Budget-Friendly Meals // Jen Chapin

 

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 10-12 small soft flour tortillas (fajita size are the best for this. If you wish to use corn tortillas instead, have at it – but they’ll be tougher)
  • 4 tbsp of flour
  • 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter
  • 2 pounds of chicken thighs (boneless, skinless are best – although you can use chicken breasts too if you use)
  • 2 cups of chicken broth (2 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water)
  • 1 cup of sour cream
  • 1/2 cup of crumbled Cotija cheese
  • 1.5 tbsp of cornstarch + 1.5 tbsp of water to form a slurry
  • 2 cups (8oz bag) of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack cheese)
  • 2 cups (8oz bag) of shredded Monterey Jack/Colby cheese mix (or a Mexican cheese blend)
  • 7 oz can of diced green chiles, with their juices (these aren’t spicy)
  • Your favorite hot sauce (optional, if you wish to add some to the sauce or drizzle some on at the end)

Instructions

  1. Hit “Sauté” on the Instant Pot and adjust so it’s on the “Less” or “Low” setting. Melt the butter and constantly whisk in the flour as it will bubble and thicken.  This is called a “roux” (how fancy French of you)
  2. Once the roux has become just LIGHTLY brown in color, add in the chicken broth and give it a stir.  Then, add in the chicken thighs
  3. Secure lid, hit “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done and turn the Instant Pot off so the sauce cools down a bit for about 5 minutes (this is important so the sour cream won’t bunch up and curdle). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  4. Remove the chicken with tongs, place in a mixing bowl (with about 2 tbsp of the broth for moisture), let cool for about 5 minutes and shred using two forks (or be lazy and use a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment). Once the chicken is slightly cooled add 2 cups of the Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese.  Mix together well
  5. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop some of the chicken-cheese mixture and roll it into the tortillas so they have become enchiladas! (Make sure you leave the ends open and don’t tuck them in burrito-style – a simple fruit roll-up style is what we want here!)
  6. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray such as Pam and place the enchiladas seam-side down.  Fit as many as you can (I got 11 in there).  You can also use your stackable pans too if you wish!
  7. Back to the pot where the broth mixture has cooled down some (with the pot still off), whisk in the sour cream until melded into the broth (remember, the sauce shouldn’t be boiling hot when you do this because the sour cream may become chunky – it needs to be slightly cooled). Once the sour cream and broth have come together, add in the green chiles and Cotija cheese and also whisk
  8. Once everything is melded, hit “Sauté” on the Instant Pot again and adjust so it’s on the “Less” or “Low” setting.  After about a minute, add in the cornstarch slurry, stir and let heat for another 2 minutes before turning the pot off again.  Let sauce set and thicken for another minute
  9. Pour the amazing sauce over the enchiladas allowing it to seep into all the crevices and open ends (which is why we don’t want the ends folded in). Top with the 2 cups of the Colby Jack or Mexican blend cheese
  10. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins until the cheese gets slightly browned (15 minutes if using the stackable pans)
  11. Serve with some rice, my awesome refried beans, my amazing Mexican street corn and my chicken tortilla soup! You can also top off the enchiladas by drizzling on some of your favorite hot sauce if you wish!

  12. Easy Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe

  13. Ingredients

    • 1 pound dry pinto beans
    • 5 1/2 cups water
    • 1 2/3 Tablespoon Better Than Bullion vegetable base
    • salt and pepper to taste (Honestly, mine didn’t need any. The BTB flavored them perfectly. Taste them first.)

    Instructions

    1. Rinse off your pinto beans, and drain them using a wire mesh strainer.

    2. Add them to the Instant Pot, along with the water and Better Than Bullion vegetable base.

    3. Close and lock the lid, and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Note: It will take several minutes to come to pressure.

    4. Allow the pressure to naturally release (Do not use the valve, but let it sit until the pressure indicator pin drops on its own. Mine took about 26 minutes, FYI.)

    Recipe Notes

    45 minutes is the pressure cook time, but this will take longer than that to cook. The pot takes a little while to come up to pressure, plus about 25 minute to naturally release.

    Nutritional info is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator. Info includes regular vegetable broth, due to the app limitations. Please note a higher sodium content if using Better Than Bullion.


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