Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Flour tortillas stuffed with a cheesy, flavorful chicken filling made with taco seasoning baked in an easy creamy queso sauce with NO canned soups!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO THE RECIPE
2. COOKING NOTES
3. WHAT TO SERVE THEM WITH
4. MORE MEXICAN MAIN DISHES

I am about to present to you my favorite enchilada recipe. Ever. 

And I've tried A LOT of enchilada recipes. Most leave me feeling pretty meh about them. Maybe it's the cans of condensed Cream of Something soups or the jars or salsa (or Rotel) most seem to have that or maybe it's lack of seasoning??

This recipe is different. The chicken filling is made with cream cheese, sauteed onions and green chilies and it's easily (and perfectly) seasoned with a packet of taco seasoning.

Also? It’s made with the secret ingredient our local Mexican restaurants use in queso: white American cheese. No kidding! That's what our Mexican restaurants use to make queso dip: white American cheese and heavy cream. That's it!

Want to hear something else that will blow your mind?? Guess where I got this recipe? From Husband’s ex-wife.

And I’m STILL not kidding!

But she did tell me if I put this on the blog she'd haunt or hunt me - whichever came first. HA! She was kidding though. I think. I'm pretty sure she was kidding. Right??

I think this is more like a burrito bake since it's made with flour tortillas and there's no enchilada sauce but I'm not into picking fights so I'm leaving the name alone.

I am so very grateful for this recipe because it really, truly is one of our family's favorites and we eat it at least once a month!

NOTES ABOUT COOKING CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1. Absolutely no substitutions for the white American cheese. You can find it in the deli at any major grocery store. Ask for one solid piece of cheese. If I can't get them to understand I want one solid piece, I just ask for #10 slices (or whatever the thickest they have).
2. Use 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts.
3. You can absolutely use leftover or rotisserie chicken in this.
4. I typically use Neufchâtel (light cream cheese) when I make this since the heavy cream is so rich.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

• A simple salad with Easy Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch 
• Fresh pico de gallo or your favorite salsa
• Borrocho Beans or go easy with a can of refried beans
• Yellow rice or Mexican Restaurant-Style Rice 
• Chips & salsa
• Mexican Street Corn (Esquites) or any corn salad 

MORE MEXICAN MAIN DISHES TO TRY

3-INGREDIENT CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS - A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with only three ingredients. 

SMOTHERED BEEF & BEAN BURRITO BAKE - flour tortillas stuffed with ground beef, cheese and refried beans smothered in a savory queso sauce that comes together right in the oven. 

TACO RICE WITH QUESO - A one-pan skillet dinner  made with ground beef, taco seasoning and Mexican style rice drenched in an easy queso cheese sauce. 

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS - An easy, flavor-packed recipe using ground chicken and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that’s surprisingly healthy! 

Recipe for How to Cook Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Flour tortillas stuffed with a cheesy, flavorful chicken filling made with taco seasoning baked in an easy creamy queso sauce with NO canned soups!

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 8-oz. package cream cheese
• 1 1-oz. package taco seasoning
• 1 4.5-oz. can green chilies
• 6 10-inch flour tortillas (burrito size)
• 1/2 lb. white American cheese, shredded
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salsa or pico de gallo for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Simmer chicken breasts in salted water or broth for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cool then shred into bite-sized pieces.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3-quart 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
3. Sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add cream cheese, taco seasoning, green chilies (with liquid) and cooked chicken to onions. Reduce heat to low then stir until all ingredients are combined and cream cheese is melted.
4. Fill tortillas evenly with chicken mixture and roll into enchiladas. Place enchiladas in prepared baking dish, seam-side down.
5. Sprinkle cheese evenly over enchiladas. Pour heavy cream over cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil then bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Remove aluminum foil, sprinkle paprika over enchiladas then continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has started to brown.
7. Serve with salsa or pico de gallo.

