creamy green chili chicken enchiladas
Holy cow! More enchiladas! These ones are amazingly fantastic. I really love green enchilada sauce (like to the point that I could just eat it with a spoon), but combining it with a béchamel… oh, my gosh. So delicious! And the chicken/green chili/cream cheese filling is out of this world. This recipe is also a perfect example of how you can start with a delicious recipe, and add a few tweaks to make it healthier. I added a bunch of spinach, used only about half of the cream cheese/cheese, left out the sour cream in the sauce, and used corn tortillas instead of flour. And guess what? They were still an incredibly delicious meal!
Another great thing about this recipe is that it freezes wonderfully! I actually doubled the recipe and got three pans of 6 enchiladas each, and put two of them in the freezer for another day. I can’t wait to dig them out and enjoy the cheesy goodness all over again!
Creamy Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafefilling:
4 cups fresh spinach
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces green chilies
1 can white beans, rinsed and drainedsauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (7 ounces) green enchilada sauceassembly:
1 cup shredded cheese (jack, cheddar, colby, etc.)
8 large corn tortillas, warmed and softenedPreheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of water. Add the spinach, cover, and let steam until spinach has wilted (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, and chop. In a medium bowl, mix together chicken, cream cheese, green chilies, spinach, and white beans. Set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until softened. Whisk in the flour until a paste forms, and cook 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and milk, and whisk quickly to incorporate the flour mixture. Let cook a few minutes, until thickened, then remove from heat. Whisk in enchilada sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble, spread a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas have been rolled, top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes or the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
yum. i love corn tortillas better than flour anyway, so this is perfect! and spinach in enchiladas?! genius!
These are absolutely yummy!
Oh my jeepers these look good. I've been looking for a good green enchilada recipe, and most are just loaded with cream cheese and sour cream. Yours look perfect! I'd take green enchiladas over red any day, wish my hubby agreed with me… Ah well 🙂
~April
Is your recipe already doubled?
Pinned to make this month, can't wait – thank you!
have you tried this with red enchilada sauce, its what I happen to have in the kitchen at the moment:)?
Do you think you could assemble this the night before and bake the next day?
Yes I think that would work fine. I've frozen these several times and they've turned out great. The tortillas get a little softer but they're still really good!
SOOOO good! We had these for dinner and everyone loved them. This is a keeper!
These were super easy to make and Totally Delicious! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I love this recipe! It is so good. I have made it with out white beans and even Neufchâtel.
If you are making the night before and cooking the next night, do you think putting them in the refrigerator if better or ok? Or is freezer better?? Thanks!
If making them the night before, the fridge would work just fine and I think it would be easier to cook them the next day.
Great thanks!
Delish! Love the healthier twist. Going to make these this week!
Do you freeze them before the baking step or after?
I freeze them before baking.
It was good, but needed more spice for my household. Used blacked chicken and I added to fresh jalapeños to the filling, 1 fresh jalapeño and a diced Thai chilli to the sauce but could’ve used a little more. I needed a more sauce, so I used a 1/2 a cup of salsa verte. Will make again and up the spice a bit more