Simple Chicken Enchiladas
Simple Chicken Enchiladas with their chicken & cheese filling seasoned simply for just the right flavor "oomph" and moistness, these are our family-favorite enchiladas. Make a pan for tonight, and one to freeze for later!
Here at house, we've recently had a 5-year-old little girl join our family. She is a sweet, loving, adventurous, full-spirited little girl whom we adore ... and who totally runs our pa-tooties off! She is so full of energy, and I must admit that my husband and I are experiencing whole new levels of tiredness as we do our very best to keep up with her. We'll catch up on sleep in 15 years or so, right?
I love her adventurous spirit, and am thrilled to say that she's not only adventurous in life ...but with food, too! 'Cause seriously ... I don't know what I would do with a picky eater. No joke. A picky eater would be really tough on me. But Little Miss H. is willing to try just about anything, and so far, we've only found about two things she doesn't like.
But even with her food adventurousness, I still wonder sometimes if she'll like it when I make some things. Like with these simple Chicken Enchiladas ...
And so, I served up this dish of enchiladas with trepidation the other night for dinner. Would Little Miss H. like them? Or, would she turn up her nose to them in disgust? Would I be whipping out my back-up plan for her dinner? ... {yes, I had set aside some plain chicken in the fridge from making the filling ... just in case}. Or, was she going to dig into these simple Chicken Enchiladas with gusto, as she does most foods??
I'm happy to report, she loved them! Yay ... another win for the adventurous 5-year-old eating column!
Now, on this particular night, I had also decided to do a homemade enchilada sauce taste test ... pitting my homemade enchilada sauce against a good ol' can of the prepared stuff ...
So I wasn't serving up just one pan of simple Chicken Enchiladas for dinner ... I was serving up two pans! One with homemade sauce, and one with store-bought. And do you know what?
Little Miss H. even participated in the taste-test, tasting a bit from each pan! She took her taste-testing role very seriously, very decidedly delivering up her verdict homemade enchilada sauce was the winner, for sure. Little Miss H. approved.
For our simple Chicken Enchiladas, I whip up a pretty basic chicken filling seasoned simply with sauteed onion, diced green chilies, and salt and pepper. I like the flavor the onion and green chilies add ... it's just enough "extra oomph" for the chicken without being too much going on. Some chicken enchiladas are just chicken ... that's it ... in the filling, and I must admit I'm not a fan. I need a little bit more than that.
I also like to add a bit of cheese with the chicken when I fill my Chicken Enchiladas for added flavor and moistness inside ...
I find that filling the enchiladas with chicken alone can be a tad bit dry, and I don't like dry-inside enchiladas.
Once I've filled and rolled all my enchiladas, I smother them generously with enchilada sauce ...
{canned is fine, though homemade enchilada sauce is even better and sooooo easy to make}
... and then smother generously with cheese ...
Once baked, you've got a bubbly pan of simple Chicken Enchiladas to enjoy ... seasoned simply to give the chicken filling just the right bit of "oomph," and ... if you choose to take the "challenge," smothered in flavorfully-delicious homemade enchilada sauce.
Thankfully, all 5-year-old Little Miss H. approved.
Ingredients
- 6 c. shredded cooked chicken {About 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs OR 1 whole chicken. I often use a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken.}
- 2 T. butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, undrained
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 10 flour tortillas* {approximately 9-inch size}
- 4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (28 oz.) can enchilada sauce {OR 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce}
- chopped cilantro and/or crumbled queso fresco for garnish {optional}
- Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add green chilies, shredded chicken, salt, and pepper; stir until well combined. Remove from heat.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce on one side of each tortilla. Place about 3/4 cup of chicken filling down the center of each tortilla. Top with about 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Roll up each enchilada into a cigar shape. Place seam-side-down in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted, about 25 to 30 minutes. When serving, garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and/or crumbled queso fresco, if desired.
* Enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas, however we prefer ours with flour tortillas. Substitute corn tortillas, if desired. Fry corn tortillas, per package directions, before filling.
Note Simple Chicken Enchiladas freeze well. Once assembled, skip the baking step. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. When ready to enjoy, thaw and bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
Enjoy!
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