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!
Ingredients
Scale
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
Instructions
For the Enchiladas:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium and add the diced chicken, a pinch of salt, and the spices.
- 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. - Set the filling aside to cool.
For the Beer-Cheese Sauce:
- While the chicken filling is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it starts to turn the slightest golden brown.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stir in the cheeses until they are melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
To Assemble:
- Pour roughly 1 cup of the beer-cheese sauce into the bottom of the greased baking dish.
- 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.
- Once all the tortillas are filled and in the pan, pour the remaining beer-cheese sauce over top and smooth out the top.
- Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with the 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly, melty, and golden brown in spots.
To Serve:
- 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.
- Serve warm!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: dinner