When I started this blog, I said it wasn’t going to be about anything in particular, and now here I am sharing another recipe. Lol. Let’s just say I think it’s too good not to share.

When my girls were growing up, the room moms at their school put on a luncheon for the teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. One year, one of the moms provided a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas. It was yummy, the teachers loved it, and it became a family favorite of ours. My mom started making it as well, and I think I made it for mom and dad every time I went home in the past few years before they passed.

One of the things I love about Pinterest, well aside from the fact that you can pretty much find anything, I swear it’s my new google, is that often I find a better way of doing or making things than my old way.

There are a lot of Chicken Enchilada recipes on Pinterest, but recently, I found a recipe called Green Chili Chicken. The ingredients are nearly identical to my Chicken Enchilada recipe, except you don’t use flour tortillas, and since we try not to eat a lot of bread type foods, I was intrigued. Based on other things I’ve tried, and to add another protein,  I decided to add black beans and some crushed red pepper to kick it up. We thought it was “muy bueno.”

Green Chili Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can drained black beans (use as much as you like)

1  8 oz pkg cream cheese (slightly softened)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1  4 oz can chopped green chilis

Crushed red pepper (to your liking)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Place chicken breasts flat in an 8×11 baking dish. Pour the black beans over the chicken. In a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, and salt and pepper until blended. Add the green chilis and mix well.  Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chicken and black beans, sprinkle with crushed red pepper,  and top with shredded cheese. Bake on middle rack for 30 minutes or until chicken is done (this will depend on how thick your breasts are.) Watch to make sure your cheese doesn’t brown (you can always cover the dish with foil.)

We scooped the extra sauce on top and  served it with homemade guacamole on top of that.

Enjoy!

Oh, by the way, dinner tonight is the New Orleans Style Shrimp from the Don’t Throw Out the Sauce post from a few months back. The one where you sop up the sauce with French bread 🤦‍♀️