in, and place them seam side down on the cookie sheet. Spray the top of the chimichangas with cooking spray.

Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with queso or Deluxe Tomatillo sauce. Garnish with sour cream, tomato, lettuce and cilantro.

Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce

1 can (28 ounces) tomatillos, drained or 1 jar Salsa Verde
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup sour cream

In a saucepan, combine tomatillos (or salsa), broth, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Return to heat, stir in the sour cream and cook 3 minutes more until heated through.

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Recipe Swap Roundup - Mexican

The theme for this week's recipe swap was Mexican. I love, love, love Mexican food so I was really excited to see what the ladies on my cooking board came up with.

Despite her hectic schedule Lindsay couldn't pass up a chance to make Mexican food and was thrilled with her recipe for Chicken Cream Cheese Enchiladas:


Mary Ellen had one of my favorite recipes (submitted by another participant...it's a favorite in the blogopshere), Mexican Sour Cream Rice:


Christine saw her recipe for 7 Layer Taco Pie as a blank canvas to express her creativity in the kitchen:


Alida, a newcomer to the swaps, was hesitant at first but ended up loving her recipe for Garlic Beef Enchiladas:


Heather, another die-hard Mexican food fan, was thrilled with her recipe for Mexican Chicken Eggrolls, a perfect appetizer or entree:


My husband and I both loved my recipe for Mexican Pizzas, a fun twist on traditional quesadillas:


Krystal, another newcomer to the swap and also a big fan of Mexican food, knew she'd love her recipe for Baked Chicken Chimichangas and they didn't disappoint:


Katie went out of her comfort zone dealing with fresh tomatillos in her recipe for Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas:


Jey has a serious love for fish tacos so she was thrilled when she got Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa for the swap:


Moviegirl03 struggled a bit with her recipe for Rice with Roasted Poblanos, Spinach, and Queso Fresco:


... but loved the Creamy Salsa Chicken (another dish from Mary Ellen) she chose to make with it.

Brianna had my recipe for Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeño-Ranch Sauce and really enjoyed it:


Melissa subbed beans for the zucchini in her recipe, making them Bean and Cheese Enchiladas:


Kate was happy for an excuse to make Mexican food at home and really enjoyed these Baked Chicken Chimichangas:


You can never have too much cheese, as Jaida found out with her recipe for Cheesy Enchilada Casserole:


Valerie lives in Amsterdam so she had quite the challenge ahead of her when she took on her recipe for Enchilada Lasagna:

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Recipe Swap - Mexican Pizzas

Want to see what other Mexican recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Mexican Recipe Swap Roundup

The theme for this week's recipe swap was Mexican food, which happens to be one of my favorite cuisines to make and eat. I was really excited when I got Brianna's recipe for Mexican Pizzas. I'm always looking for new ways to cook with ground beef and I knew these would not only be easy to make, they'd taste great.


What is it about Mexican food that makes it so difficult to photograph? I know I'm not a professional, but I wish there was a way to make the photo look as good as the dish itself tasted. And boy did it taste good. Even SP, who was wary after I told him what was for dinner, thought it was delicious and cleaned his plate.

I only made a few modifications to Brianna's recipe. I used my own recipe for enchilada sauce and built the pizzas more like quesadillas, with the cheese on the inside to hold everything together, although I did sprinkle some cheese on top of the tortillas as well. I made four pizzas so we'd have enough for leftovers but I didn't anticipate how rich and filling they'd be. I was only able to eat half of mine for dinner so next time I'll just make two.

Thanks for a great recipe, Brianna!

Mexican Pizzas
Slightly Adapted from OishiiFood

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
3/4 cup water
Vegetable oil
4 corn or flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 package taco seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)
1 14-oz. can refried beans
Toppings: Shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, diced onions, chopped lettuce, sour cream

If you have a broiler, preheat it. If not, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

In a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the tortillas, fry corn or flour tortillas in vegetable oil on both sides until crispy. Drain on paper towels and place two of them on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Brown ground beef in a pan and add water and taco seasoning (or your own blend) according to package directions. While it’s simmering, heat up the refried beans.

Spread a thin layer of beans on top of each tortilla on your baking sheet. Top with some taco meat (you won’t need all of it – save for another use). Sprinkle with lots of shredded cheese and chopped onions.C over with your remaining 2 tortillas and liberally spoon the enchilada sauce on top of the two Mexican pizzas. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese.

Broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted or bake for 10 minutes. Slice your Mexican pizzas into quarters. Before serving, scatter some chopped tomato and lettuce on top, along with a dollop of sour cream.

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Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

My friend Jaida recently posted this recipe for Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa, which she saw on How Sweet It Is. I'm always on the lookout for new Mexican recipes and this sounded delicious.


Unfortunately, while I thought they were delicious (especially the salsa) SP wasn't a fan. I didn't even notice this when I was making the recipe, but there's no sauce except for the juices from the salsa. The chicken, while moist and crispy in and of itself, was a little dry when mixed with all the other ingredients. I'm not sure what kind of sauce would go well, maybe sour cream mixed with lime and coriander? If you have any suggestions please leave a comment.


Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa
How Sweet It Is

4 chicken breasts
8 4-inch tortillas (corn, whole wheat, flour)
3 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
Zest of 3 limes
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Marinade:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice
Zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Salsa:
1 avocado, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
4 large strawberries, chopped
Juice of half a lime
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Toppings: shredded lettuce, freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, lime wedges

At least 2 hours, but no more than 24 hours before making the tacos, combine the marinade ingredients in a plastic food storage bag. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then slice it into strips lengthwise. Put the chicken in the bag, seal and let marinate in the fridge until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Combine panko, flour, lime zest and coriander in a bowl. Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil and spray with non-stick spray. Remove chicken from marinade and coat strips in panko mixture, pressing so crumbs adhere. Let them on the baking sheet then give them a quick spray of non-stick spray or olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then bake 10 more.

While chicken is cooking, combine avocado, tomato, strawberries and onion. Mix with salt, pepper and lime juice.

Heat tortillas if desired, then serve with crisp chicken, salsa, and toppings. Spritz with lime wedges.

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Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno-Ranch Sauce

My friend Heather, who doesn't have a food blog but really should, raved about these tacos so much I had to make them to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.





I cooked the shrimp on my indoor grill but next time I'll have SP fire up the charcoal grill instead. I know these would be 100 times better with that charcoal flavor, which is saying a lot since these are pretty awesome all on their own. SP added a few drops of Blair's Original Death Sauce to his tacos and said that made them even better. I tried a bite and have to agree. So if you like some spice, add your favorite hot sauce.



Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno-Ranch Sauce

Recipe by Heather



1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive oil

Juice of one lime

Chopped garlic

Chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and seeded

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 cup sour cream

Flour tortillas

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Your favorite hot sauce



Combine shrimp, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and chili/cayenne in a bowl. Marinate shrimp for up to 30 minutes. Cook shrimp (on a charcoal grill, if possible).



Meanwhile, combine chilies/jalapeno with ranch dressing and sour cream in a food processor and blend until smooth. Warm the tortillas while the shrimp are cooking.



To assemble: smear some sauce on a tortilla, then top with shrimp, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle with extra sauce and a few drops of hot sauce.

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Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

It's a good thing, as far as my waistline is concerned, that spring is here. I tend to eat rich, fattening foods in the fall and winter when the weather is cooler. In the spring and summer I find those dishes too heavy. Enchiladas, with all their cheesy goodness, have been one of my obsessions lately. While I love a good red sauce, I wanted to experiment. Enter this recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas.


Holy moly, were these good. I made the sauce and poached the chicken earlier in the week then diced the onion and grated the cheese in the morning before I left for work so all I had to do that night was assemble and bake. The smell coming from the oven was intoxicating.

My only issue was that the sauce recipe made way too much sauce for one pan of enchiladas. I only had 8 tortillas and had trouble fitting them all into the 9 x 13 dish so if I'd had 12, I would have made two pans and divided the sauce. Oh, and SP bought me a habanero pepper instead of a serrano, so I only used the jalapeno, which was plenty in terms of spice level!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Slightly Modified from The Novice Chef

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
16 oz jar Medium Salsa Verde
1 & 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
12 tortillas, small fajita size
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
1/2 medium onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute jalapeno until soft and then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, cheese, and chopped onion to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with leftover cheese, and bake for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

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Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. They're so versatile. You can put pretty much anything between two tortillas, add some cheese and you've got a delicious and easy dinner.

I never liked pineapple before I was pregnant with Baby Girl, but now I can't get enough of it. Before seeing this recipe for Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas, I never would have thought to add it to a quesadilla but you know what, it works. It really works.


I've been thinking about these quesadillas all week and can't wait to make them again. Even SP loved them and he was pretty skeptical about the recipe when he saw it on this week's menu.

I left out the sliced jalapenos because I just can't handle spice the way I used to, but I'm sure they'd make a nice addition to counter the sweetness of the pineapple. Make these tonight! And if you have leftovers, they're even better the next day reheated in the oven.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla
Pioneer Woman

8 whole Flour Tortillas
Butter Or Margarine
2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
Cilantro
3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

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White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately. I love that most of the recipes are easy to make but still have great flavor. This recipe for White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce was no exception.


I actually cooked the chicken and made the green chile sauce over the weekend so all I had to do was assemble the enchiladas and put them in the oven alongside the Mexican Sour Cream Rice, which I also made over the weekend to save time during the week.

The only thing I'd change next time is add some of the sauce to the chicken filling. They were a little dry and really needed the sauce to bring everything together.


White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
Cassie Craves

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles.

Mix together 1 cup of the cheese, 1 cup of the sauce and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

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Chicken, Avocado and Tomato Quesadilla

I've been on a quesadilla kick lately. They're so easy to make and I can easily keep the ingredients on hand. I saw this recipe for Chicken, Avocago and Tomato Quesadillas over at Sing for Your Supper and was intrigued by the addition of BBQ sauce. Unfortunately my photo isn't nearly as pretty as her's:


And we couldn't taste the BBQ sauce on the chicken once it was inside the quesadilla. I used my new Griddler to grill the chicken, but maybe the outdoor grill would have been better. But no matter, these will definitely be on the regular rotation.

