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    Home » Recipes

    Jalapeño Popper Chicken Enchiladas

    Published: Jun 20, 2022 · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Sonic Ched 'R' Peppers are my all-time favorite fast-food, but I don't live near a Sonic anymore, so I'm always chasing after that jalapeño popper flavor. These jalapeño popper chicken enchiladas combine some of my favorite Mexican flavors with cream cheese, tangy pickled jalapeños, and lots of gooey cheese. They're easy, fast, and so so tasty.

    Jalapeño popper chicken enchiladas in a casserole dish. The Hangry Economist.

    If you're looking for a lighter Mexican-inspired recipe, try our Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos. If you're looking for cheesy, creamy goodness, then stay right here. This recipe also pairs well with our Mexican Black Beans.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Suggested toppings
    • What to use for the shredded chicken
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Jalapeño Popper Chicken Enchilada Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    • Cooked shredded chicken
    • Green chile enchilada sauce
    • Pickled jalapeños
    • Canned green chiles
    • Cream cheese
    • Shredded Mexican cheese
    • 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
    • Spices: cumin and garlic powder

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Enchiladas are one of those things that sound time- and labor-intensive, but they're really not--once you get the hang of them, they go pretty fast. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

    Enchilada filling ingredients in a bowl. The Hangry Economist.

    Step 1: Make the filling. Combine the jalapeños, green chiles, shredded cheese, cream cheese, and shredded chicken in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. The cream cheese should help everything stick together.

    A tortilla being dipped in green enchilada sauce. The Hangry Economist.

    Step 2: Dip a tortilla in enchilada sauce. Dump the enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl, and dip each side of a tortilla into the sauce. Then place the tortilla flat into a 9"x13" casserole dish.

    A tortilla filled with a chicken filling. The Hangry Economist.

    Step 3: Fill the tortilla. Fill the tortilla with the filling. I usually use about a quarter cup, but don't always measure precisely. Just add enough so it's full, but not so full that it's hard to roll up. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place it fold-side-down into the casserole dish. Repeat until you've used all of your tortillas or filled your casserole dish.

    Rolled up enchiladas in a pan, sprinkled with shredded cheese. The Hangry Economist.

    Step 4: Top the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Dump the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, making sure to equally distribute the sauce throughout the dish. Then sprinkle the cheese over the top.

    Baked Enchiladas in a pan. The Hangry Economist.

    Step 5: Bake the enchiladas. We bake ours uncovered at 350°F until the cheese melts and starts to get a little crispy, about 20 minutes.

    Suggested toppings

    Toppings make everything better, don't they? We love to top these jalapeño popper enchiladas with fun toppings, especially when we're serving them to a crowd. Here are some ideas:

    • Sliced avocado or guacamole
    • Cilantro
    • Pickled or fresh jalapeños
    • Crumbled cojita cheese or queso fresco
    • Sour cream, greek yogurt, or Mexican crema
    • Salsa or pico de gallo
    • Shredded lettuce
    • Anything else you can dream up!
    Jalapeño popper chicken enchiladas in a pan, topped with sour cream, avocado, pickled jalapeños, and cilantro. The Hangry Economist.

    What to use for the shredded chicken

    I use pre-cooked chicken for this recipe to keep it easy. Here are some ideas for getting shredded chicken quickly and easily:

    • Shred a rotisserie chicken- This is the option I usually go with. Costco rotisserie chickens are only $5 and super tasty. I buy one, shred it, and throw it into a container to use in recipes throughout the week. You can buy them from most other grocery stores too.
    • Canned chicken- This obviously isn't the tastiest option, but it's super easy! Just buy high-quality canned chicken and make sure you drain any liquid out before using it.
    • Make instant pot shredded chicken- There are lots of good recipes out there for instant pot shredded chicken, and most of them are super easy. Gimme Some Oven has a great shredded chicken recipe that only takes about 25 minutes.
    • Make boiled chicken- Boiling chicken is so fast and easy. Try this boiled chicken tutorial from Delish.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I store enchilada leftovers?

