I am on a quest for easy weeknight meals that everybody likes.  These hearty rice bowls are exactly what I am after.  Traditional enchiladas require tortillas and cheese and often sour cream.  Rice bowls are much, much simpler than a baked casserole, but they still have the Tex-Mex seasonings that I crave.  Apart from the rice, the enchilada part can be made in one pot.  That speeds up the prep time, and who doesn’t love fewer pots and pans to clean up afterward?

I chose not to specify the ingredient amounts because this recipe is very flexible and easily scaled up or down.  You will need enough enchilada sauce to cover the chicken while it simmers.  If you need just a bit more liquid, adding some broth or water should do the trick.

Another advantage of enchilada rice bowls is that they can be custom built to each person’s taste, too.  Vegetarian?  Leave out the chicken.  Personally, I like my enchiladas creamy, so I might stir some mayonnaise into my sauce.  Top with anything you like–olives, green onions, cilantro, or whatever you’ve got that appeals to your preferences.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• Cooked beans, such as pinto and/or black beans
• Corn
• Onion, chopped
• Green Pepper, chopped
• Enchilada sauce, either prepared or homemade
• Cooked rice

Optional add-ons:

• Tortilla chips
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Sliced olives
• Cashew cream
• Cilantro sprigs
• Green onion, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat a small amount of cooking oil and saute onions.  Add chicken and cook the outside until opaque.  Add enchilada sauce and cover the pot.  Let the chicken simmer in the sauce until cooked through.
2. Add in beans, corn and green pepper, and cook until tender.  Take two forks and pull apart chicken to shred into bite-sized pieces.
3. Ladle chicken enchilada sauce over warm cooked rice.  Top with add-ons, such as olives and green onions.

I’m sharing this recipe at Wednesday Whatsits and Pennywise Platter.