Oh boy, you guys are in for a treat with this one!  Creamy, cheesy enchiladas stuffed with shredded chicken, spinach, corn, and chiles; served up with some Mexican rice and refried beans – to die for!  I love sour cream enchiladas – they are one of the first dishes (other than nachos and quesadillas) that I started eating when I began to get over my fear that all Mexican food was spicy.

I was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest, but it seemed like it might be a little bland so I upped the flavor a notch by adding spinach, corn, and chiles into the filling (instead of just chicken and cheese).  Next time I will use smaller tortillas, as the ones that I had (10-inch I believe) ended up being a little bit too long.  The chiles I used were canned green chiles, which are flavorful but mild (which is good because I am a super wuss when it comes to spicy food).

I topped the filled and rolled tortillas with a sour cream and green chile sauce and a Mexican four cheese blend, and baked them until they were bubbly and golden.  I served them up with some homemade Mexican style rice and some (canned) refried beans for a full-on Tex-Mex dinner!  This little taste of home made me so happy – I will definitely be making these again!

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with Sour Cream Chile Sauce
adapted from Joyful Mamma’s Kitchen and Real Simple
Serves 4-6

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
10 soft flour tortillas, 8-inch
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan.

Mix together spinach, corn, chicken, 1 can of chiles, 1 cup of cheese, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roll up in the tortillas and place in the pan.

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and remaining chiles. Do not bring to a boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more until golden.

Mexican Rice
serves 6-8
If you forget to rinse the rice (like me), you will end up with a creamier, sticky rice as opposed to light and fluffy.

3 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium white onion, diced
2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed
4 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of saffron (optional)

Heat broth and tomatoes in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Add the onions and rice and saute until onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add the rice mixture into the broth mixture and stir in salt, oregano, and saffron (if using). Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-25 minutes (depending on rice). Fluff with a fork and season to taste.

**For additional flavor/color, add one or more of the following: diced green bell pepper, jalapenos, cilantro, squeeze of lime.

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