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I love to cook.

I am constantly thinking about food. Dreaming up new recipes. Experimenting with flavors. At the end of the day, I truly feel like cooking dinner is therapeutic. So much so, we hardly have time to eat leftovers in our house.

Recently I made Chicken Enchiladas (recipe below!) for some friends and of course overshot the serving size (as always!). Maneuvering new groceries around a tupperware of 8 huge leftover enchiladas was starting to frustrate me. Not wanting to waste all that food, and still feeling the need to create something new . . .

Leftover Chicken Enchilada Soup was born.

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Leftover Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 8 leftover Chicken Enchiladas
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• Avocado, tortilla chips, red onion, sour cream & Cholula for soup toppings

TOOLS

• Food Processor
• Large Heavy Bottom Pot
• Handheld Blender

PROCESS

Add chicken enchiladas to food processor. Begin to blend, adding about 2 cups chicken stock to thin mixture. (I had to puree my 8 massive Enchiladas in 2 batches, adding about 1 cup stock to each batch.)

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Add pureed enchiladas to your large heavy bottom pot and simmer on medium/low heat until mixture begins to bubble:

Your puree mixture will be VERY thick. At this point use your handheld blender to further smooth the consistency. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock to thin soup to desired thickness:

Let soup simmer on low for at least 30 minutes, stirring periodically. (Simmering on a higher heat will cause the cheese in the enchiladas to burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.)

To serve, top with whatever your heart desires. We added avocados, tortilla chips, sour cream, red onions, & Cholula. If nothing else, the tortilla chip topper is a must. They definitely add some texture to the rich and creamy soup.

Bon Appetite!

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Baked Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 8 soft taco size tortillas (I would use a whole wheat or flour-sturdier than corn for baking)
• 1 large can enchilada sauce (I usually use green chili enchilada sauce, but ran out. So for this recipe I used a combo of red and green sauce. It was delicious)
• Salsa
• 1 large bag grated Mexican cheese blend
• 1 can sliced black olives

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute chicken and onions on high heat with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and chili powder. Remove from heat when chicken is slightly browned and onions are translucent.

ASSEMBLY

Add 1/2 the enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 oven safe casserole dish. Coat tortilla in sauce from the bottom of the dish. Top tortilla with some of the chicken and onion mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and a dollop salsa. Wrap tortilla sides around mixture and place fold side down in casserole dish.

Repeat process with remaining 7 tortillas and line up side-by-side in casserole dish. Add remaining enchilada sauce, cheese, and sliced black olives on top of enchiladas. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Tent with foil and bake for 35-45 more minutes until inside of enchiladas are gooey and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!