Creamy Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas



Enchiladas are an ideal dish to make in advance and heat just before dinner time. I think they taste even better after the chicken, cheese, chilies, and cilantro have some time to meld together.

Tonight's dinner of Creamy Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas was so well received that I had a hard time keeping two of The Kids away before getting a photo taken of the meal.

The recipe includes a couple time-saving tips. The sauce utilizes a jarred salsa verde. These are two of my favorites:
If you like your enchiladas a little less spicy, try the Trader Joe's brand. If you are more adventurous, the Goya Salsa Verde is the one you want. There are many other brands of salsa verde on the market and you may want to experiment to find the one you like the best. Also, you can pick up a whole already cooked rotisserie chicken (like the ones at the grocery store, Costco, or Sam's) instead of roasting the chicken yourself. All you will need to do is shred the chicken.

"Are you done taking pictures of this yet? I would like to eat my enchilada," my Middle One said as she patiently waited to eat. "Can I eat it now? How about now? I think you have enough photos to choose from."

"These are really good. I mean really good," commented The Husband.

I would recommend making enchiladas to have on hand during the busy holidays. Roast and shred the chicken and combine with about 1 cup of the creamy green chili sauce. Keep this mixture in the refrigerator along with tortillas and shredded cheddar cheese and enchiladas are only 20 minutes away.

Creamy Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas

makes 12 enchiladas - serves 6

4 bone-in chicken breasts or purchased already cooked rotisserie chicken
olive oil
salt
pepper
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup salsa verde (I recommend Trader Joe's or Goya brands)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
12 6-inch flour tortillas
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 40 - 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 170 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan to medium high and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onions. Saute for 8 - 10 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cumin and saute for an additional minute. Stir in the flour until blended and cook for a minute. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 - 4 minutes or until thickened. Add the salsa verde, sour cream, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season the creamy green chili sauce with salt and pepper. Add about 1 cup of the creamy green chili sauce to the shredded chicken and stir to combine.

To assemble enchiladas get a large baking dish. Dip a tortilla into the creamy green chili sauce and put it on a cutting board. Put a big scoop of the chicken mixture in the center, sprinkle with a little of the cheese, and roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling. Place the enchilada in the baking dish. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and put them in the baking dish. Pour the remaining creamy green chili sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Serve hot with sour cream.

19 comments:

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I am going to take your advice and try making these is advance. I could always use a make ahead meal.

MaryBeth said...

I love chicken enchiladas, yours look great. I would keel over dead from the chilies though.

Annie said...

Great ideas and tips. I could totally make these for a weeknight with store bought rotisserie chicken!!
I laughed when I read about your kids asking if you were done taking photos of the food. Sounds familiar...hahaha.
(The things we do for our blogs!);)

That Girl said...

I love that TJ's salsa verde - I always use it with my enchiladas!

Robin said...

There are a lot of good tips in this post. I like the idea of using the rotisserie chicken for these type of chicken dishes. Never thought of that one! Also thanks for the heads up about the verde sauce. I will go with Trader Joe's version since the kids don't like it that hot. I think this will be a perfect meal for this crazy time of year. Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas.

kat said...

Its been so long since we've had enchiladas, this reminded me to make them again

Maris said...

Such a good idea! I always shy away from mexican food because some of the ingredients are so complicated but this looks delicious. I'd serve guacamole as a starter for sure!

Cristine said...

I LOVE enchiladas! This recipe sounds delicious!

grace said...

FANtastic. creamy is a good word to describe your creation. another good word would be stellar. :)

Anonymous said...

I WISH my family liked spicy! Since they don't I always seem to underspice their food - my husband is convinced that I have burned off all my tastebuds by now!

Thanks for the recipe!

Dragon said...

Enchiladas are a great comfort food. Yours look wonderful.

Joanne said...

OMG, that picture looks good enough to eat! I like the helpful tips you add to the post, as someone not too comfortable in the kitchen! Happy Thanksgiving!

Chef E said...

I am planning on this dish with some friends in a few weeks!

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

These look delicious. I love chicken enchiladas.

mcmcolospgs said...

I just made these for dinner the other night and they were SOO good. I could not find either of the salsa verde brands you recommended (well we don't have a TJ's here either) but I did buy Archer Farms brand, which is what Target sells, and was very pleased. Very yummy and will make this one of our regular meals!

amycaseycooks said...

mcmcolospgs - I just made these again today for one of my clients. Glad to hear the Archer Farms brand of salsa worked out well. I love feedback on my recipes. Thanks!!

Chef Debbie said...

I make a recipe very similar to this, and my children really loved it. How can you go wrong with all those wonderful cheesy, creamy, flavors! Great photo, too!

Anonymous said...

If you are short on time start with a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for the cooked chicken.

brenda said...

I'am going to try rotell instead of salsas and leave out the sour cream but use ranch dressing mixed in my cheese before adding it to them.