Chicken Enchiladas
An easy recipe for using leftover shredded rotisserie chicken.
We’re lucky to live near a store that has an ingenious use for re-purposing the rotisserie chickens that they do not sell each day. They de-bone them, shred the breast meat, then repackage and sell them for a couple of days afterward. That makes for a really easy way to use fresh shredded chicken for this recipe.
But if you’re not near a grocery with this kind of marketing savvy, just buy a rotisserie chicken, toss it in the refrigerator overnight, and the next day de-bone and remove the meat yourself. It’s relatively easy to to.
This is a good, basic, go-to chicken enchilada recipe, which I vastly prefer be made with flour tortillas. Tortillas are rarely marked by their size in inches, but instead with their intended use. A “Burrito” sized, or “Wrap” sized tortilla will be roundly 10-inches. I find that going to the next size, labeled as “Soft Taco” sized, are about 8-inches and perfect for this recipe, with will make 8 nice-sized enchiladas.
Chicken Enchiladas
Although the recipe calls for grilled or broiled tenderloin fillet, this is also a creative way to repurpose leftover steak.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion (like, Vidalia or Texas-1015)
- 1 large shallot
- 2 cups cooked rotisserie chicken breast, shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese (not whipped), softened (like,Philadelphia)
- 2 10-oz cans red enchilada sauce (like, Old El Paso), mild or hot as preferred
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies (like, Hatch or Old El Paso)
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped black olives
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 8 Burrito-sized (8-inches) flour tortillas (like, Mission Carb Balance)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté the onions until wilted and beginning to pick up a little caramelized color, 5-7 minutes.
- Mix the chicken, cream cheese, green chilies, 1/2 can enchilada sauce. Blend until the cheese has melted.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
- Pour 1/2 can enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 15" x 10" Pyrex baking dish and spread evenly over the surface.
- Fill each flour tortilla with equal portions of the chicken mixture with a spoonful of chopped black olives and about and 1-2 ounces of shredded Mexican blend cheese.
- Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Cover with any remaining Mexican blend cheese, then add the shredded cheddar cheese and spread evenly over tops of the enchiladas. Pour the remaining can of enchilada sauce over the top.
- Bake the enchiladas in the top 1/3 of the oven for 40-50 minutes until browned and bubbly.
- Add chopped green onion as garnish.
