Verde Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I made these yummy enchiladas again last night and this time I wrote down exactly what I used so I could share it and remember for the next time :) About a year ago, while at the grocery store perusing the isles for ideas and inspiration for dinner I decided that I was going to try to make Chicken Enchiladas.  I have eaten them so many times in Mexican restaurants so I kind of had an idea of what goes into them.  I love Verde sauce so it was a no brainer to me to grab a few cans of Verde Enchilada Sauce.  Once I had my idea I got into my little zone picking through the grocery store to create my yummy meal.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!  It is so great on a cold night or for a night with friends because it makes a lot of food.  It  serves about 4-5 people.

Verde Chicken Enchiladas

What you will need:

1 package of chicken breasts (about 3-4 breasts)...I buy these when they are on sale and just keep them in the freezer.
1 8 oz block of Colby/Jack Cheese (it is yellow and white marbled)
1  medium Onion sliced thin (I used yellow onion)
1 large green Bell Pepper chopped; you can also use red and yellow bell peppers for a little different taste and color
4 10oz cans of Green/Verde Enchilada Sauce
3 heaping tbsp Sour Creme
4 tbsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tspOnion Powder
1/4 tspGround Black Pepper
1/4 tsp or less of Ground Ancho Chile Pepper...it can really make it hot so be careful if you don't like spicy
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin...I love cumin so I used more
1 tsp Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
Sea Salt (only a few dashes to your taste)
7 Corn Tortillas
5-6 Flour (fajita sized) Tortillas
2 casserole dishes (I use 7x11 and 8x8) using the long skinny one for the corn tortilla enchiladas and the square one for flour enchiladas)

First, cut the fat off the chicken breasts and discard.  Then cut the chicken breasts in half and put into a pot of water on the stove.  Boil the chicken breasts for 30-45 minutes, until cooked through so no pink is visible.  Be sure to watch the chicken occasionally because mine always has a tendency to boil over once it gets going so I like to turn it down to medium heat, while keeping it boiling, to avoid messes.

While chicken is cooking, cut up the bell pepper and onion and put into a large mixing bowl.  Add the lime juice and all the spices and just let it sit.

Now is a great time to shred your cheese.  You can use the whole block or if you are not a huge cheese lover, just use about half.  Set the cheese aside for later.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

When chicken is done, you can set it on a cutting board and cut it into very small pieces, so it almost appears to be shredded.  You may also shred it if you prefer.  I have done both ways.

Put your cut/shredded chicken into the mixing bowl with your bell pepper, onion, etc and add one can of the Green Enchilada sauce and your sour creme.  Mix it all together so the spices and sauce mix through.

Lightly spray your casserole dishes with cooking spray and pour enough Verde sauce in the bottom of each to cover it but not a swimming pool of it.  I use 1 can to cover the two dishes together.

Place your corn tortillas in a stack on a plate and put in the microwave with a damp paper towel covering them and cook for about 15 seconds and then flip the stack and cook for 15 more seconds, just enough to make them flexible.

Hold a tortilla in your hand (be careful sometimes they are hot) and spread about 3 heaping spoonfuls of the chicken & veggie mixture over the length of the tortilla in the center.

Roll the tortilla with your hands to touch together both sides and then place it in the dish with the seam side down.

Repeat this process by placing them right next to eachother until you have covered the entire length of the dish.  Depending on how much mixture you use you may need less or more tortillas.  **The corn tortillas are very flimsy and have a tendency to tear...don't worry, just get them in the dish in a cylinder form and you are good to go.  If you have a tear, you can patch them with an extra piece of tortilla if you wish and cover it in verde sauce as usual.

Cover the entire top of the enchilada rolls with verde sauce but again, and you can drown them if you like.  I like them to stay moist so I tend to have a heavy hand and use one Can of Enchilada Sauce on top of each dish.
Cover the Enchilada sauce with the Colby Jack Cheese...more if you love cheese, less if you don't. I love cheese so I use the entire block between both dishes.

Repeat the same process with the flour tortillas in the other dish as you did with the corn tortillas.  The flour tortillas are more durible so I usually find myself putting more mixture in them and because of that end up using less flour tortillas.

Place both of the dishes side by side in the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. 

Let stand for a bit as these will be extremely hot. 

Enjoy!

I suggest serving these with a side of black beans and rice.  I use the Vigo brand package because it is super easy to make and takes about the same amount of time to cook as the enchiladas do while in the oven.  They are also great with a side of diced avocado topped with lime juice, sea salt, and black pepper.  Yellow corn also makes a great side for this dish.