Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I didn’t realize it until I began writing this post, but these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas have been a constant, even milestone recipe in my life. They are inspired by my grammy’s legendary green chile sour cream chicken enchiladas, which I devoured growing up, and which Grammy still serves for Christmas night dinner (don’t argue with tradition). These enchiladas followed me across the ocean to France, where I cooked them for my host parents. They are one of the first meals I ever made for Ben, remain a regular in our recipe rotation, and were the first recipe I ever posted on my blog.

When I hit publish on that first recipe post, titled “Healthy Chicken Enchiladas,” I expected my grammy would see it and (hopefully) be pleased by my more wholesome version of her sour cream chicken enchiladas, even if she elected to stick with the original on Christmas night.

Little did I suspect that these easy green chile cheese enchiladas would turn out to be the recipe that would inspire me to publish another. Then another. A few days after I posted the recipe (along with a horrific photo taken with my flip phone), my high school pal Kathryn emailed to tell that she’d made my healthy chicken enchiladas and loved them. I was flabbergasted. Apparently if you post recipes online, people will actually cook them. Who knew?

That was the moment I fell in love with sharing recipes online.

To date, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are one of nearly 800 recipes I’ve posted here, but no matter how many new recipes I try, this pan of creamy, Mexican-inspired goodness will never lose its place in my heart.

Nostalgia-factor aside, these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are luscious, fully-flavored, and simple to make; I’d recommend them to anyone in the market for a satisfying meal. And aren’t we all?

These Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are easy enough for beginner cooks (they were one of the first recipes I ever cooked on my own) but taste so flavorful, even a chef as accomplished as my grammy makes them on a regular basis.

I’ve updated my grammy’s original green chile chicken enchilada casserole recipe to be healthy by swapping the sour cream for Greek yogurt and using whole wheat tortillas in place of white or corn.

They’re still creamy, saucy, and cheesy—everything a good-to-the-last-bite pan of chicken enchiladas can and should be.

From my hometown to France to my blog’s earliest days to today, these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas have been through the years and around the globe. Next stop: your dinner table!

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Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 8 enchiladas

Cook Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

A simple, delicious recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas. These creamy chicken enchiladas taste decadent but are healthy, thanks to a few simple swaps!

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts — cooked and shredded (see cooking directions below if needed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt — divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 small red bell peppers — (or yellow, or orange bell peppers), cored and diced
• 1 medium yellow onion — diced
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon  black pepper
• 2 cups reduced-fat shredded Monterey jack cheese — or Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 cans diced green chiles — (4-ounce cans) , drained
• 8 whole wheat flour tortillas — (7-inch)
• 1 can green enchilada sauce — (15 ounces)
• For serving: diced fresh tomato — fresh cilantro, diced avocado, diced red onion, as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch casserole dish with baking spray and set aside.
2.  Cook and shred chicken, following these easy steps*.
3. To make the enchiladas: Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan on medium heat. Once oil the is warm, add the peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onions become translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. To the skillet, add the shredded chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stir to coat evenly, then remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.

5. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the cheese, Greek yogurt, green chilies, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Once the chicken and veggie mixture has cooled to nearly room temperature, add it to the bowl with the yogurt mixture and stir to coat evenly.

6. To assemble the enchiladas: Fill each tortilla with a slightly heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken-yogurt mixture. Roll closed and place in the prepared dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the green enchilada sauce evenly over the top, cover the pan, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 additional minutes, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with desired toppings and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• *To cook the chicken in the Instant Pot instead, see this post for Instant Pot Chicken.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Healthy Mexican Food Recipe

All text and images © Erin / Well Plated.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving (1 (without additional toppings)) — Calories: 356, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 1100mg, Carbohydrates: 34g, Sugar: 4g

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