The Chicken Enchiladas

It’s no secret that we love Mexican food. As in, I could live on Guacamole and chips for months at a time and Husband could be happy eating nothing but burritos. So when my friend Dawn made Chicken Enchiladas for us when I had surgery several years ago, I knew I had to have the recipe. So I begged and pleaded and offered my firstborn child. Actually, I just shot her an email and asked her for the recipe. She kindly sent it to me for free.

This is a go-to recipe for us now. I make it when we want something yummy. I make it when we have company. I make it when I feel like clogging my arteries just a little bit more. And I make it when we’re taking dinner to someone. (Unless they don’t like Mexican food, which has only happened one time in my entire life.) Husband was drooling the other night when I was loading up dinner for Josh and Jennifer. He even felt the need to tweet about it. Sadly, it’s probably the only picture I have of the Enchiladas.



It’s definitely not low-fat. Nor is it “healthy”. But man, it’s good. And it makes enough that it will feed a crowd or I can split it and freeze half if it’s just us. It freezes beautifully. Cooking once, eating twice is always a winner in my book.
Without further adieu, here’s the Chicken Enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas (from Dawn)
2 chicken breasts, cooked, shredded
1 can chopped green chilies
Garlic (to taste)
Onions, chopped (to taste)
8oz cream cheese (at room temp works best)
Lime juice (to taste – I like a lot!)
8-10 tortillas (I use Whole Wheat sometimes so I don’t feel so bad about the whole heavy cream thing)
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
2 cups Cheddar or Cheddar Jack shredded cheese blend (or whatever kind of Mexican Cheese you like)
*Edited to add - Cilantro. If you like it, use it. (We like it. A LOT.)

Saute onions, green chilies and garlic. Add cooked chicken and cream cheese on low heat until melty and yummy. Remove from heat, spray with lime juice. Throw in some cilantro if you're so inclined.

Divide meat mixture into 8-10 tortillas, placing in pan as you go. Pour shredded cheese on top of rolled enchiladas, then slowly pour heavy cream over cheese, making sure to cover well.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until hot & bubbly and sauce has started to thicken. If the cheese starts to brown too much, cover with foil until done. After you pull it out of the oven, sprinkle on some more cilantro for good measure.

*The whole recipe fits great into a 13x9 pan, but I split it into 8x8 pans when I’m freezing half. I freeze it with the cheese and heavy cream already on, but you could wait until after thawing to add them if you want to. It’s also great to make ahead the night before and store in the fridge. You can wait to pour the heavy cream until just before baking if you’re making it ahead. To cook from the fridge or frozen, thaw, and add about 10-15 minutes to baking time since it will be cold.