Easy Chicken Enchiladas

The other day I was trying to decide what to make for dinner, and I stumbled upon a recipe for cheese enchiladas that I'd torn out of an old issue of Cooking Light. The smarty pants at that delightful publication included cottage cheese in their enchiladas. I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta when I'm making lasagna, but I never thought to use it for Mexican food.

If you're not a fan of cottage cheese, don't be deterred! Once the enchiladas are cooked, it turns into creamy goodness. You'd never guess cottage cheese is an ingredient. In fact, the husband does not like cottage cheese. He doesn't like it one bit. But I served him these enchiladas, and he loved them. I just kept the ingredients a secret. Until I shared it with the entire world wide web, that is.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Serves: 4

2 1/2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup cottage cheese*
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper
10 ounce can enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa and sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chicken, cottage cheese, onion powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour about a quarter of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8" x 8" baking dish. Place four tortillas over the sauce, overlapping them so they cover the bottom of the dish. Pour another quarter of the sauce on top of the tortillas. Spread the chicken mixture on top of that. Layer the remaining four tortillas on top of the chicken, overlapping them as needed. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over everything and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

*If you're really worried about the texture of the cottage cheese, blend it in the food processor or blender for a minute until it's smooth.