Shrimp Enchiladas with Sour Cream Poblano Sauce

For some reason I got it into my head that I wanted shrimp enchiladas. Mind you, I've never once ordered shrimp enchiladas at a Mexican restaurant so I can't for the life of me figure out where the craving came from. But there it was and so off I went to find the perfect recipe.



I ended up combining recipes from two of my favorite bloggers and the results were sensational. A word of warning, though - these are a wee bit time consuming for a weeknight. There's nothing complicated about the recipe, it's just a lot to put together between peeling and roasting the shrimp, roasting the poblanos, making the sauce, and cooking the filling. Work has been insane so I've been trying to do dinner prep either early in the morning or late at night. I highly recommend cooking all the components ahead of time. Then you can assemble the enchiladas right before you bake them.



Shrimp Enchiladas with Sour Cream Poblano Sauce
From Damn Delicious and Annie's Eats

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, diced
3 cups coleslaw mix
3 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
12 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese

For the sauce:
2 poblano peppers
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400. Place shrimp onto a baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add coleslaw mix, spinach, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp and gently toss to combine.

If you have a gas stove, place the peppers directly on the burner over the flame and roast, turning often, until the skin is blistered and black all over. If you have an electric stove, preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Bake, turning every 6-8 minutes or so, until the skin is blistered over most of the surface about 20-25 minutes total. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let sit 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, stem, seeds and ribs and discard. Coarsely chop the peppers and set aside.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the chopped poblanos. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, cooking briefly just until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the broth and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and cilantro.

To assemble the enchiladas, spoon half the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Lay one tortilla on a flat surface and add some of the cheese, along with some of the shrimp mixture to the center. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and shrimp mixture. Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the top and cover with the remaining cheese. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas

As you may have noticed, I've been on a chicken thigh kick recently. The meat is just so tender and flavorful. Take these Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas from my friend, Melissa. In the past I would have subbed breasts for the thighs. I'm sure the results would have been good, but not great. Instead I used thighs and everyone, even the 5-year-old, was raving about how good they were.

My stepdad kept oohing and ahhing over them. And, like many things, they got better the longer they sat. SP took the final two enchiladas for lunch two days later and said they were even better than the first day we ate them.

As luck would have it, my aunt lives in New Mexico, home of the Hatch chile. She knows how much I love to cook, and that I can't get Hatch chiles here in Pennsylvania, so she figured out a way to process them, freeze them and bring them with her when she visited for the holidays. I've had the chiles in my freezer, waiting for the perfect recipe. If you don't have Hatch chiles you can definitely use regular green chiles - you can't really taste the true Hatch chile flavor in the enchiladas anyway. I'm saving the rest of the chiles to use as a burger topping. I can't wait!

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Seasoning: ground cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles (or 7 to 8 ounces Hatch chiles if you have them!)

Enchilada sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced
3/4 cup water

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded and divided in half
18 flour tortillas, large taco size
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken on a large baking sheet lined with foil. Season the chicken generously with cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium low in a small skillet. Add the onions and garlic and saute until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to a medium mixing bowl along with the diced green chiles.

To make the enchilada sauce: in a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Once the chicken has finished baking, remove to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then slice/chop the chicken into small bits and add to the mixing bowl. Make sure the mixture is cool enough to not melt the cheese, then add half the cheddar. Toss well to combine.

You'll need two baking dishes (one 9x13" and one smaller, I used an 8x8 square). Spray both dishes with cooking spray. Fill each tortilla with some of the filling, then roll it up and place seam side down in the baking dishes. Repeat with the other tortillas. Pour the sauce evenly over the enchiladas.

Cover the dishes with foil (do not forget this or the sauce will dry out!) and bake in the 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan and discard the foil. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top of the enchiladas and return to the oven uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle cilantro on top, if desired, and serve immediately.

Recipe Redo: Avocado Enchiladas

Someone was looking for vegetarian Mexican recipes recently and I recommended these avocado enchiladas. Then I looked at the picture and cringed. I know enchiladas are hard to photograph but I knew I could do at least slightly better. We all love guacamole so I put these on the menu for the weekend.

These are basically guacamole-stuffed tortillas topped with homemade enchilada sauce and cheese. Nothing wrong with that. My guacamole recipe is below but you can prepare it however you would normally. I don't add garlic or jalapeno, but some people like that. Whatever you do, make the homemade enchilada sauce. It's a very simple recipe and I love the spice and tang from the chipotle in adobo. It's the perfect compliment to the creamy avocado.

I froze the leftovers in individual portions and can't wait to pull out one of those parcels for a quick lunch or dinner.

Avocado Enchiladas
Modified from ...But where do you get your protein?