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Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

There's something comforting about a cheesy quesadilla. I rarely make them, but every once in awhile I remember how good they are and put them on the menu. This version included lots of slow-cooked caramelized onions and shredded cheese.


I made guacamole and served the quesadillas with sour cream and salsa.

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Chicken Tacos with Avocado Cream and Mexican Sour Cream Rice

During my maternity leave I saw Sunny Anderson make this recipe for Chicken Flautas. They looked amazing but I couldn't be bothered actually making the flautas for dinner for just the two of us (I would for a party, though). I made the filling and asked SP if he'd prefer quesadillas or tacos. He said whatever was easier so I chose tacos.


We spooned the filling into warm flour tortillas (sorry, no photo), and topped it with shredded cheese and avocado cream (included in the flauta recipe link above). We're obsessed with this Mexican Sour Cream Rice:


It's easy to make and always delicious. If we have a Mexican-themed dinner SP always asks if I'm going to make the rice.

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Beef Enchiladas and Sour Cream Rice

One Friday SP thought he had to work late so I decided to make myself a special dinner. Turns out he didn't have to work as late as he thought so we both got to enjoy this meal of Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas and Mexican Sour Cream Rice:


I love this recipe for enchiladas and always use the sauce recipe no matter what kind of enchiladas I'm making. They're simple to make and always delicious. And the rice never fails. I served the enchiladas with sour cream and guacamole. It was a wonderful end to a long week.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas
Everyday Food

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Make filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°. (If freezing, don’t place any sauce in baking dish; see To Freeze, below left.) Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside.

Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas and wrap in paper towel. Warm in microwave, 10 seconds or until pliable. Fill each with a heaping 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Note: To freeze: Make sauce and enchiladas; arrange enchiladas in baking dish without sauce (so tortillas dont become soggy). Place sauce in an airtight container. Cover dish with plastic wrap and foil. Label, date, and freeze enchiladas and sauce. Use within 2 months; bake without thawing (see opposite page).

To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 450°. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish. Pour sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.

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Chicken Quesadillas and Sour Cream Rice

I love this recipe for sour cream rice so much that I made the quesadillas just for an excuse to pair them with the rice.


I slow-cooked some onions and sauteed chicken for the quesadillas, which were held together with pepper Jack cheese and cheddar. I also diced some tomatoes from my garden to go with a healthy dolop of sour cream. But the real star is the rice - I love the cheesy, slightly spicy rice with bursts of corn when your teeth sink into a kernel. Delicious.

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Tacos

I just love the presentation of these tacos:


... even if they are incredibly messy to eat. We each got an order of three tacos for lunch while we were running errands recently.


They forgot to give us forks so we needed to be hosed down after we finished eating. I love everything about these tacos except the ground beef isn't really seasoned well. Our favorite Mexican place makes a better seasoned ground beef taco, but they don't include any toppings except shredded lettuce and cheese. Thankfully this place gives you two difference sauces to put on the tacos, which helps in the flavor department.

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Achiote Shrimp, Avocado and Refried Beans

SP was home last Thursday and he wanted to cook dinner. He loves Rick Bayless, so he found a recipe for Achiote Shrimp that sounded good and even bought the achiote paste from a local Mexican grocer. We had the shrimp over white rice with sliced avocado and refried beans.


Honestly, we weren't fans of the dish. I could tell I wasn't going to like it when I was grilling the shrimp. The smell just didn't make me hungry with anticipation. While I was still photographing my plate SP took a bite and said the shrimp tasted like they were coated in Mexican mustard, which turned out to be a good description.


Of course, this was probably entirely our fault. The original recipe calls for sauteeing the shrimp in oil, but we thought grilling would be fun and impart a nice flavor. Little did we know the achiote needs oil to blossom and develop, so it's likely sauteeing would have been yieleded much better results.

The avocado, on the other hand, was delectable. I absolutely love avocado sliced and simply seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper.


We might try experimenting with achiote again in the future but I don't think this is something we'll rush to make again.

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Tacos

SP usually does the grocery shopping and these days he's been driving out to a supermarket near Warminster. Along the way there are a ton of strip malls and in one of them we found a little gem today. We'd seen the sign for Taco Suave many times but today we wanted a snack before going to the grocery store so we stopped in to check it out. We got an order of three soft tacos filled with ground beef, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream. We got the tacos to go and when we got back to the car and opened the container this is what we saw:


How gorgeous are these tacos? We were drooling before we even caught the first whiff of seasoned ground beef and hot, spicy sauce they'd given to us in a separate container. We poured on some sauce and took our first bite - pure bliss. The meat was perfectly seasoned and all the fresh toppings came together to make one delicious taco.

Taco Suave is a little hole in the wall at the end of a strip mall at 200 W. Street Road in Warminster. There are a few tables inside and they've got a pretty decent-sized menu of everything from fajitas to tacos, even breakfast. The three tacos we got were $4.75 plus tax. They also serve more authentic tacos with fillings like goat and cow's tongue. SP already has his eye on those for next time. We wolfed these down and could have gone back for more. We'll definitely be back.

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