Spicy Goodness: Easy Cheesy-Chicken Enchiladas for #WeekdaySupper

Busy weeknights...we all have them, right? I sure do. Between a busy day job and running this website, I'm always on the lookout for quick weeknight dinners that taste great. There's one requirement that I have: dinner can never taste boring! I love using big-flavor ingredients and combining them with a few shortcuts to come up with a fantastic meal. When I decided to take part in #WeekdaySupper this week, I knew that I wanted to make a quick Tex-Mex dish. Enchiladas immediately came to mind, but the filling and rolling can take time. Then I remembered seeing a stacked enchilada casserole in the past, and I knew I could save at least 15 minutes on my meal prep by stacking instead of rolling my Easy Cheesy-Chicken Enchiladas.

I saved even more time by using the meat from a roasted deli chicken, pre-shredded chicken and a fresh chunky salsa to flavor my filling. This dish is full of gooey cheese and protein-rich chicken. After it bakes, you cut it into wedges and top with sour cream and more of the salsa. It's a cinch to make and feeds at least four people.

 

Easy Cheesy-Chicken Enchiladas

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients:

• 10 white corn tortillas, cut in half
• 16 ounces red enchilada sauce [I used Frontera Foods pouch enchilada sauce.]
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 2 sliced green onions
• 1 tbs. chili powder
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

 

Step 1: Make the enchilada filling by adding the chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, the salsa, sour cream, 1 sliced green onion, chili powder and salt & pepper to a mixing bowl. Stir until completely combined.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. Spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Layer tortilla halves on top of the enchilada sauce, overlapping to make a complete layer. Spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. Carefully spread half of the chicken mixture on top of the sauced tortillas. 

Step 3:  Repeat the layering process above. You will have two layers of tortillas and filling, ending with a top layer of tortillas. Carefully spread the remainder of the enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and 1 sliced green onion. 

Step 4: Bake the casserole until baked through and bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Let the enchilada bake set up while you pour drinks and set the table -- 5-10 minutes. To serve, cut the enchiladas into 4-6 wedges. Top with additional sour cream and salsa. 

 

This dish is gooey comfort food at its best, offering all the flavors of enchiladas in an easy-to-assemble layered casserole. It's sort of an enchilada/lasagna hybrid...and very good. We loved the melty cheese, the earthy corn tortillas and the spicy enchilada sauce. The chicken provided a healthy dose of protein and made the entire dish very hearty. We served the Avocado-Mandarin Orange Salad that I featured for this month's #TheSaladBar on the side, and it worked perfectly with this dish. 

 

The next time you're craving enchiladas, I hope you'll give my stacked casserole twist a try! I also hope you'll check out all of this week's #WeekdaySupper dishes too. All of them look delish, and they're guaranteed to be family friendly and quick to make. 

• Tuesday: The Foodie Army Wife – Creamy Farfalle with Peas & Carrots
• Wednesday: Doggie At The Dinner Table – After Work Chicken Stir Fry
• Thursday: Daily Dish Recipes – Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Pesto Penne
• Friday: Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks - Baked Orange Chicken

Share this post