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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Spinach and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

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We've been on a recipe kick over here lately, and I have been loving trying my hand at new things!
For years I have wanted to find a really good enchilada recipe.
I have actually tried a few recipes and none of them quite lived up to our tastes.
I found this recipe a few months ago and gave it a shot. They had a really good starting base, so we kept it in our rotation.
Since then I don't even know how many times we have made these enchiladas, but we have added or tweaked something each time to get them just right, and I must say they are delicious!
I was kind of nervous to make these at first because the original recipe called for corn tortillas, I was a little wary of working with those. (I'm talking the store-bought corn tortillas here).
In the past they always seemed to break apart on me.
So, because I didn't want a complete disaster, the first time I whipped these up was with flour tortillas, and they were actually really good, but my husband said he preferred the corn ones. He said it gives it more of an authentic flavor.
The next time I made this recipe I tried the corn tortillas, and low and behold they did break apart.
Since then I have done some research and even ended up talking to my neighbor for advice, and I found a few tips that ended up working. Now we use the corn tortillas all the time, and I will admit, they do add a nice authentic flavor and I would definitely recommend them.
I've got a quick run-down with pictures for you if you're more of a visual person, as well as the tips I've used to keep the corn tortillas from breaking, and then the full recipe is below.
I start out with 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and filet and season them.
Then cook them over medium heat on the stove until they are completely cooked through.
I then transfer the chicken to my stand mixer,
turn the speed to medium for about a minute and it will shred the chicken for you.
 Add ingredients to the pan over medium heat to incorporate everything.
 Then fill and roll the tortillas.
Again, you can use corn or flour tortillas.
So there are to different methods I tried, the first one is to take two damp paper towels and place 2-3 tortillas between them. Microwave for about 15 seconds, then fill them with filling and roll. That will steam them just a tiny bit so they are a little more flexible to work with. (That's actually the method I used in the picture below. Still a tiny bit of breaking apart, but nothing serious). I only used this method one time, I tried the next method and have stuck with it ever since.
This second method is the best, no breaking tortillas, and a perfect flavor. Pour a very small amount (maybe 1/2 Tbsp) vegetable oil in the bottom of a pan over medium heat and quickly 'fry' the corn tortilla to soften it. Just let it sit in the hot oil for like 10 seconds on each side, transfer to a plate with a paper towel, and then fill and roll. They obviously will be hot so be careful!
 Pour on some cream, sauce, and cheese.
 And bake!
Serve with your choice of toppings and you've got amazingly flavorful dinner ready to go!
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 white onion, diced
one 4 oz. can diced green chilies, drained
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
large handful baby spinach, chopped
tortillas
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c. green enchilada sauce
1/2 c shredded cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350. Start out by fileting and seasoning the chicken breasts. (Season the chicken lightly with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt). Cook over medium heat, and a small amount of oil, for a few minutes on each side until no longer pink in the middle. Shred the chicken, either with two forks, or transfer it to a mixer and turn the speed to medium for about a minute.
In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, over medium heat add butter, onion, green chilies, cream cheese, salt, pepper, cumin, spinach, and shredded chicken. Cook and stir until it is all incorporated together.
Turn off the heat and prepare the tortillas.
Place filled tortillas close together in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix together the heavy cream and green enchilada sauce and drizzle it over everything. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes.
Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

For a printable version of this recipe, click here
Recipe adapted from Grace and Good Eats

6 comments:

  1. Oooh these homemade enchiladas look so tasty! Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, they really are yummy! Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I never use the corn tortillas because they fall apart! Like you said. So now I know what to do. Thank you! I can't wait to make these. They sound so good! I never thought about putting the chicken in my mixer, great idea. And to add spinach and heavy cream is awesome. Thanks a lot for this. Glad I found you on Share The Wealth. I was going to follow you but I can't find your follow buttons, sorry.

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  3. Thank you so much for the tips on the corn tortillas! I hate when they fall apart! Thank you so much for linking up with us in the Best of the Blogosphere Link-Up last week! We hope you'll join us again in this week's party that started today!

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  4. This looks beautiful and delicious, can’t wait to try them for my daughter’s 13 year old birthday!

    Mariz
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