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo
3/4 cup water
4 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pit removed and flesh scooped out
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lemon juice, to taste
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 fajita-size flour tortillas
8oz grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spray a glass 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the avocado in a bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, lemon juice, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Mix together like you're making guacamole. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Lay one tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 1/8 the avocado mixture into each tortilla and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

It's a good thing, as far as my waistline is concerned, that spring is here. I tend to eat rich, fattening foods in the fall and winter when the weather is cooler. In the spring and summer I find those dishes too heavy. Enchiladas, with all their cheesy goodness, have been one of my obsessions lately. While I love a good red sauce, I wanted to experiment. Enter this recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas.


Holy moly, were these good. I made the sauce and poached the chicken earlier in the week then diced the onion and grated the cheese in the morning before I left for work so all I had to do that night was assemble and bake. The smell coming from the oven was intoxicating.

My only issue was that the sauce recipe made way too much sauce for one pan of enchiladas. I only had 8 tortillas and had trouble fitting them all into the 9 x 13 dish so if I'd had 12, I would have made two pans and divided the sauce. Oh, and SP bought me a habanero pepper instead of a serrano, so I only used the jalapeno, which was plenty in terms of spice level!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Slightly Modified from The Novice Chef

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
16 oz jar Medium Salsa Verde
1 & 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
12 tortillas, small fajita size
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
1/2 medium onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute jalapeno until soft and then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, cheese, and chopped onion to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with leftover cheese, and bake for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately. I love that most of the recipes are easy to make but still have great flavor. This recipe for White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce was no exception.


I actually cooked the chicken and made the green chile sauce over the weekend so all I had to do was assemble the enchiladas and put them in the oven alongside the Mexican Sour Cream Rice, which I also made over the weekend to save time during the week.

The only thing I'd change next time is add some of the sauce to the chicken filling. They were a little dry and really needed the sauce to bring everything together.


White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
Cassie Craves

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles.

Mix together 1 cup of the cheese, 1 cup of the sauce and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Beef Enchiladas and Sour Cream Rice

One Friday SP thought he had to work late so I decided to make myself a special dinner. Turns out he didn't have to work as late as he thought so we both got to enjoy this meal of Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas and Mexican Sour Cream Rice:


I love this recipe for enchiladas and always use the sauce recipe no matter what kind of enchiladas I'm making. They're simple to make and always delicious. And the rice never fails. I served the enchiladas with sour cream and guacamole. It was a wonderful end to a long week.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas
Everyday Food

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Make filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°. (If freezing, don’t place any sauce in baking dish; see To Freeze, below left.) Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside.

Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas and wrap in paper towel. Warm in microwave, 10 seconds or until pliable. Fill each with a heaping 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Note: To freeze: Make sauce and enchiladas; arrange enchiladas in baking dish without sauce (so tortillas dont become soggy). Place sauce in an airtight container. Cover dish with plastic wrap and foil. Label, date, and freeze enchiladas and sauce. Use within 2 months; bake without thawing (see opposite page).

To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 450°. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish. Pour sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.

Avocado Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Beans

I know Cinco de Mayo was on Monday, but my home life has been a little topsy-turvy lately so our celebratory meal didn't happen until last night. A woman on a cooking board I frequent recently shared a recipe for Avocado Enchiladas that sounded fantastic. Really, when it comes to avocados, you can't go wrong in my book. I love everything about them so I knew this recipe would be a winner.


I basically tripled the recipe so I'd end up with 6 enchiladas. I also used the enchilada sauce from this recipe and it was perfect. It's a great, simple sauce recipe and it made enough for me to have some leftover for another time.

My buddy Melissa has a recipe for Spanish Rice that I've been dying to try so I finally made it last night. This was seriously the best Spanish rice I've ever had. And it was so simple to make. Yum!

Black beans rounded out the meal. I got a recipe from a coworker (I used canned beans, but the idea was the same). I liked the flavor a lot, but the texture needed some work. Of course SP told me after dinner that he isn't a fan of beans (except for refried). Oh well. The rice and enchiladas were stellar so I'll definitely be making this meal again.

Avocado Enchiladas
Modified from ...But where do you get your protein?

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can

6 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pit removed and flesh scooped out
1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 flour tortillas
Grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Mash up the avocado in a glass bowl. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Mix together as you would if you were making guacamole.

Spoon the avocado mixture into the tortillas and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

Last night I made the same Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas that I made for Cinco de Mayo:


... but as you can see from my plate, they didn't hold together like they did last time:


They still tasted fantastic but, as SP has told me countless times, he isn't a fan of corn tortillas. I need to find a good recipe for enchiladas using flour tortillas, if one even exists.