Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
My sister introduced me to these enchiladas years ago when she served it for a holiday dinner. It quickly became a family favorite. Shortly after that, a bunch of us got together to do some big batch freezer meal cooking, and this recipe was bumped to the top of the list. It’s everything I love in a recipe: simple, flavorful, versatile.
I prefer this version over traditional red sauce enchiladas. The corn tortillas are rolled around a filling of black beans, green chiles, and chicken and soak up the mild, creamy green chile enchilada sauce. It bakes to a bubbly golden brown in a fast 15 minutes!
Even though I’m a big believer in cooking fresh, seasonal food, I always have a good stock of canned food in my pantry. They often make the difference between getting a delicious dinner on the table fast and eating pancakes three nights a week. I love pancakes as much as the next person, but they can’t compete with these babies.
Half of the ingredient list comes from canned food! It makes prep work a snap, while still giving you a wholesome, flavor-packed meal. It also makes it easy to have most of the ingredients always on hand, for those times you are staring at some leftover chicken trying to figure out what in the world to make for dinner.
I found everything I needed for this recipe at my local Safeway.
Because you are preparing the sauce, filling, and tortillas separately, assembly is flexible. You could triple the recipe, load up huge pans, and feed your son’s entire football team. Or prepare smaller pans and slide them into your freezer for quick dinners for two. This recipe is written for a standard 9×13 baking dish, which gives our family dinner and leftovers. A good thing, as these are just as good, if not better, on day two.
These enchiladas are totally open to interpretation. Vegetarian? Omit the chicken and add another can of beans. Don’t like beans? Leave them out entirely. Bump the heat up or down. Use a smaller dish and freeze another pan for later.
And best of all? Deliver a delicious, healthy dinner to the table in half the time by keeping your pantry stocked with basic canned goods.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
2 cans (10 oz. each) green enchilada sauce
2 cans (5 oz. each) evaporated milk
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
1 can (15 oz.) black or pinto beans, drained & rinsed
3 c. cooked, chopped chicken
4 green onions, sliced
salt
3 c. shredded cheese
12 corn tortillas
- Combine the enchilada sauce and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan or skillet over low heat. Heat until just warm. Smear about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the green chiles, beans, chicken, green onions, and salt (to taste, depending on the saltiness of the chicken and beans).
- Heat tortillas, 5 at a time in the microwave for 1 minute or in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, until limp.
- To assemble: Dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce to completely coat both sides. Lay in the baking dish and fill with about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture and 2 T. of shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the dish. Continue until you have used all of the filling and tortillas. (Rolled tortillas can be packed tightly against one another in the pan to keep them from unrolling.) Pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly on the sides.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Safeway. The opinions and text are all mine.
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