Making a great enchilada sauce can be very time consuming. Maybe one day I’ll attempt to perfect a recipe. In the meantime, I use store bought salsa for a tasty substitute.

For the chicken filling:
• 1 lb of chicken breasts or tenders
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

For the bean and pepper filling:
• 15 ounce can of black beans
• 12 ounce jar of roasted peppers
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)

For the rest:
• 10 tortillas, 4 inches or so in diameter (mine happened to be corn tortillas)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I like to use white cheddar)
• 16 ounce jar of your favorite salsa (I chose a fire-roasted, medium-heat salsa)

To prepare:

First, cut the chicken into strips. Once cut, cover with a mixture of minced garlic, pepper, and cumin. Cook seasoned chicken strips on medium-high heat with olive oil, 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Next, drain the black beans and gently mash with a fork so that most of the beans have been mashed, but leaving a some whole beans in tact for texture. Drain the roasted peppers from their juice and dice. Mix the beans and peppers together with the pepper and cumin. Set aside. It should look something like this:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Next, shred the cheese. Set aside. Spread about 1/3 of the salsa on to the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish. Just before assembly, heat the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds. This will make more pliable and easier to work with.

To assemble, take one tortillas in your hand and spread 2 tablespoons of the bean and pepper mixture down the center. Place 2-3 strips of chicken on top of the bean and pepper mixture. Fold over filling and place the seam side down into the pan. Repeat until done. If you have extra bean and pepper filling left over, you can just spread it on top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining 2/3 of salsa and 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted.