And just like that, the holidays are around the corner. This has felt like the longest fastest year ever, right? With how different this year has been, I am sure the holidays will be quite different as well. While we may not be able to gather in big groups, there are still ways we can connect with our loved ones, enjoy special meals, and give back to the community, which is something my family tries to do each year. The recipe I’m sharing today is not only great for holiday meals, but it’s also a meal that’s great for sharing with others. This Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas recipe is not only delicious, but it also happens to store, freeze, and reheat well. Make one for yourself and make one for someone who might be in need of a warm, comforting meal themselves! Along with the chicken enchiladas with creamy chipotle sauce recipe, I’ve got tips for preparing and packaging these chipotle enchiladas for sharing. You’ll want to pin and save this post!
This is post is sponsored by La Morena. The opinions are my own. #PayitForwardwithLM #WeCanwithLaMorena #VivaLaMorena
The star of these chipotle chicken enchiladas is the rich, creamy, and smoky chipotle cream sauce made with LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. I get my La Morena peppers at Safeway, but you can also find their line of high-quality, authentically flavored canned peppers at Shoprite, Stop N Shop, Fiesta, La Michoaćana, Cardenas, Northgate, and Vallarta markets. La Morena is running a sweepstakes now through December! Click here to enter to win: http://bit.ly/WeCanwithLaMorena.
What you need to make this chicken enchiladas with creamy chipotle sauce recipe
To make these chipotle enchiladas, you will need vegetable oil, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, chicken broth, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, 6-inch corn tortillas (either yellow or white corn will work), shredded Mexican cheese blend, cilantro (for garnish), and 3 chipotle peppers from a can of LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (see the detailed ingredient list in the recipe at the end of this post). I love La Morena peppers for their great value combined with their authentic, homestyle Mexican flavor. All the peppers in their canned pepper products are hand-selected and of the best quality. You just can’t beat La Morena for a creamy chipotle sauce recipe!
How to make Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas
I’ve got the full Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas recipe at the end of this post, but first, here are some tips and step-by-step photos and instructions for making homemade chipotle chicken enchiladas.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F to make these chipotle chicken enchiladas.
Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and some diced onion to the skillet and sauté, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.
Add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the skillet and continue sautéing until the chicken is browned and cooked completely (approximately 2 more minutes). Be careful not to overcook the garlic; you’ll want to stop cooking it when it just starts to turn golden.
Remove the chicken, onion, and garlic to a plate and shred the chicken using two forks. Cooking tip: If you are short on time and have a stand mixer, the paddle attachment is a great hands-free way to shred chicken breast. Place the shredded chicken, onion and garlic mixture into a mixing bowl and set it aside.
Add some chicken broth, sour cream, heavy cream, and LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce into a blender. Ingredient tip: If you like more spice, you can use 4 chipotle peppers instead of the 3 called for in this recipe.
Blend everything until the peppers are completely pureed.
Add 3/4 cup of the chipotle sauce to the bowl with the shredded chicken mixture.
Stir the chicken and sauce until well combined, then pour the remaining creamy chipotle sauce into a separate mixing bowl.
To prepare the tortillas for your chipotle enchiladas, you will need to soften them. To do this, layer corn tortillas two at a time between damp paper towels on a plate, stacked on top of each other until all 12 tortillas are between paper towels on the plate. You can use 7 connected pieces of paper towels to do this, folding them in a zig-zag pattern with pairs of tortillas in between. Microwave the tortillas in the damp paper towels for 1 minute to soften them.
To assemble the chicken enchiladas with creamy chipotle sauce, first, dip a tortilla into the chipotle sauce until it is coated on both sides.
Next, scoop 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla. Roll and place seam-side down into a 9”x13” baking dish.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. You should be able to line 8 enchiladas side-by-side lengthwise into the baking dish, then the remaining 4 in 2 rows of 2 enchiladas crosswise next to them.
Pour the remaining creamy chipotle sauce over the top of the chipotle chicken enchiladas, then top with the shredded cheese. Bake in the pre-heated oven until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has browned, about 40 minutes. If you are planning to package and freeze the enchiladas, be sure to check the instructions in the section below to adjust the cooking time.
Garnish the chipotle enchiladas with chopped cilantro.
Mmmm, this smoky, creamy chipotle sauce is SO good!
Tips for packaging or freezing these chipotle enchiladas to share with someone else
Like I said earlier, these creamy chipotle chicken enchiladas freeze and reheat well, which makes them ideal for sharing with someone else. In my article on freezable meals for new moms (and tips for meal prepping before baby), I share lots of tips for how to prepare casseroles (like this chipotle enchiladas recipe) for freezing and reheating. Here are some quick tips if you plan to make this in advance to freeze and share with others:
- Line your baking dish with heavy duty foil before adding the food, and make sure it is a large enough piece that you have foil hanging off the edges. This not only helps you lift the dish out of the pan, but you can also do the first layer of wrapping the enchiladas with the excess foil from the edges.
- Stop baking the enchiladas a few minutes early so that the cheese becomes melted but not browned (it will get browned and bubbly during the reheat process later).
- After baking your chipotle chicken enchiladas, let the entire dish (with baking dish, foil, and food) cool in the following order before removing the foil-wrapped dish from the pan:
- Cool on the counter at room temp for a few minutes
- Cool in the refrigerator until most of the heat is gone
- Cool in the freezer until set and firm (but not frozen). This allows the food to retain the shape of the baking dish when pulled out.
- Remove foil/food from baking dish and wrap excess foil edges around the food.
- Take another long piece of heavy duty foil and wrap the enchiladas a few times around so that no food it exposed.
- To protect from freezer burn, wrap the enchiladas with a tightly-wrapped layer of plastic wrap over the foil.
- Write the name of the dish as well as the degree temperature of the oven for the recipe (350 degrees F in this case) on the plastic with a Sharpie marker.
- When it is time to eat the enchiladas, first defrost it by moving it to the fridge. When defrosted completely, reheat in an oven at the same temperature it was originally baked (350 degrees) just until heated through and edges/top brown nicely.
- Top with any final garnishes (cilantro, sour cream, etc.).
Ready to make these Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas yourself? Here’s the full recipe! Enjoy, and don’t forget to enter La Morena’s We Can! sweepstakes between now and the end of December for a chance to win some great prizes: http://bit.ly/WeCanwithLaMorena.
Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 55 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 chipotle peppers from a can of LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue sautéing until the chicken is browned and cooked completely (approximately 2 more minutes). Remove the chicken, onion, and garlic to a plate and shred the chicken using two forks. Place the shredded chicken, onion and garlic mixture into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add the chicken broth, sour cream, heavy cream, and LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce into a blender. Blend until the peppers are completely pureed.
- Stir 3/4 cup of the chipotle sauce into the shredded chicken mixture until well combined. Pour the remaining sauce into a separate mixing bowl.
- Layer the corn tortillas two at a time between damp paper towels on a plate, stacked on top of each other until all 12 tortillas are between paper towels on the plate. Microwave for 1 minute to soften the tortillas.
- To assemble the enchiladas, dip a tortilla into the chipotle sauce then scoop 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla. Roll and place seam-side down into a 9”x13” baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. You should be able to line 8 enchiladas side-by-side lengthwise into the baking dish, then the remaining 4 in 2 rows of 2 enchiladas crosswise next to them.
- Pour the remaining chipotle sauce over the top of the enchiladas, then top with shredded cheese. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has browned.
- Top with chopped cilantro and serve.
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