Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas Verdes
| May 4, 2011 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Chicken and Poultry, Mexican and Southwestern, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites |
Served with a side of chips and chunky guacamole, these Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas Verdes are a quick and easy addition to your cinco de mayo celebration. Considering how easy they were to make, I was honestly surprised by how well they went over – while they honestly weren’t my favorite, Shawn thought they were fantastic! Because so many of the ingredients came from cans, they were just a little too salty and processed tasting for me. Of course, that may have been why Shawn liked them so much — every now and then we all crave something that tastes junky, right?
I really like the combination of green enchilada sauce with chicken — it’s mellower than the more common red sauce and doesn’t overpower the mild flavor of the poached chicken. Green chile peppers add just enough heat to punch through the other flavors and pinto beans provide texture and bulk.
Looking for more enchiladas? Try my favorite version, with spinach and poblano. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, a pork and pineapple stacked enchilada. There’s no shortage of inspiration when it comes to Mexican recipes around here!
Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas Verdes
Total Time 40 minutes Yields 8 Enchiladas
- 2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tbs. Chili Powder
- 4 mild Green Chile Peppers, chopped
- 1/2 Onion, chopped
- 1 can (15.5 oz) Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack, shredded
- 8 6-inch Flour Tortillas
- 1 can (10 ounces) Green Enchilada Sauce (or make your own!)
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. While waiting for the water to boil, rub the chicken breasts with the chili powder. Slip the chicken breasts into the simmering water and let them poach gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the liquid and allow them to cool. Use two forks to shred the meat.
Heat oven to 350F.
Combine the shredded chicken, chile peppers, chopped onion, and pinto beans in a large bowl. Add half the shredded cheese.
Pour about 3 Tablespoons of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 11″x7″ baking dish. Spread it around so that the bottom of the dish is coated.
Spoon 1/8 of the chicken and chile mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
I think everyone deserves to have their junk food craving met every once in a while…and if you can meet it with homemade food? Much the better. I think these look great!
sometimes even the most delicious concoctions can be of the simplest form.
I once made Dan Good Chili (hungry recipe) that was 95% canned goods. The sodium was probably not the prettiest but it was the best thing i ever made that wasnt from scratch.
And who doesnt love enchiladas!!! yum!
My husband isn’t crazy about Mexican food and he really liked these. Yipee for me! Now when I craze for enchiladas I can make these (much healthier!) instead of ordering in from a local greasy but good restaurant and leaving my husband to his own dining devises. A few things I did different and it turned out delish (this is strictly a matter of personal taste, not what is better)! I actually sauteed the peppers, onions and a little garlic with some sea salt and a little of the enchilada sauce for a few minutes, just to soften things up a bit. I also used chedder cheese and red enchilada sauce.