Spicy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

I know this might sound completely insane, due to these incredulous temperatures we’re experiencing, but for some reason warm, cheesy, baked, gooey chicken and spinach enchiladas called to me today, begging on hands and knees to be eaten for dinner tonight.

Oh, but see, it’s okay! You don’t have to admit me into a psych ward! I stayed safe from the heat. I remained indoors, cranked up my AC, turned on all the fans in the house and had “Cool Runnings” on repeat on the old VHS machine.

True story!

Well, it is if you replace the word “true” with, ” hahaha sucker, totally not true.”

Yeaaaaah, let’s just move on to food.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas:

Oh mama.

What it took for 2:

* 1/2 onion, finely diced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
* 2 Tbs. ground cumin
* 1 Tbs. chile powder
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 4 cups spinach
* 1 (10 oz) can red hot enchilada sauce
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 Tbs. butter
* 1 cup pepper jack cheese
* fresh cilantro for garnish
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 8 small, whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 375.

Okay, so you just cooked the chicken in some boiling water. Add the spinach to the water and blanch about a minute. Remove from water, drain and squeeze out remaining water.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken with the spices, a good dash of salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring the oil and butter to a medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft, 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add onions and garlic to chicken mixture.  Add in the spinach as well and mix to combine everything.

Pour in a little bit of the enchilada sauce, just for the sake of it all.

While you’re at it, spoon a little bit of sauce along the bottom of your baking dish.

Spoon some filling into the center of each tortilla. Top with a little bit of cheese. Roll up each tortilla and place face down in the baking dish. Once all the babies are in a row, pour the rest of the sauce on top, and top with grated cheese.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until cheese is brown and bubbly. Let cool a minute or two, garnish with cilantro and you’re set!

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20 Responses to Spicy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

  1. Jenny July 13, 2011 at 12:14 am #
    I think I might just have to make these yummy enchiladas this weekend!! I'd just make mine less spicy with gobs of olives on top! yum!
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2011 at 12:32 am #
      Do it! The only thing that made these "spicy" was the hot enchi sauce and the pepper jack cheese. But yeah, tone it down and add what you like! Voila!
  2. Michelle July 13, 2011 at 2:04 pm #
    It's 9:04 in the morning and I want this! Dang it!
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2011 at 4:41 pm #
      Oh, I FEEL YOU.
  3. Heather E. July 13, 2011 at 4:25 pm #
    YUMMMMM! I made green chile chicken enchiladas yesterday because I was craving something cheesy and gooey even though it was hot here, too. But I think somehow it was still cooler here than where you are - how's that possible?
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2011 at 4:45 pm #
      I'm not even sure how that's possible! But I'm with you, for some reason warm comfort food was all I could think about yesterday! What is wrong with me?
  4. Heather E. July 13, 2011 at 4:25 pm #
    OH, and I'm totally going to make these. Prob. next week :)
  5. Tara July 13, 2011 at 5:43 pm #
    Sound yummy!
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2011 at 10:08 pm #
      Why thank you Tara! They won my heart. End of story.
  6. Jack July 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm #
    Hey Bev, Best friend and me are making these tonight for dinner. They look super rad; I'm really excited to try 'em. They are in the oven as we speak! We made a minor change and added cilantro inside instead of as garnish (she loves cilantro...) We're using a package mexican rice. Damn I really need to learn how to cook it authentically (Mexican rice). Thanks for turning us onto them!
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2011 at 10:24 pm #
      Jack, that's awesome! Yes, yes, I love cilantro, so putting it inside is a great idea. Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for the comment!
  7. Tania July 14, 2011 at 4:50 pm #
    I wish my monitor was a scratch-n-sniff monitor. Those enchis look so darn good!
    • Bev Weidner July 14, 2011 at 5:48 pm #
      I'm here to testify, they were THAT good. I'm finishing off the leftovers as I type. WHOOPS. Dropped some cheese on the keyboard.
  8. Jenny July 29, 2011 at 1:00 am #
    Making these tonight!! Finally...I'm starving.
  9. Sasha @ The Procrastobaker September 24, 2011 at 9:35 am #
    Oh goodness me these look gorgeous! Back to uni today and have a feeling these might buy me some friends if i make them as a house meal :) gorgeous!
  10. Ruby September 24, 2011 at 10:02 pm #
    Inspirational! I am making a close version tonight, thanks for the wonderful post!
  11. meg. February 22, 2012 at 1:12 am #
    Made these tonight: woah, baby! I added in some bell peppers, and used colby jack on my husband's half, and Daiya dairy free cheese on my half. My only complaint is that I didn't think to chop up the spinach beforehand, my own fault. These were excellent and we'll definitely be having them again!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Spicy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas - September 27, 2011 [...] I know this might sound completely insane, due to these incredulous temperatures we’re experiencing, but for some reason warm, cheesy, baked, gooey chicken and spinach enchiladas called to me today, begging on hands and knees to be eaten for dinner tonight. Read more [...]
  2. Chicken, Black Bean & Zucchini Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce | - December 30, 2011 [...] Enchiladas from The Comfort of Cooking Spicy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas from Bev Cooks Portobello and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce from Perry’s [...]
  3. Cookbook of the Month Recipe: Chicken, Black Bean & Zucchini Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce - Taste and Tell - April 25, 2018 […] Enchiladas from The Comfort of Cooking Spicy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas from Bev Cooks Portobello and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce from Perry’s […]

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