Shredded chicken enchiladas covered in a mildly spicy, creamy poblano sauce. Make plenty, because they’re even better the next day!
Remember that time I gave away a Vitamix blender, despite not actually owning one myself? Well, the nice people at Vitamix saw my post and decided that they should remedy that situation. They sent me my very own Vitamix 5200, along with the challenge of using it in healthy recipes every day for a week so that I could get used to it and learn how versatile it is. I’ve had it for about two weeks now, and I’m definitely loving it! Even reading through the cookbook that it came with was exciting – there are so many things that this little machine can do, it almost feels like it’s straight out of The Jetsons or something. I’ve found myself reaching for it way more often than I ever imagined I would. (For example, all those onions I wrote about over the weekend? They’re chopped up and packed away neatly in my freezer, where they’re taking up far less space.)
This week, I thought I’d share a few of the recipes that I made last week. Don’t worry – you don’t need a Vitamix to make them yourself, a regular blender or food processor will work, too (there might be a few tweaks needed, but I’ll make sure to point them out in the recipes.)
After breaking the blender in with a batch of frozen margaritas, I settled down and decided to make some actual food. These enchiladas covered in a mildly spicy, creamy poblano sauce, were inspired by some that I recently had at a restaurant. The sauce whips up easily in the blender while the chicken cooks on the stove, then it gets popped into the oven just long enough to melt some cheese on top. I was really excited by the idea that the Vitamix is so powerful that it can heat food up, so I used it to get my sauce piping hot. Since most blenders won’t be able to do that, you can transfer the sauce to a pot and heat it up on the stove, or add another 15-20 minutes to the baking time to ensure that the sauce is heated through.
(Speaking of being able to make things hot, if you have a Vitamix and haven’t made hot chocolate in it yet, what are you waiting for?! I’ve been making this Vitamix hot chocolate from Nutmeg Nanny just about every night. It’s so delicious, and even skim milks ends up getting a super frothy cappuccino-like foam on top.)
Looking for more enchilada recipes? Try Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Easy Mole // Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce // Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Verdes // Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce // Spinach, Poblano, and Cheese Enchiladas
Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce
Ingredients
For the Enchiladas:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon green chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 8 enchilada size flour tortillas
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- red onion and cilantro for garnish if desired
For the Poblano Sauce
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 poblano peppers stem and seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem and seeds removed (optional)
- 1 lime peeled
- 1 cup light sour cream
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350ºF. Rub the chicken breasts with chili powder.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep-sided skillet. Add the chicken and cook until just browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Add the chicken stock and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked through and the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Cool and shred.
- While the chicken cooks, prepare the poblano sauce by adding the chicken stock, poblano, garlic, jalapeño (if using), and lime to a vitamix blender. Blend on high for 4-5 minutes, or until steam starts to escape from the lid. Add the sour cream and cilantro; blend another 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. (You can also use a different blender or food processor to blend the ingredients until smooth, then heat the sauce in a pan.)
- Pour about 1/2 cup of poblano sauce into the bottom of a baking pan.
- Divide the chicken between the tortillas and roll; place into the prepared pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with finely diced red onion and jalapeno, if desired.
I would like to drink that poblano sauce with a straw. Also, owning a Vitamix is a life goal of mine. A big one. Can’t wait for the giveaway!
These look so good and I like the sound of that poblano sauce. Now only if I had a vitamix to help make it. . .
Enchiladas are one of my favorite weeknight meals. I’m looking forward to trying this version. Can’t wait for the giveaway!
Oh my WORD, that poblano sauce sounds amazing! I’m dreaming of these enchiladas with a margarita on the side and hot chocolate for dessert (clearly I need to get my hands on a Vitamix, stat ;)).
Lauren,
This looks yummy! I’ve had my Vitamix for . . . well more than a dozen years for sure . . . and I’ve never made hot chocolate or enchilada sauce in it. So thanks for that!
You need to make the hot chocolate ASAP. It’s amazing!
This recipe sounds delicious.
Your recipe calls for enchilada size tortillas but the ones that show in our photo look bigger than regular corn tortillas and maybe they are flour tortillas..can you please clarify. Thanks!
These are the exact ones I used in the photos: http://www.chichis.com/Tortillas-Chips/27-Tortillas-Flour-Corn-Enchilada-Style
I usually just buy whatever says “enchilada” on the bag. They’re not the super tiny ones, but they’re aren’t huge either. Sometimes they say fajita/enchilada size. (For size reference, I should point out that the green pan is definitely on the small side)
I adore a green sauce on enchiladas 🙂
I’m pretty sure I could tackle that whole pan all by myself .. wowzers!
If I didn’t know how filling these were, I’d say I could too. But I know better. 😉
I’m a big fan of enchiladas! Delicious!
Mmmm I love enchiladas, especially during the winter when I want something comforting! Great recipe. You can’t go wrong with a great poblano sauce.
I love chicken enchiladas also Ali, I am going to make this tonight with my daughters, I am so excited to see how my dieting group likes this. I love the chili power on this recipe, chicken is also great for weight loss so I think my group is going to love this.