Make This: Rice, Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

Did you know that Canada doesn’t produce any of its own rice? Nearly 65 per cent of rice consumed in Canada is grown in the U.S. Rice has been produced in the U.S. for more than 300 years!

I had the chance to cook with USA Rice for this recipe, and I’m glad that I did! Cooking with rice is easy and pretty versatile. I like to throw it on the stove and let it cook while I make the meal. I also sometimes use the rice cooker. How do you cook with rice? Rose Reisman makes cooking with rice look effortless and delicious…and it is!

I decided to cook up a Mexican dish.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas with rice, anyone?

You Need:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 250ml can of black beans
• 2 cups of cooked rice
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 250ml can of tomato sauce
• 3 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Put rice to cook on stove or in rice cooker.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Quickly fry tortillas for about 5-10 seconds per side. Place on plate with paper towels to grab grease.
4. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 5-7 minutes.
5. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook for an additional minute.
6. Stir in the tomato sauce and black beans. Bring to a simmer.
7. Place the chicken breasts into the sauce.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.
9. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
10. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the bean mixture to extract as much liquid as possible.
11. Transfer the leftover  bean mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside.
12. Add rice into bean mixture.
13. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the bean mixture.
14. Stir 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese and the cilantro into the chicken and onions. Toss to combine.
15. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
16. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese.
17. Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

I was really proud with how these came out! I’m more of a baker than a cook, but m family loved these. They also make great leftovers for lunch!

This recipe was adapted from here.