Chicken avocado enchiladas recipe
You can’t throw a rock without hitting a Tex-Mex restaurant or a church in Texas. In the Lone Star State, that means you’re never more than one good throw away from a delicious enchilada dinner. It makes sense in some ways, as they do share some similarities. They both use billboards and flyers to pack you in on Sunday, where after about an hour or so, you leave a lot lighter in the wallet.*
Of course, when enchiladas are so ubiquitous that they can be found at every potluck or Posados Café, finding a terrific enchilada dinner isn’t really the problem — finding one that isn’t ho-hum beef or cheese is.
Don’t get me wrong, beef and cheese enchiladas are essential to my continued existence, but getting into something like these chicken and avocado enchiladas once in awhile is very necessary too. Made with spicy shredded chicken and fresh avocados,** these enchiladas skip the usual chile and queso sauces for a savory, from-scratch sour cream sauce that is made extra creamy by the softened avocados baked inside. If you love Tex-Mex and got a little excited by the phrase “softened avocados baked inside” then this recipe is definitely meant for you.
I should also mention that while this recipe is a great way to use up some leftover chicken, don’t feel like you have to use chicken breast like we did. We just happened to have chicken breast handy. If you prefer your chicken enchiladas with chicken thigh, you’re right too (and maybe even more authentic).
* During football season, group prayer is also very common at both locations, though admittedly, they’re very different prayers.
** It seems like every time I come across a recipe that involves an avocado, it’s mentioned somewhere that you can grow your own tree from one of those big honking avocado seeds — all it takes is a little water and four toothpicks. Boom! Free avocados for life. What usually isn’t covered however, is that while it is relatively simple to get an avocado seed to sprout in your kitchen, growing an actual tree to fruit-bearing maturity most definitely is not. Even if you muster the time, resources and discipline required for 5-7 years of care and maintenance (and about 50,000 gallons of water), don’t be surprised if your yard-dominating, 50-foot avocado tree doesn’t actually grow avocados — the grafted rootstock commonly found in commercial avocados makes that pretty problematic. It’s a neat temporary experiment I guess, but it certainly isn’t an easy way to keep yourself in guacamole.
Image: ForkingSpoon
Chicken avocado enchiladas recipe
These creamy chicken and avocado enchiladas in a homemade sour cream sauce are a great way to ditch the standard beef and cheese fare for something fresher.
Ingredients
Instructions
Start a roux
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté the garlic for about 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and let it cook, whisking constantly for 3 to 5 more minutes to create a golden roux. (The roux should be roughly the color of butter when it’s done).
Cook the sour cream sauce
Slowly whisk in the stock, stirring constantly and vigorously, until the roux is well incorporated. Stir in the cumin, salt and pepper and increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer for 5-7 minutes, then remove it from the heat.
Finish the sour cream sauce
After removing the sauce from the heat, slowly whisk in the sour cream a dollop at a time until the sauce is smooth. There may be small flecks of sour cream in the sauce, and that’s fine. They’ll disappear after the enchiladas cook. Stir in the green chills and cilantro. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare the avocado
Peel and pit the avocado and smash it with the lemon juice until it’s mostly smooth with a guacamole-like texture. If you have to let the avocado sit, place at least 1 of the pits in the mixture and cover it with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should directly touch the avocado to create an airtight seal.
Prepare a baking dish
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread a ladle (about 1/2 a cup) of sauce on the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, mix the mozzarella and Monterrey Jack cheeses.
Assemble the enchiladas
Prepare the tortillas by spritzing them with cooking spray and microwaving them for about 30 seconds to soften them (I did them 3 at a time). One at a time, dip the tortillas in the sauce and allow the excess to drip off. Place the tortilla on a plate, spread out a little avocado and top it with the chicken and some of cheese (don’t try to use all the cheese; you’ll use the rest to top the enchiladas). Place it seam-side down in the pan, and repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese.
Cook the enchiladas
Bake the enchiladas for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Turn the oven to broil if you’d like to brown the cheese more. Garnish with sliced jalapeños and chopped onion (if desired).
Notes
When picking your avocado, look for a darker fruit that gives softly to firm, gentle pressure but doesn't feel mushy. If the avocado gives a lot, you'll probably need to use it immediately — like that day immediately — or it might even be overripe or spoiled. If the avocado doesn't yield enough, the flesh will be overly firm and the seed will be difficult to remove. So, squeeze smart people.
Ingredients
Directions
Start a roux
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté the garlic for about 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and let it cook, whisking constantly for 3 to 5 more minutes to create a golden roux. (The roux should be roughly the color of butter when it’s done).
Cook the sour cream sauce
Slowly whisk in the stock, stirring constantly and vigorously, until the roux is well incorporated. Stir in the cumin, salt and pepper and increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer for 5-7 minutes, then remove it from the heat.
Finish the sour cream sauce
After removing the sauce from the heat, slowly whisk in the sour cream a dollop at a time until the sauce is smooth. There may be small flecks of sour cream in the sauce, and that’s fine. They’ll disappear after the enchiladas cook. Stir in the green chills and cilantro. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare the avocado
Peel and pit the avocado and smash it with the lemon juice until it’s mostly smooth with a guacamole-like texture. If you have to let the avocado sit, place at least 1 of the pits in the mixture and cover it with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should directly touch the avocado to create an airtight seal.
Prepare a baking dish
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread a ladle (about 1/2 a cup) of sauce on the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, mix the mozzarella and Monterrey Jack cheeses.
Assemble the enchiladas
Prepare the tortillas by spritzing them with cooking spray and microwaving them for about 30 seconds to soften them (I did them 3 at a time). One at a time, dip the tortillas in the sauce and allow the excess to drip off. Place the tortilla on a plate, spread out a little avocado and top it with the chicken and some of cheese (don’t try to use all the cheese; you’ll use the rest to top the enchiladas). Place it seam-side down in the pan, and repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese.
Cook the enchiladas
Bake the enchiladas for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Turn the oven to broil if you’d like to brown the cheese more. Garnish with sliced jalapeños and chopped onion (if desired).
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