10 March, 2020
Midwestern Style Chicken Enchiladas
Posted in : Mains on by : Christine
This recipe was submitted by Christa from Sedalia, MO and makes a really good and hearty dish. It is the kind of homey stick-to-your-ribs food I think of when I think of the Midwest. The recipe makes a l lot but can be easily halved for a smaller crowd and reheats easily for a next day treat. See my tips if you do not have a crock pot or need some other ideas for the chicken. I also have some recommendations if you want to make a lacto-vegetarian option.
Midwestern Style Chicken Enchiladas
2020-03-10 16:11:00
A hearty Midwestern dish to satisfy your cravings for Mexican food.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless chicken breast (see tips for other options)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (Christa prefers a brand w/a red & white label)
- 7 oz. can diced green chilies (fire roasted)
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 8 Extra large flour tortillas
- Mexican grated cheese, approx 2 cups
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optionally garnish with fresh cilantro, black olives, more sour cream, salsa and sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Cook chicken breast in crock pot with water covering chicken for several hours. (Christa cooks hers over night on low.) Remove chicken breasts and cool completely. Shred chicken breast after cooling.
- Mix together soup, sour cream, chiles, salt & pepper.
- In a 13X9 baking dish, slather some of the cream mixture on bottom of the pan, just to cover the bottom.
- Take a flour tortilla and slather some cream mixture on, add a handful of shredded chicken and a handful of cheese. Then fold up with the sides closed up. Place folded tortilla in the 13X9 pan seam side down.
- Continue with other tortillas in a row until the pan is full. Slather cream mixture all over the top of the tortillas.
- Top with Mexican cheese (as much as you like). Christa likes a lot of cheese!
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake 350 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes. Uncover for the last 10 minutes if you like a browned top.
- Serve with Guacamole, cilantro, salsa, pickled jalapenos, black olives or garnish or your choice.
Notes
- You can substitute rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for convenience. One chicken should equal the meat of approx 3# chicken breast depending on how big the chicken is. If you don't want to buy two chickens fill it out with some sauteed mushroom or onions.
- This would be an awesome way to use leftover turkey!
- I used chicken thighs when I tested this recipe. I always find them on sale and prefer the flavor to breasts. It doesn't matter how they come (bone in/out, skin on/off) just season with some S&P (I also sprinkled a little cumin, coriander, and onion powder on mine) and roast in the oven at 350* for 20-30 min. depending on their size.
- I have not tried this yet but I bet using ground turkey or chicken would work well too if you are on a budget and it's on sale. Saute until golden brown delicious seasoned with some S&P and some chopped cilantro. Just make sure to drain well. Maybe add some chopped onion? Just sayin'.
- The cheese can be a mix of Colby jack and cheddar if you can't find a Mexican blend at the store.
- For more heat try using a mix of green chilies and jalapenos.
- A time saving tip - After covering the bottom of the pan I reserved 1/4 of the cream mixture and 1/2 c of cheese and mixed the chicken and 1 1/2 c cheese into the remaining cream mixture. It saved time during the slathering process and ensured all the ingredients were distributed evenly to all the tortillas. The reserved cream sauce and cheese I used on the top.
- Add some fresh chopped cilantro if you like to the cream sauce for a little for flair.
- Lacto-vegetarian option: Use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken. Roast or saute mushrooms, eggplant, onions, corn or zucchini (or any combination, sliced black and green olives would work too) for the filling seasoned with S&P and a little cumin, coriander, and onion powder if you like, just make sure that you cook the veggies first to release their moisture and that they are not wet when you add them to the tortillas. Mix them with the cream mixture for easier assembly.
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