Chicken Enchiladas with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers are made with pull-apart chicken, fire roasted poblano peppers, topped in a creamy poblano sauce.
Servings: 4
Calories: 609kcal
Equipment
- baking dish 9 x11
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
(1 teaspoon for chicken mixture and 0.5 teaspoons for the poblano cream mixture) - 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
to taste - 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth
or just enough to almost cover the tops of the chicken - 3 poblano peppers
medium sized whole and washed and dried - 4 tablespoons cream cheese
(can use vegan cream cheese if dairy intolerant) - 3 cups spinach fresh washed (1.5 cups for the chicken enchilada mixture and 1.5 cups for the roasted poblano pepper sauce)
- ¼ cup chicken broth
or water - 8 soft tortillas
low carb (can also use gluten-free, corn tortillas) - 8 ounces cheddar cheese
(can use vegan cheese if need to stay dairy-free) - ½ bell pepper
garnish optional (½ red, chopped finely) - 1 avocado
garnish optional 1 chopped - ½ cup cilantro garnish optional- handful roughly chopped
Instructions
- Skip to step 2 if you are going to use a whole pre-roasted from the market. If making the chicken at home from scratch you can do this either on the stove top or in a crock pot.
- a) If preparing chicken on the stove top, season the chicken on both sides with cumin, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Place the olive oil in your pan and gently sear your chicken for about 1 minute on each side on medium heat. Add the chicken broth to almost cover the chicken with just the edges peaking through(the amount is dependent upon the size of your pan). Cover your pan with a lid and turn down the heat on your burner to a simmer. Simmer slowly for about an hour or until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork and the juices run clear. (If your chicken has run out of broth in the pan and needs more time to cook, just add a little more broth and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender.)
- B) If you want to cook the chicken in the crock pot, then omit the olive oil, season the chicken with cumin, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Add only 1 cup of chicken broth to your slow cooker, put the lid on and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours or until the chicken pulls apart easily and the juices run clear or the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F.
- Roast the poblano peppers: Roast your poblano peppers directly on top of our electric or gas cooktop turning often so they are black and charred on all sides. Immediately place in a bowl and cover with either a tea towel or plastic wrap to initiate the steaming process. Allow your pepper to steam covered for about 10 minutes. Peel your peppers, remove the seeds and chop and set aside. Divide the pepper portion in half as half will go in the chicken enchilada mixture and half will go into the creamy poblano pepper sauce.
- Make the Roasted poblano pepper sauce. In a food processor add ½ of the roasted chopped poblano peppers , 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese, 1.5 cups of spinach, ¼ cup water or chicken broth, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (or 176 degrees C).
- Make your chicken enchilada filling. Once your chicken is cooked and pulls apart easily, use 2 forks and shred your chicken, add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, spinach, salt and pepper to taste and heat just gently until the cream cheese melts and the spinach begins to wilt. Set Aside.
- Spray a 9 x 11 baking pan with oil. Individually grill each of your soft tortillas about 1 minute on each side. (this step is not required but it really helps the tortillas to hold up to the enchilada filling) We grilled ours directly on the electric burner... you could also do this in a grill pan or in a frying pan.
- Assemble your chicken enchiladas. Take one grilled flour tortilla and place about ¼- ½ cup of the chicken enchilada chicken mixture on one edge of the tortilla. Next, add about 1 tablespoon of cheddar cheese (you could exchange and use any of the Mexican cheeses you love, we only had cheddar in the refrigerator) Roll up your tortilla. Place your rolled up Chicken enchilada in the 9 x 11 pan. Repeat with the remaining 8 tortillas.
- Pour the fire roasted poblano sauce on top of your prepared chicken enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas with the fire roasted poblano sauce and bake for about 10-15 minutes or just until the cheese is all melty. Remove your chicken enchiladas from the oven.
- Step 9 Garnish your chicken enchiladas with fire roasted poblano sauce with chopped red pepper, avocado, and cilantro if desired and enjoy!
Notes
We love grilling these tortillas right on top of the electric grill. You could also grill them in a grill pan. No oil is needed. Grilling the tortillas as it gives them another layer of flavor. In addition, it also makes them a little toasty and helps them hold up when they are stuffed with the creamy and delicious chicken poblano mixture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1enchilada | Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 1180mg | Potassium: 1322mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3271IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 488mg | Iron: 3mg