Have you ever noticed that basic home cooking is all about the seasonings? Take chicken, for example. It’s a frequently used base for a main course that can be taken in many different directions with just a few seasonings. Want Mexican? Add chipotle chile powder, chile, cumin, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, etc. Want Italian? Add basil, oregano, parsley. To both styles add the ever present onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
Onions and garlic—I rarely cook without them. They are my best friends along with various herbs and spices, and that effervescent duo, salt and pepper.
I am doing back-to-back posts centered on chicken prepared similarly, but taken in two different directions; A Mexican influenced Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and an Italian inspired Penne with Chicken and Cheesy Sauce.
These chicken enchiladas are my very favorite. The flavor is rich and full. The whole wheat tortillas hold up well to the sauce and do not become mushy. I hope that you will like them, too.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded Mexican blend cheeses (I used a pre-shredded blend of jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla, asadero)
- 8 10-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
For the Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 (16 ounce) can or jar green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup sour cream (I used low-fat sour cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, (Personally, I thought that the salt was too much, but others in the family thought that the salt was the right amount...Up to personal preference, obviously.)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Filling:
- 4-5 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used a deli roasted chicken))
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 cup sauce (above)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
For the Sauce:
- Melt butter in a 4 quart sauce pot over medium to medium-low heat. Saute onions and garlic butter until translucent.
- Stir in flour well.
- Stir in chicken stock. Cook until somewhat reduced and thickened.
- Add enchilada sauce, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir well and heat through. Set aside.
For the filling:
- In a large bowl, mix together the filling ingredients--shredded chicken, chopped fresh cilantro, green chiles, chipotle chile powder, salt, and 1 cup of the sauce. Set aside.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
To assemble:
- Working on a regular sized dinner plate with one flour tortilla at a time, spoon 1/8 of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top chicken mixture with a handful of shredded cheese. Roll tortilla tightly around filling. Place filled, rolled tortillas snugly side by side in the buttered baking dish.
- Pour remainder of sauce over the top of the tortillas. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top of the sauce.
- Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese has melted.
You may also like:
Restaurant-style Salsa
Taqueria-style Slow Cooker Chicken
Green Chile Chicken Casserole
Gosh this looks so good. We actually went out to eat (something we rarely do) and just had Mexican food. I ate something similar to this.. but I am sure your filling is much more flavorful than the one I had. 🙂 Looks amazing! ~ Ramona
That sauce looks good enough to drink! Yummy, but that is not alot of ingredients so simple here I come. You have a wonderful blog and I visit often but rarely leave a comment. Please keep them coming and often. Happy Holy week also. Hope all of you have a great Easter.
Oh wow…I think I’ll try this one next. Sometimes I wish I could make recipes like this and portion them up and keep them in the freezer for later.
Eric, try the Green Chile Chicken Enchilada casserole. You can freeze it.
LUV your smothered burrito recipe, we will have it next week!! I read your comment about taking one ingredient like chicken and how easy it is to completely change it up. I recently made a chicken dish that I have not made in probably 20 years and it was divine!! I put 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a 9×13 casserole that was Pam’ed. I poured one bottle Russian salad dressing (reg. size)in a bowl and added 1 jar peach preserves (medium size). Mix well and pour over chicken. Cover with foil, bake at 350* 30-45 minutes. When done, remove sauce to a small pot and put over medium low heat. Add a bit of slurry (equal amounts water and flour mixed really well, no lumps) and stir til thick. Serve chicken with rice and pour sauce over both. My son kept looking at me like I had lost my mind while this was baking, and he was hesitant to even taste it. BUT, he did taste it and three thighs and sauced rice later plus 3 King’s Hawaiian rolls he could not get over how good it was!! I ate sauce and rolls when the chicken was gone!! Catalina dressing and Apricot preserves work well, so does bone in, skin on chicken, just let it bake a bit longer (check temp to be sure it’s done). This could easily be done in a slow cooker, too.