Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
One of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken is in enchiladas. You can put any number of ingredients in a tortilla, add cheese and sauce, and it’s bound to be delicious. Usually, one batch of enchiladas will make two meals for our household of 4 served with rice and beans or salad. Make a big batch, put a pan in the freezer and you’re all set for another dinner without the prep. Plus, it’s a great budget stretcher.
My go to reference for most Mexican food is the Sunset Mexican Cook Book. It’s a great starting point and simple to follow, but, I tend to just use what’s on hand with the recipe as a loose guide. Use the spices and ingredients your family enjoys.
If you were industrious enough to garden, and canned up a batch of salsa verde (perhaps made with tomatoes that didn’t ripen) then pour some of that lovely sauce over your pan of goodness. If not, store bought sauce is good, I’ve tried most brands and have been happy with all of them. Or, if you prefer red enchilada sauce, use that. You can’t go wrong as long as there’s plenty of cheese!
Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced cooked Chicken or Turkey
- 1 med-sized Onion chopped
- 1-2 fresh Jalapenos remove membranes and seeds for less heat
- 1 4- oz can sliced Black Olives
- 1 4- oz can diced Green Chilies
- 4-6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
- 1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ – ¾ cup sour cream
- 2-3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 10- oz can Green Enchilada Sauce
- 8-10 Corn Tortillas
- Vegetable oil for tortillas
- ¼ cup chopped Cilantro optional garnish
- 2 tbsp sliced Green Onions optional garnish
- Sour Cream, Salsa, and pickled jalapenos for garnish
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and adjust rack to middle position. Combine diced, cooked chicken with next 10 ingredients and taste for seasoning. Adjust spices, salt, and ricotta or sour cream to your preference. Set out tortillas on a baking sheet, brush both sides lightly with vegetable oil and place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until warm and flexible. This will help the tortillas to roll without splitting when filling. While heating, prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spraying with cooking oil and spoon about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom. When tortillas are warm, take them out of the oven, and place about 1/3 cup of filling on each tortilla, roll tortilla around the filling, and place in the baking dish seam side down. After all have been arranged in the baking dish, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over, cover with cheese, and cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes covered and an additional 10 minutes uncovered to lightly brown the cheese. Let the dish rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Spoon desired garnishments over enchiladas and serve with refried beans, rice, and salad.
