Ahhh Fall! and Chicken Enchaladas - LOW CARB

Ahhhh, Fall is fast approaching.  I've already begun to get back into my kitchen.  The lastest is a chicken recipe that can be used in a lot of ways.  I've used this on taco salads, on soft tacos, regular tacos, in omlets, on a sandwich, on rice...  the list goes on. ** If you have some new ideas on how to use it, please post here, I'd love to hear them!

This recipe was modified from a recipe I found online.  see link...   ...http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/enchilada_bake.html

I baked that recipe and I wasn't too fond of the "crust" on the bottom...  It got really soggy and I didn't feel like it added a whole lot of flavor or texture to the dish.  So the next day I did the following...I  wanted to take the fat out, so I subbed in chicken. 





LOW FAT/LOW CARB CHICKEN ENCHALADA BASE

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 chicken thighs bone in skin off
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Butter
1 cup reserved broth
3 - 4 TBSP homemade taco seasoning (see post on homemade seasonings - LOW SALT) or use regular taco seasoning
1 can enchilada sauce or more

Optional adds:
3 red- orange - yellow peppers roasted and chopped
1 large onion chopped and sautéed in broth
fresh corn ** corn will add sugars and carbs do not add if you're avoiding carbs
black beans ** black beans WILL add starch and carbs do not add if you want to avoid these
** If you are avoiding carbs, you can add a small 1/2 cup of each to the recipe instead of a full cup to reduce the carb content

Cover with water in a large sauce pan and boil for around 10 minutes, reduce heat and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.  Do not over boil.  The chicken will become mushy.  The reason I boil is this creates a great broth, I save the broth and use it in the recipe to add back the flavor! 

Remove the chicken from the broth, reserve broth in a container and set aside.  Slice the chicken breast and remove the meat from the thigh bones.

In a large deep frying pan, add olive oil and butter and taco seasoning mix,  melt and add the chicken.  Add 2 cups of broth and simmer for around 15 minutes.  This is your base chicken enchilada mix. 

~~~ At this point, you could freeze for use later in the week, or you could add options and use.

LUNCH  for WORK...My favorite is adding the corn, onion and black beans, put on top of a bed of lettuce with cheese and low fat sour cream, I also top with chopped tomatoes and fresh chopped jalapenos.  Yum, easy to  transport to work for lunch.  Chicken mix in one pouch fresh lettuce and ingredients in another container, sour cream in a small container.  Warm mix and put on top of lettuce et voila!