The Well Plated Cookbook is now available for pre-order! Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries
These Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries are for my kindred spirits. When I posted before and after shots of the empty baking pan to my Instagram story, with the confession that we’d eaten them for dinner, you didn’t respond with the raised-eyebrows emoji or logical statements like “What kind of adult eats enchilada fries for dinner?” Not you, my fellow oven-fry champions. You responded with encouragement, mutual understanding, and, best of all, an immediate recipe request.
This post is sponsored by Old El Paso.
A few of your Instagram story replies:
“When is this recipe coming out?”
“Been there. Done that.”
“Best night ever!”
And my personal favorite:
“Can you send me the recipe? I want my husband to make these for me!”
We are chicken enchilada fry people, you and I.
I originally conceptualized these Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries as a crowd-pleasing football party recipe that would be perfect for the NFL playoffs. Packers fever always runs high here in Wisconsin, and now that the team is advancing to the next round after a win last weekend, the state is truly in a tizzy. Everyone from grocery store cashiers to Lululemon-clad moms at the gym can be spotted in green and gold.
Ben’s parents threw a huge game watch on Sunday (I headed there straight from a fancy tea with my girlfriends—talk about a well-rounded day!), and these Chicken Enchilada Fries would have fit right in with the spread. They’re easy, cheesy, and scalable to any size of crowd, even the rowdy 24-person crew that occupied my in-laws’ living room from 3 p.m. to the wee hours of the morning.
Or, if you don’t have any plans to watch football at all, Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries also make a fabulous, if semi-naughty, weeknight feast, as I personally can attest. The fries are baked, not fried (redemption!), and I did use sweet potatoes instead of white (extra vitamins!). Plus, chicken and black beans are lean sources of protein. We are definitely in acceptable dinner territory here, are we not?
I can hear you nodding. Let’s do this.
I created this recipe as a part of my ongoing partnership with Old El Paso, a brand I grew up eating and still purchase to this day. To give the sweet potato fries loads of flavor, I tossed shredded chicken in its red enchilada sauce, then scattered it over the sweet potato fries.
From there, I loaded on even more Tex-Mex fixings—black beans, corn, jalapeños, and plenty of shredded cheese—then popped the tray into the oven. A few agonizing minutes later, the fries transformed into a hot, cheesy mess of enchilada enchantment, and my kitchen smelled like a fiesta.
To keep the Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries quick and easy to make (a must for me with any party recipe because I’m usually way behind schedule as it is), I took a shortcut and used bagged frozen sweet potato fries. You can certainly swap homemade sweet potato fries if you prefer.
Recipe Adaptations
- Chicken Enchilada Nachos. Swap in tortilla chips for the sweet potato fries.
- Chicken Enchilada Fries. Swap in regular white potato fries for the sweet potato fries.
- Chicken Enchilada Fries with Avocado. When you fries have finished baking, scatter dollops of guacamole or avocado slices over the top.
More Game Day Recipes
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- All-purpose rimmed baking sheet (a must-own)
- Stacked mixing bowls
Whether or not you plan to watch football this Sunday (or any day), don’t let that stop you from giving these Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries a go. Game or no game, they are a winner!
Chicken Enchilada Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 6 ounces sweet potato fries - homemade or store bought
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken* - about 7 ounces
- 1 can Old El Paso Red Enchilada Sauce - (10 ounces) , hot or mild, or 1 1/4 cups homemade red enchilada sauce
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt - or sour cream
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar, - Monterey jack, or similar cheese
- 1/2 cup black beans - rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup whole kernel corn - fresh from the cob, canned and drained, or frozen and thawed
- 1/4 cup diced red onion - about half of 1 small red onion
- 1 large jalapeño pepper - cored, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Bake sweet potato fries according to package or recipe instructions. Remove from the oven and change the oven temperature to broil.
- In a small bowl, combine the shredded chicken and enchilada sauce, then toss to coat. In a small, separate bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and 2 tablespoons milk. If necessary, continue adding milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have a thick but pourable consistency.
- Scatter the chicken over the baked fries, reserving any sauce that remains in the bowl. Sprinkle with the cheese, black beans, corn, red onion, and jalapeño. Return the fries to the oven and broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the reserved enchilada sauce and Greek yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
- *To cook the chicken in the Instant Pot instead, see this post for Instant Pot Chicken. For slow cooker instructions, see this post for Crock Pot Shredded Chicken.
I am sharing this post in partnership with Old El Paso. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue creating quality content for you!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
