Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Quinoa

Valentine's Day came and went. Mama gave each of the kids a stuffed animal — a bear for Chloe, a dog for Jayden. Chloe named hers "Snowball." Jayden immediately tried to eat his dog's ear. We are who we are.

I bought myself a $3 box of chocolate from the gas station on the way home from school. I ate it in the car in the dark while the kids were at Mama's and Fleetwood Mac was on the radio and I didn't feel lonely. I felt like a woman eating chocolate in a car, and that is not the same as lonely. That is independent. That is: I am enough company for myself. It took twenty-five years to learn that. It's worth the tuition.

At clinical, I had a patient who cried. Not from pain — from relief. She was fifty-something, hadn't been to a dentist in seven years because she couldn't afford it, and the campus clinic is free. When I showed her the X-rays and walked through what we found (a couple of cavities, some buildup, nothing catastrophic), she teared up and said, "I thought it would be worse." That's what fear does — it inflates everything until the real thing, the actual problem, feels like a gift because it's smaller than the nightmare. I held her hand and said, "We're going to take good care of you." And I meant it. This is why I'm here. Not for the grade. Not for the credential. For the woman in the chair who hasn't been taken care of in seven years.

Kevin called. He and Crystal are "getting serious." His words. For Kevin, "getting serious" means he's thinking about proposing, which means he's already decided to propose, because Kevin Mitchell does not think about things he hasn't already decided. He asked if I thought it was too soon. They've been together about a year. I said, "When you know, you know." I don't know if that's true — I thought I knew with Marcus, and I was wrong — but Kevin is not Marcus. Kevin is steady. Kevin is sure. If he says it's real, I believe him.

I made a big pan of enchiladas this week. Corn tortillas dipped in red enchilada sauce, filled with shredded chicken and cheese, rolled up, packed in a baking dish, covered in more sauce and more cheese, baked until bubbly. It's not Earline's recipe — Earline didn't do Mexican food — it's mine. I invented it, or more accurately, I assembled it from a dozen different recipes I found on the back of sauce cans and taco seasoning packets and the collective wisdom of women who feed families on tight budgets. Enchiladas are budget royalty. A pan costs about $8 and feeds us for three days. Chloe eats hers deconstructed (separate piles of tortilla, cheese, and chicken, no sauce, don't let them touch). Jayden eats them like a bear — whole, messy, with total commitment. I eat mine at 10 PM after studying, standing at the counter, savoring every bite because enchiladas at 10 PM after a long day taste better than anything at any restaurant I'll never afford to eat at.

The pan of enchiladas I described above has become one of my anchor recipes — the thing I make when the week has been long and the budget is tight and I need dinner to feel like something I chose, not something that happened to me. This cheesy chicken enchilada quinoa is the weeknight cousin of that recipe: same red sauce, same shredded chicken, same blanket of melted cheese, but with quinoa folded in to stretch it further and make it just a little more filling for two kids who have very different opinions on how food should be arranged on a plate.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium)
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen corn
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Season and cook the chicken. Season chicken breasts on both sides with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5–6 minutes per side until cooked through and golden. Transfer to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Set aside.
Build the base. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the rinsed quinoa, chicken broth, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes (with liquid), black beans, and frozen corn. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 18–20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid and is cooked through. Check at 15 minutes and add a splash of broth if it looks dry.
Add the chicken and cheese. Stir the shredded chicken into the skillet. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top. Cover for 2–3 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
Finish and serve. Remove lid and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve directly from the skillet. Optional toppings: sour cream, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapenos, or a squeeze of lime.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Quinoa — The $8 Pan That Feeds Us for Three Days