Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in a cookbook my future mother-in-law gave me for Christmas and thought I would give it a try. It was super easy, fast and yummy!

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (I threw 2 frozen breasts into the crock pot with a can of salsa verde diluted with one cup of water and some various spices on low for 6 hours and it worked like a charm)
1 10 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
6 6" corn tortillas
Shredded lettuce (optional)
Chopped tomato (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tightly wrap the corn tortillas in foil and cook in the oven for around 8 minutes, until they are warm.

In the meantime, place shredded chicken in a bowl and mix in half of the can of enchilada sauce and half of the amount of cheese.

Place about a 1/3 of the mixture in the tortillas and roll up. Place them seam side down in a 2 quart baking dish. Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes. If you choose, top with shredded lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Enjoy!

Parmesan Encrusted Chicken

Another recipe I scammed from the Barefoot Contessa. It was so easy, quick and yummy I had to share! I was amazed at how juicy and tender the chicken stayed.

Like everything she does, the recipe is way too much for just 2 people, so I cut it in half. But here is the original.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of water

1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus a little extra for serving

Unsalted butter

Olive oil

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4" thick with either a meat mallet or rolling pin (I used a wrench, since we don't have all our fancy tools yet!). I placed in-between sheets of wax paper before pounding and it worked like a charm.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with the water. On a 3rd plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Coat the chicken breasts with the flour mixture on both sides, then dip both sides in the egg and then dredge both sides in the bread crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2-3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through. If cooking more chicken, add more butter and oil and repeat the cooking directions. I cooked each side for around 4 minutes over medium-high heat and it was definitely cooked through and I am paranoid about cooking chicken!