GREEN CHILE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Sweet, tangy, and filling, The Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas make a fantastic, delicious, comforting meal for a weeknight. This recipe comes together quickly if you cook a few chicken breasts in a skillet or use ready-to-eat chicken such as rotisserie chicken or canned breasts. I smothered the chicken enchiladas in a simple homemade green chili sauce that takes less than 10 minutes to make and is much more flavor than the store-bought enchilada sauce. So make sure to use the sauce whenever you have the option!
CHICKEN OPTIONS
I cooked some chicken pieces in a pan to make these Enchiladas (instructions are included in the recipe below). However, you could use a shortcut using rotisserie chicken or canned chicken breasts to simplify this recipe. Filling your enchiladas will take approximately 2 cups of cooked and chilled chicken.
CAN I ADD MORE VEGETABLES?
You could add more veggies to the enchilada mixture, should you wish. Because there will be more volume, I suggest making more than 16 enchiladas (maybe sixteen enchiladas) or cutting down the meat by half to make up for the extra vegetables. The vegetables that are good in this chicken green chile and enchiladas include zucchini (sauteed initially to get rid of moisture) and the spinach (chopped and sauteed, or frozen and frozen and thawed) as well as the frozen variety of corn (thawed).
It is also possible to add some vegetables to your dish to ensure you have a balanced diet.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH GREEN CHILE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
There are a myriad of delicious side dishes to accompany these Enchiladas. You can try one of the following:
- Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Cumin Lime Sweet Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Quick Seasoned Black Beans
- Warm Corn and Avocado Salad
- Cumin Lime Coleslaw
- Cucumber Black Bean Salad
- Sweet Corn Salsa
ARE THESE ENCHILADAS SPICY?
I would say these enchiladas are “medium” spicy. I filled it with pepper jack cheese containing spicy peppers and a tiny cayenne pepper. If your green chiles from canned (used in preparing the sauce for enchiladas) are also spicy, your enchiladas will likely be more spicy.
INGREDIENTS
Enchiladas
12 6-inch corn tortillas ($0.68)
Half TBSP cooking oils ($0.02)
One lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast* ($6.43)
1/2 cup sour cream ($0.22)
Eight oz. pepper Jack cheese, shredded and divided ($1.69)
Two onions with greens cut ($0.20)
1/2 1 tsp of garlic powder ($0.05)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin ($0.05)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
2 4oz. cans of diced green chiles ($1.58)
2 Tbsp cooking oils ($0.16)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
One teaspoon of ground cumin ($0.10)
1/2 1 tsp crushed garlic ($0.03)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder ($0.02)
1 cup of water ($0.00)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, you can toast them for 30-60 minutes per side or until they are browned around the sides (no oil required). To prevent their moisture from escaping, toasted tortillas should be placed on a platter and covered with foil or an upside-down bowl.
Heat the skillet to medium. Add the cooking oil and swirl the skillet to coat it. Place the chicken breast in the skillet and cook for about 7 minutes per side or until the chicken breast is cooked (165oF the internal temp). Transfer the breast of the chicken to the cutting surface and allow it to cool.
While the chicken is cooking, begin making the green chile sauce. Combine both cans of chopped green chiles (with liquid) in a blender and blend until smooth.
Incorporate the cooking oil, flour, cumin powder, garlic powder, and onion powder into a tiny sauce pot. Stir and cook at medium heat, allowing the mix to build up to bubbling. When it is bubbling, keep cooking and stir for a minute.
Add the purified water and green chiles into the sauce pot, whisking until the mixture is well-mixed. Allow the sauce to heat back to a simmer and stir frequently. After the sauce has cooled, turn off the heat and add salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Put it aside.
Start by preheating the oven to 350oF. Add the sour cream, half of the pepper jack shredded, sliced green onions, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt to the bowl of a large size. Cut the chicken into small pieces and put it with all the ingredients in the bowl. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
Start assembling the Enchiladas by making them. Put approximately 1/4 cup of the filled filling in the center of each tortilla. Then wrap it up. Place the tortillas filled with fillings on a baking dish with the seams facing down.
Pour the green chile sauce over the enchiladas. Top with the rest of the pepper jack cheese that has been shredded. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the sauce starts bubbling at the edges. Serve hot.
