These creamy chicken enchiladas were a total experiment and they turned out so good! So many of the things in this recipe were just sort of happenstance. Like, “heck, let’s just try it and see what happens” and it worked! Next time I will definitely add more to the filling to stretch it a bit more. I am thinking corn, black beans, and adding onion to the crock pot as I cook the chicken.

NOTES:

I made this recipe so it would make enough enchiladas to freeze some or feed a crowd. I got 18 enchiladas which I divided between 4 containers. You can absolutely half this recipe, but you might as well make the whole batch and freeze some, or invite friends over for dinner. They also taste great the next day.

You will also notice that the chicken is cooked in the crock pot. I suggest doing that first thing in the morning or even the day before so it is ready to go when you begin to assemble the enchiladas.

Here is something you need to know about enchiladas as well: they are pretty darn hard to mess up. Tortillas and chicken and cheese really work so well together. Don’t get too bogged down in specifics. They tend to turn out just fine 🙂

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 packets green enchilada sauce (I used Frontera 8 ounce packets)
• 4-6 chicken breasts (if only doing chicken, do 6 breasts; if adding things like corn and black beans, you can get away with 4 breasts)
• 16 ounces (2 cups) sour cream
• Optional: 1 can corn (drained)
• Optional: 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• Optional: 2-3 red peppers (can sub yellow or orange)
• Optional: 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• Approx. 18-20 tortillas
• 2 c shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 jars of salsa verde which are 12 oz. (can sub regular salsa if you can’t find salsa verde, I get this at Trader Joe’s)
• Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro

TO MAKE:

1. Put the peppers and onion in the crock pot, then the chicken, then 1 packet of enchilada sauce and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, fish out the chicken and transfer it to a bowl, leaving all the juice and veggies in the crock pot. Turn the crock pot off.
3. Shred the chicken by hand or using a hand mixer till gently shredded (I wanted it really well shredded so I used a hand mixer for this; you don’t have to. Just don’t overmix so the chicken turns to mush).
4. To the crock pot, add 1 cup sour cream and the second packet of enchilada sauce and whisk to combine.
5. Add the shredded chicken, corn, and black beans back to the crock pot and stir to combine.
6. THE SAUCE: In a blender, combine the other cup of sour cream, 2 jars of salsa verde, salt, and blend.  (This part was a total experiment; it is delicious and really puts the creamy in the recipe title).
7. ASSEMBLING THE ENCHILADAS: Pour a small amount of sauce into the bottom of each container you are using; just enough to coat the bottom.
8. Fill each tortilla with a scoop of the chicken filling (approx. 1/2 c per enchilada but you don’t really need to measure) then line then up one by one in your dish, seam side down so they don’t unfold; get them nice and close together.
9. Pour more of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas; not too much (we aren’t trying to drown them in sauce) but enough to lightly cover the tops of the enchiladas.
10. Cover with cheese
11. REPEAT steps 7-10 for as many enchiladas/containers till you run out of tortillas and filling. If you have extra sauce you can toss it, or store it in a jar for another meal. I think the extra sauce would be delicious over a sweet potato.
12. BAKE (covered in foil) at 350º for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes so the cheese can get nice and bubbly.
13. Serve with a nice side salad and enjoy!

TO FREEZE: Allow the enchiladas to cool, then cover each container with a layer of plastic wrap (this will help with freezer burn), followed by a layer of foil.  Label the containers, making sure to note the need to remove the layer of plastic wrap before baking.

TO BAKE: You can defrost overnight in the fridge then bake as directed in step 12 above, or bake from frozen by adding 20-30 minutes to the covered cooking time.