Making dinner for the family can be daunting, especially in a house full of picky eaters. Luckily, these green chili chicken enchiladas are a sure crowd-favorite. Stuffed with a creamy, cheesy chicken filling and topped with a tangy green sauce, these enchiladas are the perfect tex mex dinner.
Enchilada Filling
Enchiladas come in all shapes and sizes. Red sauce, green sauce. Canitas, ropa vieja, shrimp, black beans. You name it, you can make an enchilada with it. Scramble some eggs and you can even have them for breakfast. That’s the beauty of them, versatility.
Not all enchilada recipes are cheese/dairy heavy, but carpe diem, right? These enchiladas are creamy and cheesy and rich in the best way possible.
Start with sauteed onions and garlic. Add to it 1 1/2 lb diced chicken breast and plenty of spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper). Pour in a can of green chilis, 4 oz. of cream cheese and 1/3 cup sour cheam. At this point the mixture will likely look pretty loose and runny.
Here comes the cheese! Add 2 cups of shredded cheese. Cheddar is delicious, but I recommend the mexican blend of shredded cheese you can find in most grocery stores now! They usually contain cheddar, monterey jack, asadero and queso quesadilla cheese (great for melting!) as well as some taco blend spices.
Melt the cheese in the chicken mixture and it will thicken up. Scoop 1/3-1/2 a cup into 8-10 tortillas and place them, seam side down onto 1/2 a can of green enchilada sauce in a 13×9 baking dish. Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce (plus another can if needed) on top of the tortillas and top with monterey jack cheese (or whatever cheese you’d like). Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and serve immediately!
Enchilada Toppings
While these enchiladas are astounding on their own, there is no harm in dressing them up! I like to treat mine like I do my tacos, topping them with anything I can think of.
- Cilantro
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Shredded lettuce
- Lime
- Corn or Mango Salsa
Every now and then you can switch out taco night for another tex mex staple and these green chili chicken enchiladas are the perfect substitute!
Want More Tex Mex Inspired Dishes?
Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- ½ cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- ½ tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- 4.5 oz mild green chilis 1 can
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 cup shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
- 2 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce
- 8-10 medium flour tortilla shells
- 1½ cups monterey jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Add 1 tbsp oil, diced onion and garlic to a saute pan over medium high heat. Sweat for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Dice chicken and add to the pan, cooking through-5-6 minutes.
- Season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add diced green chilis, stir to combine.
- Add in cream cheese and sour cream. Allow to melt and add in cheddar or mexican blend cheese. Melt completely.
- Pour ½ of a 10 oz can of enchilada sauce in a 13x9 baking dish. Scoop about ⅓-½ of a cup of the chicken and cheese mixture on to a flour tortilla and roll. Place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat 7-9 more times until you are out of filling or the dish is full.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas and top with monterey jack cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown slightly. Serve immediately.
