Chicken Enchiladas

A classic Tex-Mex favourite, perfect for a crowd or weeknight dinner made easy with leftover chicken and rice. The trick is a half a block of softened cream cheese added to the filling ingredients. I also had some leftover Béchamel sauce on hand which I spread on top of the filled enchiladas before I topped with more cheese and baked.

For my filling, I combined shredded chicken, cold cooked rice, cream cheese, canned black beans, fresh chopped bell pepper, jarred roasted peppers, and sliced shallots. I seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, and green salsa to taste. Measurements don’t have to be exact, use whatever you have on hand. You can easily make this vegetarian and add in other leftovers. Most recipes I’ve seen for enchiladas were simply shredded chicken in a sauce, but I prefer to add more texture and flavour. Use whatever you like and have on hand, that’s the beauty of this dish. I can’t claim that this is an authentic recipe that is traditional to Mexican enchiladas, however I can tell you that it’s deliciou! Just taste along the way to adjust seasonings.

Equipment

Baking dish

Ingredients

Filling

1/2 block of cream cheese, softened

Cooked shredded chicken, 2 cups

Cooked cooled rice, 1 cup

1 chopped bell pepper

2 shallots sliced

2 TB chopped roasted marinated pepper

1/4 -1/2 cup cooked black beans (canned are fine)

1/4 cup to taste green salsa (smooth works best)

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp flaky sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp chili flakes

Package of small or medium size tortillas

1/2 cup Green salsa, smooth works best

2 cups of grated Monterrey and cheddar cheese

Garnish

1 avocado, sliced

1 TB fresh Coriander or parsley chopped

sour cream

2 TB pickled shallots

1. Mix all filling ingredients together in a big bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Add about 1/2 cup green salsa on the bottom of the baking dish

4. Fill each tortilla with approximately 1/4 cup of filling. Sprinkle about 1TB of grated cheese along the inside in each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down on top of the salsa in the baking dish.

5. Once the baking dish is filled with the enchiladas, pour over another 1/2 cup of green salsa over all the enchiladas. You don’t need to drench them. Then sprinkle on more cheese.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly, and starting to brown on top.

7. Top with chopped coriander or parsley, sliced avocado, dollops of sour cream, and pickled shallots.

Let me know if you make this and feel free to tag me on Instagram @wherelizis