During the past two weeks of having a meal plan, I’ve had a favorite meal in each week. This week it was the roasted cauliflower frittata. Last week it was the creamy chicken enchiladas.
You can find the link to the frittata recipe in this week’s meal plan, but since there was no recipe for the enchiladas, I just must share!
Enchiladas have always been an easy meal in my mind. You just stuff your tortilla with mexican-ish fillings, cover in sauce and cheese and you’re good to go. Easy right? Making them a bit healthier takes a little bit of thinking, but you sure don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make them. All you have to do is have assembly line skills.
I began by making my favorite big batch enchilada sauce and froze the extra for another time. If you don’t want to make your own, you can easily just used your favorite store bought kind.
I always sub in whole wheat tortillas for white ones in enchiladas. As the sauce soaks into the tortilla you really can’t tell a difference. Maybe my husband can, but he’ll get over it. 😉
My last swap was adding plain greek yogurt into the filling. I remember eating enchiladas growing up and I loved the cream cheese added in. I still added cream cheese, but swapped out half with greek yogurt. You get a little bit more protein and natural creaminess. Kind of like my swap with the spinach artichoke dip.
They definitely do not pack a lot of heat – so if that’s your thing get some hot enchilada sauce or add a lot of chili powder and/or sriracha into the filling. Taste as you go along, you don’t want to add too much!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. They are delicious as left overs, which is good because you’ll end up with a big pan of them.
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce (make your own or use your favorite store bought brand)
- 8-10 whole wheat tortillas
- 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 4 oz can diced green chilis
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spritz a 9×13 baking dish with oil.
- In a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add in the onions and saute for 5-7 minutes, until soft. Remove and pour into a large bowl. Add the green chilis, chicken, greek yogurt and cream cheese. Stir until everything is evenly mixed around.
- Set up your assembly line – pan, cheese, tortillas and chicken filling. Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce along the bottom of the baking dish. Take a tortilla and put ⅓ -½ cup filling into the center. Add 1-2 tbsp cheese on top. Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you have used all the filling.
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Use a spoon to move the enchiladas around a little bit to make sure the sauce gets in between each tortilla. Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce begins to bubble along the side. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.
- Serve with sour cream, avocado and your favorite mexican toppings!
It may look like a lot of steps, but it really is a simple meal to throw together. If you want to make it a day or two in advance, just keep it covered in the fridge until it’s time to bake. You’ll have to bake it a bit longer since it will be coming out of a cold fridge.
Are you a heat or no heat fan for your enchiladas? Do you like to make your own sauces? Do you make them in big batches to save time like me?
I’m already thinking about next week’s meal plan and am feeling spaghetti. Do you have a go to spaghetti sauce recipe you love? Please share!
Heather
0 comment
This looks so yummy! I just posted a couple of new recipes on my blog along with a freezer meal session. Maybe they will give you some other ideas!
Sarah
The enchiladas sound great. I know the boys would love them. I love to make big batches of food. Personally, I love my food very spicy, but I add extra spice to my food at the end so that everyone can eat it.
Yum! Looks delicious! We love enchiladas in our house!
Ooo, love this idea! I love greek yogurt – what an awesome way to make them creamy!!
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