marilynpeight
These chicken Enchiladas with a creamy, sour cream and Green Chile sauce from scratch are a flavorful dish perfect for hosting (or for feeding a large family), however, the recipe can easily be halved for a smaller serving. This recipe uses make-ahead crockpot chicken with salsa and beans. The green enchilada sauce is also delicious with rotisserie chicken enchiladas, or over French fries! Thanks to my sister (New Mexico) for sharing her recipe for the South Western, Creamy Green Chile Enchilada sauce.
See below the recipe for photos and notes.
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Chicken enchiladas with creamy green chile sauce (crockpot-baked)
Ingredients
Slow cooker chicken filling:
- 4 chicken breasts roughly three pounds total
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
- 1-2 dashes paprika
- salt (to taste)
- 2 15.5 oz. cans mild chili beans (drained)
- 1 cup salsa mild or hot
For the green chile sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4.5 oz. canned green chiles mild or hot *see note below.
- garlic salt to taste optional
Additional ingredients;
- 8-10 regular sized flour tortillas
- shredded cheddar, taco or Mexican style cheese
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 6-7 quart crockpot. Season with garlic powder, cumin and several dashes paprika per breast. Season liberally with salt, then dump the chili beans and salsa over the seasoned chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Once the chicken is cooked and shredded, Preheat oven to 350 and then fill the flour tortillas with 2-3 tablespoons of filling each and roll them tightly. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray, then place the rolled enchiladas inside.
- To make the sauce, melt butter in a medium sized saucepan and sautee the diced onions and minced garlic in the butter until fragrant. Add 1/4 cup flour and stir until combined with the onions and garlic, then add chicken broth and bring to a light boil, stirring until thickened.
- Remove the sauce from heat and stir in sour cream, green chiles and garlic salt to taste (or table salt if you prefer). Pour the creamy green chile sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle shredded cheese over top (optional).
- Bake the Enchiladas in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. See below for step by step photos and notes.
Try serving these Chicken Enchiladas with crockpot creamed corn or fresh guacamole. For something new, try the green chile sauce over homemade French fries!
Place chicken breasts in the crock pot and season.
Can I add the seasonings to taste?
Yes you can, If you prefer to taste as you go, wait to add salt until the chicken is fully cooked.
Add chili beans and salsa, ensuring chicken breasts are evenly covered with beans and/or salsa.
What can I add to these enchiladas to make them more spicy?
For the sake of feeding toddlers, I prefer to use all mild flavored ingredients in my chicken enchiladas. My husband and I then use a spicy salsa to top our individual enchiladas for a little kick. If you prefer these enchiladas to be more spicy, you can add spicy salsa and spicy green chiles. Hot sauce, paprika and other spices could also be added to taste.
Shred the chicken once fully cooked.
My personal preference is to cook the chicken breasts on high for around 5 hours, or until the temperature is between 180-190. I find shredding is a lot easier at this temperature and the chicken is still nice and soft.
Some prefer to use a hand mixer to shred their chicken. I still use two forks, but the method is up to you!
Fill and roll the tortillas with the chicken mixture and then place them in a greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish.
Note:
I did end up with a little extra filling and could have done 1-2 more enchiladas in a separate baking dish.
Make the green chile sauce similar to a roux. To avoid curdling, be sure to add the sour cream after the sauce pan has been removed from the heat.
Can I add more green chiles to the white sauce for more spice?
Yes, you can. 1 4.5 oz. can of green chiles=2 tablespoons. If preferred, you can add 3 tablespoons of green chiles to the sauce for stronger green chile flavor or a spicier sauce (if using hot green chiles).
Add the shredded cheese of your choice (optional) and then the enchiladas are ready to bake!
Enjoy! Diced fresh chives or cilantro can be added for garnish after the enchiladas have baked.
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