Chicken Taco Enchiladas

Say helloooo to the most delicious dinner ever!

Seriously. We have a big problem in our house. I’ve mentioned this a few times before, but we are completely addicted to the flavors from our favorite nachos. I have been trying to fit the same flavors into a ton of different meals….in the hopes that we don’t straight-up turn into pans of nachos ourselves.

These stuffed avocados were just the beginning, it seems!

Gah. I can’t express just how much Dan and I love those nachos. We crave them all the time. We talk about them constantly. If we decide to have an easy “treat meal,” it’s almost always the nachos. There have been many a night where we are sitting down to a perfectly delicious dinner that just so happens to NOT be the nachos, and one of us will make a comment about them, and BAM! The whole dinner is ruined.

Hah, obviously I’m exaggerating a bit, but we really have banned each other from speaking of the nachos when we don’t have the ingredients in the house. THAT is how obsessed we are.

The only downside to this exception (in addition to my pants not liking me, that is)? My creativity seems to have stalled a bit in the kitchen lately. All I want are those damn nachos. It has seriously stunted my desire to cook other things, hah.

So! My solution, clearly, is to keep transforming those flavors into new dishes. To keep things lighter, I’ve made the nachos into a salad (minus the tortilla chips and most of the cheese). Delicious but not really exciting enough to share here.

BUT! These enchiladas are DEFINITELY worth sharing. These are shout-from-the-rooftops delicious, and we happily devoured this pan over the course of a couple days. I am winning at weeknight dinners as of late.

And yes that was a tooting one’s own horn moment. Just let me have it.

These enchiladas are my favorite enchilada version yet. And that is coming from a HUGE Mexican/Southwestern/Tex-Mex food fan. It’s probably my favorite cuisine. I know a good enchilada when I meet one.

These have all the flavors of the nachos, but they are sliiiiiightly lightened up. Also, Dan isn’t the biggest fan of enchiladas (I know, it’s a real point of contention in our marriage). His favorite flavors don’t include the classic enchilada sauce or anything to do with bell peppers or smoky spices. He suffers through them most of the time because….hey, he’s not doing any cooking. So, no complaining allowed!

But THESE enchiladas were a huge hit with my hubs. He raved about how delicious they were. I think it’s due to the fact that they obviously taste very similar to our beloved nachos, but also because I swapped out red enchilada sauce for green (which I actually prefer, too) and stirred in a bunch of creamy Greek yogurt to mellow out the peppery flavors a bit.

The sauce is creamy and luscious and still packed with flavor, and the enchiladas themselves are loaded with taco-spiced ground chicken breast. The whole thing gets baked under a velvety blanket of melty cheese, AND THEN!!!! My favorite part!!!!

A RANCH SALAD GOES ON TOP.

It’s the same salad that I top our nachos with. It is life changing, guys. I know it sounds annoyingly dramatic, but you have got to try putting this salad on top of warm, cheesy nachos or tacos or these enchiladas. It is so simple but so, so good. It totally makes the dish!

It’s bright and tangy and cooling, which is perfect with the cheesy, savory spiciness of the rest of the dish.

Also, side note: ranch dressing and I have been in a torrid love affair since I gave birth 3.5 years ago. I was never a big ranch fan before, but now? I WANT IT ON EVERYTHING. So freaking weird.

These enchiladas are what weeknight dinner dreams are made of.

Swoon!

Chicken Taco Enchiladas

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• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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For the Enchiladas:

• Drizzle of oil
• 1 lb ground chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded Jack cheese
• 10–12 small flour tortillas (will depend on the size baking dish you use)

For the Sauce:

• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup milk or chicken broth

For Assembly:

• 1 cup shredded jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 romaine hearts, finely chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 scallions, chopped
• ¼ of a red onion, finely chopped
• 1–2 tablespoons jarred pickled jalapenos
• Juice of 1 lime
• Ranch dressing, for serving

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Instructions

For the Enchiladas:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the chicken and spices. Cook, breaking up the chicken with your spoon, until the chicken is cooked through and crumbly, about 5 minutes.
2. If the chicken seems really dry, add a splash of water to the pan. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the Sauce:

1. Whisk together the enchilada sauce, yogurt, and the milk/chicken broth. You want a pourable consistency, so adjust the liquid amount as necessary.
2. Pour some of the sauce (roughly ½ cup) in the bottom of a greased baking dish (I used a 13 x 9 inch dish) and then set aside the rest for assembly.

To Assemble:

1. Fill each flour tortilla with a few tablespoons of the taco-spiced chicken and 1-2 tablespoons of Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all the tortillas are filled.
2. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce mixture over top, spreading it out evenly.
3. Top with the shredded cheeses and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the everything is bubbly and golden. If desired, broil the top of the enchiladas for 30 seconds for a deeper, more golden crust on top.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the romaine, tomatoes, scallions, red onion, jalapenos, and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

1. Top each serving of hot enchiladas with the romaine salad and a drizzle of ranch. Serve immediately.

NOTE:

1. I recommend topping the enchiladas with the salad AS YOU ARE READY TO EAT THEM. Topping the entire pan with the salad and then letting it sit will not only result in a wilted, soggy salad, but it prevents you from reheating the enchiladas without ruining the salad.