White Chicken Enchiladas

Like previously mentioned, I'm on an enchilada kick lately. However, this was my first time making chicken enchiladas. We both love chicken, but I hardly ever buy it. I just have a hard time justifying buying other types of meat when we have an all-access pass to a freezer full of beef (as part of Flint's wages) as well as pork from Flint's pig-raising adventures. Anyway, my sister Lisa shared this recipe - she got off the internet. All my 9x13 pans are presently farmed out or at my other kitchen, so I had to use a deep-dish 9x9, which really affected tortilla to filling ratio as well as the cooking time. Honestly, I didn't LOVE them. I liked them, but I want to know how they taste when they are spread out in more tortillas and in a bigger pan.

White Chicken Enchiladas
Source: Taste and Tell Blog

8-10 taco size flour tortillas (because I used a small pan, I could only fit 6 tortillas)
2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 c shredded cooked chicken (I used two 5 oz cans of chicken)
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 can chicken broth
1 c sour cream
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Garnish with cilantro if desired (nope!)
~ 1 c cooked rice

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare 9x13 pan by spraying with cooking spray.

Mix together 1 cup of cheese and shredded chicken. Place an equal amount of mixture into each tortilla. Also add approximately 2 T cooked rice to each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in pan.

Melt butter in skillet. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth and cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour the mixture over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with cilantro.


The notes in italics were my little personal adjustments. Flint mentioned hotter green chiles would be okay with him - he loves spicy food! This was a great recipe to use canned chicken in - I actually hate canned chicken. Opening the can makes me want to throw up. However, once the enchiladas were baked, there was no way to tell that the chicken wasn't fresh. Score! Overall, I'm excited to cook this in the right size pan so the tops and bottoms can crunch up more and the sauce can get more melty. The double layering didn't work. My bad! I also was wishing for more cheese on top - however, my pan was completely loaded and there was no more room! I am going to share Lisa's picture, because they look better than mine :) Here's hoping next time (yes, there will be a next time) these enchiladas are divine!

Beef Enchiladas

I keep searching for the perfect enchilada recipe and can't seem to find it. In the past few months, I have tried making enchiladas more than once with a "made-up" recipe and haven't been impressed. Today I took my "made-up" recipe and made some changes. The results? Much better! I was making enough to share so this recipe is huge. I will scale back when it's just Flint and I.

Beef Enchiladas
...or as Flint likes to call them: "Enchilupes" (en-cha-loo-pays)

2 lbs ground beef, cooked
1 recipe homemade refried beans (see below)
2 cans tomato soup
1 (28 oz) can medium enchilada sauce (red)
2 cans olives, sliced
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
16 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Homemade Refried Beans
1 can pinto beans, drained and washed
~ 1 t garlic paste or powder
1 beef bouillon cube
1/4 c water

To make the refried beans, combine ingredients in sauce pan and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium to low heat, stirring and mashing throughout until desired consistency is reached. Cooking longer helps take some potency out of the beans ;)

Once ground beef is cooked through, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add refried beans, 2-3 T enchilada sauce and one can tomato soup. Mix well and allow to cook for a few minutes. Meanwhile, spray two 9x13 pans with cooking spray.

Mix remaining enchilada sauce and one can tomato soup. Heat tortillas in microwave until warm and pliable. Spread a thin layer of the enchilada/soup mixture in the bottom of each pan. Divide meat mixture among tortillas; add a small amount of cheese to each one and roll up. Place enchiladas in pans, seam-side down. Cover with lots of shredded cheese, remaining enchilada/soup mixture and sliced olives.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

* The key to these enchiladas being better than my previous attempts was how much "saucier" they were. I was also afraid they smelled too spicy while I was making them, but I think
adding the tomato soup helped a ton with both issues!

* One 9x13 pan is being delivered to a friend. Instead of putting the other half of the enchiladas into another 9x13 pan for Flint and I, I divided ours into two smaller pans. I baked one tonight and stuck the other in the freezer for a quick, easy meal in the next month or so!

* Flint called these delicious and also mentioned he wouldn't mind rice being added to the meat mixture next time. He also said that more beans would be good.