My birthday meal of choice for at least the last three years is Moxie’s Chicken Enchiladas with a Peach Bellini the size of my head. It’s a tradition I’ve grown quite fond of and I love to make these at home when the hankering hits me. My significant other is what you would call a selective eater (I have to phrase this nicely as he is also a reader 🙂 ). The list of things he won’t try is long and also happens to include many of the things I can’t live without: eggs, avocado, sour cream… I spend more time than I’d like to admit trying to get him to attempt new foods. Beyond the fact that these include sour cream, my Main Taste Tester was just skeptical of them in general, being something he hadn’t tried before. I knew I had to get creative to sell these to him and recalled a few nights before how much he had loved the manicotti his mother had served us. I said, “These are just a different version of manicotti…like…Mexican manicotti!” This piqued his interest and before I knew it he was gobbling these up. They are creamy, cheesy and rich tasting, but using light cheese and sour cream and whole grain tortillas reduces the guilt factor a bit. They are perfect for a comforting winter supper and I happen to know first hand that even the pickiest of eaters will give them a go.

White Chicken Enchiladas
(aka: Mexican Manicotti)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 4 oz. can green chilies
• 3 tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 3 small chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 8 whole grain tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella & white cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add flour to the butter and stir for a minute or so. Whisk in the broth. Cook until the sauce thickens and remove from heat. After it has cooled for a few minutes, stir in the sour cream, chilies and taco seasoning. Stir in the beans, corn and chicken. Divide mixture evenly among the tortillas and lay each seam down in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes and serve. I love to serve these with extra sour cream!