Beer Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Say hello to the newest obsession in our house: beer cheese chicken enchiladas!

You guys. This meal is a stunner. Your taste buds are going to just DIE over these enchiladas.

Enchiladas are something I make somewhat regularly – we love them. Dan loves them because of crazy savoriness of the dish (aka, all the cheese), and I love them because they’re easy and extremely versatile. You can put just about anything savory in a tortilla, wrap it up, smother it in enchilada sauce and cheese, and have a perfectly delicious and satisfying dinner. I usually serve ours with a simple side salad and call it a night. So good, so easy.

Our go to is this chicken taco version. Dan loses it over those. The crunchy salad on top is EVERYTHING.

This newest version of spiced chicken wrapped up in tortillas and drowned in an enchilada BEER CHEESE SAUCE? Well, let’s just say, they may take the new favorite title. The flavor is unreal.

I use our favorite taco-inspired spice mix on diced chicken breast (ground chicken would also work well), and cook it up with bell pepper, jalapeño for some spice, and some sweet summer corn from the freezer. A little enchilada sauce goes in to give everything a touch of moisture and sauciness. The filling alone is delicious and easily eaten straight out of the pan with a fork.

As you probably can imagine, though, the real star of the show is the beer cheese sauce. OMG. I make a classic white sauce (béchamel, if you want to be fancy about it), booze it up with some beer, add in tons of cheese, and more enchilada sauce! The result is addictingly delicious. It tastes like something you would want to dip all the soft pretzels and french fries into. Swoon!

But instead of doing that, we’re using it as the sauce for our enchiladas. Pour it over top of the enchiladas and let it seep into all the nooks and crannies. Top things off with a little bit more cheese, just for that crispy top layer, and bake!

Not only do these enchiladas have loads of flavor on the inside, but the sauce on top bakes into the most magical concoction ever. It thickens up and the enchiladas have an almost lasagna-like consistency when all is said and done. All with the slight hint of beer in the background. So, so good.

My favorite way to eat anything rich like this is to top it with something really fresh. So, while these are baking, I chop up some juicy cherry tomatoes, scallions, avocados, cilantro, and limes. When the enchiladas come out of the oven, I layer the fresh stuff over top and spritz everything with a little (a lot) lime juice. It totally MAKES these. All the flavors sing and you get a much-needed fresh and crunchy texture.

Now, if you are making this and serving it over the course of a couple nights, I’d hold off on topping the enchiladas with the fresh stuff until you are ready to serve each time. The freshness is key! But that means you can make this once and eat it two or three more times and all it takes is a quick reheat and approximately one minute of chopping.

What more could you ask for?

Please, I beg of you, add these to your weekly meal plan soon! They are worth every boozy cheesy calorie.

Beer Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

These beer cheese chicken enchiladas are the definition of weeknight decadence! Enchiladas filled with taco-spiced chicken and veggies and then drowned in a beer cheese enchilada sauce. So much flavor!

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Ingredients

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For the Enchiladas:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ of an 8-oz can enchilada sauce (green or red)
• 8 (6 or 8 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping enchiladas

For the Beer-Cheese Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 6 oz beer (light beer works well here)
• 6 oz whole milk
• The remaining ½ can of enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese (or a combo of the two)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings for Serving:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup torn cilantro leaves
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• Lime wedges
• Crushed tortilla chips

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Instructions

For the Enchiladas:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium and add the diced chicken, a pinch of salt, and the spices.
3. Stir to combine and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
   Add in the jalapeno, bell pepper, corn, and enchilada sauce and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes or until the enchilada sauce thickens and reduces.
4. Set the filling aside to cool.

For the Beer-Cheese Sauce:

1. While the chicken filling is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it starts to turn the slightest golden brown.
3. Slowly whisk in the beer. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at first – keep whisking! It will smooth out. Once the beer is incorporated, stirring constantly, cook the mixture for a couple minutes.
4. Whisk in the milk and enchilada sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to bubble around the edges and thicken, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the cheeses until they are melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To Assemble:

1. Pour roughly 1 cup of the beer-cheese sauce into the bottom of the greased baking dish.
2. FIll the tortillas with the chicken mixture, using 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture in each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the pan.
3. Once all the tortillas are filled and in the pan, pour the remaining beer-cheese sauce over top and smooth out the top.
4. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with the 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly, melty, and golden brown in spots.

To Serve:

1. Top each serving of enchiladas as you prefer. I like chopped cherry tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges, and a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips.
2. Serve warm!

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: dinner