Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chutney

Ever since we bought a gas grill, almost every weekend is turning into a grilled chicken and corn kind-a dinner. The warm days and light wind makes it quite perfect too. Next day, there is always left over grilled chicken to finish. It is not a bad thing because the options to make something amazing with that are limitless. Last week, I made Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chutney. I don’t know if the star of the dish was the filling or the sauce but it sure was a tasty combination that made for a delectable meal.

What is Enchilada?

The word enchilada simply means with chile. The enchiladas that I am sharing today doesn’t have the authentic chile sauce. However, it still has a good amount of heat and sharpness that goes so well with beans, chicken and cheese. You might think I am silly to use green chutney in chicken enchiladas but it works, especially since the grilled chicken had garam masala in it.

The Sauce for the Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chutney

I personally enjoy chicken enchiladas with green sauce and using green chutney was kind of a last-minute option. A good search in the refrigerator and pantry gave a sad looking avocado, little bit of yogurt and a little bit of green chutney. I was tempted to put a jalapeno but couldn’t risk making it spicy as my little fella still can’t take the heat. A good doze of lemon juice and it all came together into a killer sauce. I’m sure it would make a great dip too.

Not sure for how long the color will retain this vibrant shade but it did stay pretty gorgeous for almost a couple of hours.

FEW KEY POINTS to keep in mind for the Chicken Enchiladas

I used left over grilled chicken for this dish. You can find the recipe for grilled chicken here. I didn’t use any extra spices to prepare the filling as the grilled chicken already had a lot of spices.

You could use the same spice mix and just pan fry the chicken breast or thigh. Once cooled, pull chicken breast or thigh apart by hand or fork into shredded strips.

I always stock tortilla in my pantry for quick quesadillas on busy weeknights but I think enchiladas will happen more often now. We have plans to grill chicken over the weekend with some friends. If there are left overs, you know what it will transform into. Go give it a try and let me know your experience!

Green Chutney Chicken Enchilada

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes

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Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 can, 15 oz cannellini beans
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika powder
• 2 cups shredded chicken, I used leftover grilled chicken

for the sauce

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup yogurt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons green chutney
• ½ teaspoon salt

other ingredients

• 5 to rtillas
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• finely chopped cilantro leaves for garnish.

Instructions

1. Place a heavy bottom pan at medium heat and drizzle the oil. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Then, drop the onion and stir around. Sprinkle the salt and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Drain the beans from the can and scatter it on the pan in an even layer. Let it sizzle for a minute and then, toss it around. Add the cumin powder, paprika powder and let it cook for 2 minutes.
3. Finally, drop the shredded chicken and toss everything around. Check for salt and add any, if needed. Keep the filling aside to be used later.
4. For the sauce, just add everything into a blender and blend it to a smooth consistency. Check for salt and add more, if needed.
5. Take 2 tablespoons of the sauce and add it to the filling. Mix it all around.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
7. Take a 13x9 inch ovenproof casserole dish. Coat the bottom of the dish with a little bit of sauce.
8. Microwave the tortillas for 20 seconds in the microwave. This helps to make it more pliable. Layer one tortilla on a board and spoon a little bit of the filling, followed by a little amount of sauce, cheese and fold over the filling. Place it on the casserole, seam side down. Continue filling and placing rest of the tortillas.
9. Once done, layer rest of the sauce on top and cover it with rest of the cheese. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake it for 10 minutes. Then, remove the aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese gets bubbly and turns golden brown.
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve warm.

Notes

The cooking time will change if you have to cook the chicken instead of using leftover grilled or roasted chicken.