Living in Texas we get to eat a lot of Mexican food. I’m sure it isn’t very authentic. I guess that’s why they call it Tex-Mex, but it is still a great meal. If you are a Mexican food lover you know that it is very tasty, and very full in calories and fat. For years I have been coming up with my own enchilada recipes to try and create a healthier version.
When I went to the grocery store for this week’s groceries the produce department was very picked over. No zucchini, no leeks, and no tomatillos. I checked in the international food isle for canned tomatillos with no luck. I must have been standing there a while because a stocker approached me and asked if I needed help finding anything. I asked her for tomatillos and she replied: “Honey, I don’t even know what you are saying,” and walked away.
I shrugged off her odd remark assuming she wasn’t much of a Mexican food fan and begin looking for a good substitute. I decided on canned green chiles to make Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas.
To make this recipe I drained my whole green chiles and placed them on a cookie sheet. I roasted them in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes until softened and browned.
While these roasted I thinly sliced my chicken and cooked it over medium high heat in a little olive oil. Once cooked, I added a can of chopped green chiles, onion, and garlic. I sautéed this until the onions were soft and translucent. I then added fat free cream cheese and stirred until it was smooth and melted. I also added a little shredded Mexican cheese.
For the sauce I pureed my oven roasted chiles, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime, low fat sour cream, and broth. Fat Free Sour Cream has added sugar, so if you are on South Beach Diet you will need to use light sour cream instead. I pureed this until very smooth. I only added about ¼ of a poblano pepper. We don’t like our food too hot so I am careful not to be heavy handed. Poblano peppers are not extremely hot, but they do add a good smoky flavor. I would recommend adding a little at a time and tasting to see if you have reached your decided spice level. On a scale of hotness from fuzzy blanket to hell fire, this recipe comes in at bee sting.
Making Green Chili Sauce
I then roll the chicken inside a whole grain tortilla and top off with sauce and more shredded cheese. Bake at 400 for about 35 minutes until hot and bubbly. This is a really tasty recipe and will be a great addition to your weekly menu.
Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas
Yield: Nine Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 can (1 lb 11 oz) green chiles
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 Cup cilantro
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 lime
- 3/4 Cup chicken broth
- 3 large chicken breast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles
- 3 ounces fat free sour cream
- 1 Cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
Cooking Directions
- For filling, cut chicken breast into extra thin slices. Cook over medium high heat with olive oil. Once cooked through add 7 oz can of chopped green chilies, 3 cloves of garlic, and half the onion and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add fat free cream cheese and stir until smooth and melted. Add 3/4 cup low fat shredded Mexican cheese and mix until melted and combined.
- For sauce, drain whole peppers and place on cookie sheet. Roast at 400 for about 20 minutes until softened. Once, roasted add to food processor or blender with ½ the onion, cilantro, poblano, remaining garlic, juice of one lime, sour cream, and broth. Puree until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 400. To assemble, spread ¼ cup of sauce onto bottom of well greased baking pan. Roll about two tablespoons of chicken mixture into each tortilla. Once rolled and placed seam side down in pan pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for about 25 to minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and let set about five minutes. Dig in!