    Enchiladas are one of my favorite leftover meals. Store them in an airtight container for up to three or four days. To reheat them, microwave until warm, about a minute or two.

    What kind of tortillas should I use for these enchiladas?

    We usually use corn tortillas or cassava flour tortillas. If you're gluten free, stick with one of those two options (or almond flour tortillas, if that's what you prefer). Flour tortillas work for this recipe too, but they have a slightly heavier texture.

    Can I make these enchiladas vegetarian?

    You can! Just omit the chicken. They'd be great with spinach if you want to replace the chicken with something. I'd cook the spinach (or get a bag of frozen, microwavable spinach), drain the extra liquid, and then add it to the other fillings.

    Jalapeno popper chicken enchiladas on a plate. The Hangry Economist.
    Jalapeño Popper Chicken Enchilada Recipe

    Jalapeño Popper Chicken Enchilada Recipe

    Recipe by Mollie

    These jalapeño popper chicken enchiladas combine some of my favorite Mexican flavors with cream cheese, tangy pickled jalapeños, and lots of gooey cheese. They're easy, fast, and so so tasty.

    Course: DinnerCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
    5 from 2 votes
    Pin
    Print
    Servings

    6

    servings
    Prep time

    20

    minutes
    Cooking time

    20

    minutes
    Calories

    400

    kcal
    Total time

    40

    minutes
    Cook Mode

    Prevent your screen from going dark!

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 cups 1.5 shredded chicken

    • ¼ cup ¼ diced pickled jalapeños

    • 4 ounces 4 canned green chiles

    • 8 ounces 8 cream cheese, softened

    • 2 cups 2 shredded Mexican cheese, divided

    • ¼ teaspoon ¼ cumin

    • ¼ teaspoon ¼ garlic powder

    • ~10 ~10 corn, cassava, or flour tortillas (see note 1)

    • 10 ounces 10 green enchilada sauce (see note 2)

    Directions

    • Preheat your oven to 350°F.
    • Make the filling. Combine the jalapeños, green chiles, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, cream cheese, and shredded chicken in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
    • Dump the enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl, and dip each side of a tortilla into the sauce. Then place the tortilla flat into a 9"x13" casserole dish.
    • Fill the tortilla with the filling. I usually use about a quarter cup. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place it fold-side-down into the casserole dish. Repeat until you've used all of your tortillas or filled your casserole dish.
    • Top the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese, making sure to equally distribute the sauce throughout the dish. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
    • Bake! We bake ours uncovered until the cheese melts and starts to get a little crispy, about 20 minutes.

    Notes

    • Number of tortillas may vary based on how full you fill them and how big they are. We usually use corn tortillas or cassava flour tortillas. If you're gluten free, stick with one of those two options (or almond flour tortillas, if that's what you prefer). Flour tortillas work for this recipe too, but they have a slightly heavier texture. If you have multiple size options, medium usually works best (about 6").
    • If your enchiladas seem dry, you can increase the amount of sauce. Sometimes I'll add a little water to the bottom of the empty enchilada sauce can (or pouch) to make sure I get every drop. If we use Frontera brand enchilada sauce (which only comes in 8 ounce packages) I just add a little water to it to make up the missing 2 ounces.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michael says

      June 21, 2022 at 5:02 pm

      I have two words for this dish - REALLY GOOD! I really liked used rotisserie chicken and felt like it definitely saved me 10+ minutes cooking meat like other recipes. The pickled jalapenos add a nice bite without it being overpowering. I served it with rice which paired nicely with this dish. Definitely going to be a staple in our house!

      Reply
    2. Kyle says

      June 23, 2022 at 10:23 am

      This was such an easy meal and full of flavor. It was the perfect mid-week meal for the family!

      Reply

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