Traditional Chicken Enchiladas smothered in a creamy sauce and topped with cheese, then baked until bubbling and browning. A few added ingredients increase the nutritional value without compromising on flavour.
Recipes like this one are great to make in large batches because they freeze well, and, you can get together with a friend and make some together. That’s how I was introduced to Chicken Enchiladas. My friend Shelley and I would make some chicken and some beef, then take home a few foil pans of each for the freezer. After tweaking both recipes to include a few extra nutritional elements – like beans with all that fibre, they’re still a big hit around here. Because the flavours that won me over in the first place haven’t changed.
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You’ll need to set aside a little bit of time to make Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas. Not because they’re hard to make but because there are a few steps that ensure you have a nice thick flavourful sauce and properly stuffed and rolled enchiladas. So get your ingredients and equipment ready and prepare to have gooey hands because it can’t be helped while assembling these guys.
Make the sauce first. It sounds like a lot of onion but if you’ve ever made French Onion Soup, you’ll know that a lot of onion turns into a much smaller amount after cooking slowly. You don’t want them to brown, just cook gently on low heat, then add the garlic just when the onions look perfect so it doesn’t burn.
The flour will thicken the sauce. Adding dry flour to the butter mixture before the liquid helps prevent lumps. It also starts cooking the flour which is important in sauces, otherwise you could end up with a raw flour taste. Once you add the liquid, whisk the sauce well and make sure to bring it to a full simmer so the flour does it’s job of thickening. The extra package of chicken bouillon gives the sauce an extra chicken-y flavour.
Remove the pan of sauce from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Use full fat sour cream so your sauce doesn’t curdle. Factoid – the higher the fat content in the dairy, the less chance of your sauce curdling. You’ll be adding a little sauce to the filling mixture as well as some sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
Any leftover cooked chicken or turkey work well in Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas. Also, a deli chicken is about the perfect size. If you use the breast meat of a typical chicken you can buy cooked in the deli at most grocery stores, you will likely have the right amount of meat. That works out great in our house because we like the dark meat best when it’s fresh from the “oven” – ahem I mean store. No guilt here.
White beans are low in fat and high in fibre and protein. They don’t have a lot of flavour so they’re a great addition to Chicken Enchiladas because they take on the flavour of the other ingredients. A full can is too much (although I have snuck that much in when I’m short on chicken) so save the rest for something else, or make a double batch with a friend! Of course you can make a vegetarian version of these enchiladas with just white beans and vegetable broth instead of chicken.
Canned green chilies aren’t hot. But they have an interesting flavour that works great in the filling. The colour, however, isn’t great but the added sweet red pepper and chopped cilantro make up for it. If you can’t tolerate cilantro, add some parsley instead.
Assembling the enchiladas is a messy job so have everything ready before you start. Lay out a line in this order: tortillas, plate (with some sauce), filling, cheese, baking pan with sauce in the bottom. A great tip I learned when making Chicken Enchiladas with my friend is to dip the tortilla in the sauce before rolling. This way you’re sure it won’t be dry and stick to the pan.
Put a ladle or two of the sauce in the bottom of a large plate. Take one tortilla and press into the sauce on the plate. Put about half a cup of the chicken mixture in a line down the middle and add a little shredded cheese. Not too much. Then roll into a tube. It’s tricky to move the enchilada without spilling the contents. Here’s a trick – roll into a tube, then pinch the ends and pick up with both hands holding each end. Place in the baking dish, then gently roll it over so the seam is underneath.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas. You need to crowd them to make all eight fit. And don’t worry if some of the filling spills out, just poke it back in the ends. Add more sauce to the plate as needed.
Scrape any leftover sauce from the plate back into the pan, stir and pour over the enchiladas, ensuring the sauce is spread to all edges of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350° and let the enchiladas sit to absorb some sauce. You can make this earlier in the day and bake later, or freeze uncooked. Make sure you thaw it completely before baking, or cover and cook at a lower temperature for about half an hour then uncover for 30 – 40 minutes at 350.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes if you’re cooking right away. If you have convection setting, use it for the last 5 minutes if the top hasn’t browned. Let your enchiladas rest at least 10 minutes before serving. And sprinkle some fresh cilantro over top while you’re waiting.
If you make Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 8 large soft flour tortillas 8 inch
- 1 onion
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dry chicken stock or 1 package or cube
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup sour cream not reduced fat
- 2 cups shredded old cheddar cheese divided
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
- ½ 19 oz can drained and rinsed white kidney beans about 1 ½ cups
- 1 127 ml can green chilies
- ¼ medium sweet red pepper
- 1 large handful chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely mince onion. Melt butter in large skillet and saute onion until soft. Add flour, dried chicken stock and cumin and stir until no white flour is visible. Add chicken broth and simmer until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chop or shred chicken or turkey into small pieces. Combine with drained and rinsed white beans and canned green chilies. Finely dice red pepper and add to mixture along with salt and pepper.
- Chop fresh cilantro and add half to the chicken mixture, reserving the rest for the top and for garnish.
- Add ½ cup of sauce to the chicken mixture and combine well. Add ½ cup of sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and spread evenly.
- Shred cheese and divide in half, reserving 1 cup for the top.
- Prepare assembly line with tortillas, large dinner plate, chicken mixture, cheese, ending with large baking dish. Place a ladle or two of sauce in the centre of the large dinner plate. Press one tortilla into the sauce and put about ½ cup of the chicken mixture in a line down the centre. Add some shredded cheese, then roll into a tube. Place in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Arrange so they are lined up crosswise evenly.
- Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas and spread evenly. Top with the rest of the cheese. Let rest while the oven preheats to 350 degrees. Ensure the rack is set to the middle position. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browning and bubbling.
- Sprinkle top with chopped fresh cilantro. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.