Chicken Enchilladas with Spanish Rice on a stormy day

I woke up at 6am to a really stormy day last week half wishing work would be called off. I checked my phone for updates. Nada.Then heard the winds and the trees outside. Right then, I decided, I will not brave this storm. True enough at around 7, I got an SMS that work has been called off. Whooooppppeee.

Then. Lights went out- and there goes the internet connection with it. 

A full day at home without electricity. On the bright side, this is forced rest. No emails. 

But what to do on a day like this? Hm... great time to test some recipes for The Beehive Pastries perhaps. But that requires an electric mixer. Drats. Now, to rummage the fridge for what's great to prepare. 

Thus, the birth of the chicken enchilladas to brighten up this gloomy day. Lucky, lucky that I have everything in the fridge to make something this sumptuous. I do have to apologize for the main image. We took this AFTER eating already as we totally forgot about taking a pic before devouring this dish. =D

Yield: 6 servings 
You will need:

1/2 kg boneless chicken meat (breast or thigh works fine)

salt, pepper and flour for dredging
2 large white onions

2 ripe tomatoes

1 pack black beans, drained and wash*

1/2 of an eggplant
2 cups Spaghetti sauce (Italian or 4-cheese version)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning

1/2 grated cheese
3/4 c sour cream (but I opt to use yogurt instead)
3 large size flour tortillas

*black beans tend to be salty and have that obtrusive flavor to dishes as this, thus, I usually wash them in water for several times.
*option to add mushrooms

What to do:
Wash chicken chunks, rub with salt and pepper to taste and dust with flour, just enough to keep the flavor in while cooking.

Lightly saute the chicken chunks in oil. Remove from heat, and cool for a bit.

Shred the chicken pieces by hand, set aside.

Saute onions until soggy, add in the tomatoes, black beans and diced eggplant. Best to put in the beans early on as they are tough when under-cooked. Add the shredded chicken.
Pour in the spaghetti sauce, until it boils. If the consistency tends to be too thick, add a little water.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, add a dash of cajun seasoning. (Buy if you must, but it's awfully simple to make- I shall share my personal mix in the future).


Now, for the fun part =)
Assemble the enchilladas by filling up each tortilla with 1/4 of your chicken mixture, top with sour cream (or yogurt), then some grated cheese.


Roll and secure the sides making sure they don't burst open, and transfer immediately to your baking dish. Repeat for 2 more chubby rolls.


Top with the remaining sauce/ chicken mixture and grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.


Spanish Rice:
4 cups cooked rice (best to have day-old or leftover rice)
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 T Cajun Seasoning
Heat the tomato sauce, add in the cajun spice, then mixing in rice, just enough to heat and coat every grain.
Serve with enchilladas while hot.

That stormy day, I cleaned my room (and threw out around 2-3 boxes of used-to-be senti items), then made this dinner. A happy and very productive day =) #additionalweekend.