Mexican Menu for a Crowd

My friend Susan was in town for a medical conference over the weekend and she brought some of her residency friends over for dinner. There were six of us in total. I wanted something that would feed a crowd but also not require me to spend my whole night in the kitchen working on it. And I'm supposed to be on a budget so I didn't want to break the bank. I think I succeeded and dinner seemed to be a success!

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

1 rotisserie chicken (pulled apart and skin removed)
2 cans enchilada sauce (I used the red kind)
1 cup fat free or light sour cream
2 cups mexican cheese
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 package of white corn tortillas
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Using the rotisserie chicken saves a lot of time on this one. I sauteed the red onion and garlic in the oil until they were caramalized. Then I added the two cans of enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Add in the chicken and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Assemble the enchiladas. Layer a thin layer of the sauce and chicken and top with a layer of corn tortillas. Repeat until you have used up all of the sauce and chicken. Make sure the sauce is the last layer (otherwise the tortillas will be too dry) and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees covered in foil for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and broil for the last couple of minutes.

I served the enchiladas with my favorite salad.  This is a recipe I got from my Aunt Tucker.  The cilantro in the dressing makes it taste so fresh!

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

For the salad:

3-4 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup black beans

1 cup mexican style corn

1 cup red onion, chopped

1 cup mexican style shredded cheese

crumbled tortilla chips (about a cup)

For the dressing:

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

I mix everything for the dressing right in the blender so no need to chop the cilantro.  Toss the dressing into the salad in a  big bowl.  You can prep the salad ahead but wait until right before to add the tortilla chips and dressing so they don't get soggy.