How To Make The Best Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole In Virginia
October 8, 2024
Ashburn, VA: My daughter recently asked me when did I realize I married the wrong person. Here is the quick background. I divorced her biological father decades ago. My current husband has been the only father she’s known.
I didn’t know how to answer her question. The divorce was death by a thousand cuts. So I started rambling. Here is what I told her.
It was like that old Robin Williams quote. “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.” When my first husband was around, I never felt so alone.
One day I came home from the ER. I was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease. As soon as I got in the house he was getting ready to leave. I asked him where he was going. He told me “ The bar with the boys. I need a break. Feed the kids dinner. I am running late.”
He hurt me so many times but here is one that still stings. We were in the bathroom getting ready for my sister’s wedding. At that time I had lost a lot of weight. I was in the best shape of my life. My dress was gorgeous. I looked in the mirror and for the first time in forever, I felt beautiful. As he was finishing his hair, I told him how handsome he looked. I waited for him to say something nice to me and he didn’t. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could not remember the last time he told me I looked good. So I opened my mouth and made the mistake of asking this question:
“Do You Even Find Me Attractive?”
He flatly said “No.” I never felt so ugly. It hurt even more because just seconds before that, I was feeling so good about myself.
The next day I realized that I had become a smaller version of myself. I realized how many times I was hiding good news from him. I knew deep down that I was afraid to tell him good news because he’d find a way to make me feel bad about it. Then I realized, if we weren’t married, I would not be this man’s friend.
So I Left His Sorry A**
As I told my daughter these stories, we both cried and laughed. If you’ve ever experienced anything like this, my heart goes out to you girl. It’s something people can’t understand unless they experience it. Here is the recipe I made for my daughter that night. It’s one of her favorites and I hope you enjoy it too.
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- ½ Onion Chopped
- Olive oil
- 1 Can rotel
- ¼ Chili powder
- 2 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 Tsp onion powder
- 2 Tsp garlic powder
- 4 Tsp pepper
- 6 Tsp Bald Buck Seasoning
- 2 Tsp smoked paprika
- ½ Tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes – Optional
- Cream of chicken soup
- Sour cream
- Milk
- Shredded cheese (pick your favorite)
- Tortillas (corn of flour)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a small bowl, mix chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, Bald Buck Seasoning, paprika and cayenne/red pepper (optional).
- Transfer the mixture to a jar. This will be an awesome taco seasoning mixture you can use for other dishes too. 😊
- Place skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil. Brown the onions until soft.
- Add shredded chicken, 2-3 Tbsps of the taco seasoning mixture, Rotel, and half the can of cream of chicken soup.
- Cook over low heat until everything is mixed together well.
- Take a spoon and put it in the tortillas evenly.
- Roll the tortillas and place in a 9×13 pan with the seam side down.
- Do this until the pan is full.
- Mix the left over cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk in a bowl.
- Poor the mixture over your rolled tortillas.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake for at least 20 minutes. Make sure everything is heated well.
- Serve and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Tortillas from your favorite restaurant make a difference.
- Bald Buck is key here. BBQ Pitmasters use it for their meat but I learned it makes for one hell of a seasoned salt. Try it in this dish but more importantly, experiment with it as the salt in your other dishes. It adds this unique flavor that is amazing but nobody will be able to put their finger on what that flavor is. There are reviews about it on YouTube but below is the best video about it.