Notes

• Absolutely no substitutions for the white American cheese (this is what they use to make queso dip at the Mexican restaurants). You can find it in the deli at any major grocery store. Ask for one solid piece of cheese. If I can't get them to understand I want one solid piece, I just ask for #10 slices (or whatever the thickest they have).
• Use 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts.
• You can absolutely use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken in this.
• I use a small mesh strainer to dust the paprika over the enchiladas.
• I typically use Neufchâtel (light cream cheese) when I make this since the heavy cream is so rich.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2012/12/cheesy-chicken-enchiladas.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2012

cheesy, chicken enchiladas, enchilada bake, burrito bake, tortillas, taco seasoning, cream cheese, no creamed soup, no sour cream, green chilies, casserole, best, creamy, queso, white american, cheese, cream, flour tortillas

dinner

mexican

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Classic Deviled Eggs

Home » Side Dishes » Classic Deviled Eggs

A simple recipe for perfect deviled eggs that can be dressed up with pickle relish, paprika or whatever your favorite add-ins are.

When people ask me for recipes for things like deviled eggs, I’m always a little surprised. Isn't that one of those things you just know how to make?

Then I remind myself how lucky I am to have been raised by hands-on women that cooked almost every meal from scratch and had me in the kitchen helping from the time I was big enough to see over the counter.

There are literally pictures of me when I was a little girl, standing on a stool so I could reach the sink to wash dishes!

Speaking of Mama… deviled eggs (and tuna salad and chicken salad and potato salad and anything else that involves mayo) is where she and I don’t see eye to eye.

Mama is…  how do I say this?? Mama… well, she…. likes Miracle Whip. I blame this on her being raised in Maryland. For all you Duke's Mayonnaise loving Southerners out there, feel free to take a moment. 

I don’t know how many times I've forgotten this and put a big ole forkful of something in my mouth, expecting mayo, to be punched in the taste buds with the sweet, vinegary taste of Miracle Whip.

This is a very basic recipe. I’m kind of a purist when it comes to deviled eggs and egg salad. I've been known to throw some sweet pickle relish or minced onions in both but for the most part, I prefer things on the simple side.

The tip I really wanted to give you is to use a piping bag or zip-top bag to fill the eggs because it's sooooo much easier and it just looks good :)

Recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs

Classic Deviled Eggs

Yield: 12 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

A simple recipe for perfect deviled eggs that can be dressed up with pickle relish, paprika or whatever your favorite add-ins are.

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, boiled and cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow or dijon mustard
• Salt to taste
• Paprika or chopped chives for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Add yolks to a small bowl and arrange egg whites on a serving plate.
2. Add mayonnaise (I start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed - you want the filling thick enough to hold its shape once piped into the whites. If you make it too runny there's not much you can do to fix it) and mustard to egg yolks and mash together using the back of a fork. Add salt to taste.
3. Using a hand-held electric mixer, whip yolk mixture until smooth. Add yolk mixture to a piping bag or zip-top bag (if using a zip-top bag, snip a small hole in one corner when ready to fill eggs) then pipe mixture into egg whites. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Garnish with paprika or chopped chives if desired.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2012/12/deviled-eggs.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth 2012

deviled eggs, devilled eggs, classic, basic, simple, recipe, how to, best, easy

side dish, appetizers

american

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Squash Casserole

Home » Side Dishes » Squash Casserole

A tried-and-true family favorite recipe made with fresh yellow squash and herb stuffing that's perfect at Thanksgiving, potlucks and holiday dinners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO RECIPE
2. HOW NOT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
3. NOTES ABOUT THE RECIPE JUST RIGHT

This squash casserole is special because it's a family recipe but also because it's so very perfect!

Everybody has favorite side dishes at special meals like Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas dinner. Most folks around here would say it’s Baked Macaroni & Cheese or Cornbread Dressing – and I love those too!

But my most favorite side dish is this squash casserole! It’s the one in Mama’s big black cookbook. The one with all the handwritten recipes. The one I call The Family Bible. 

I’ve had squash casserole made with cheese, some made with crackers, some with mayo but this one right here is the best I’ve ever had! I have no clue where the recipe came from or how old it is but it’s absolutely perfect. 

What’s a little strange to me is that the ingredients that go into this aren’t anything special on their own but when you put them all together, something magnificent happens! It’s like eating stuffing that already has gravy mixed into it. Then the vegetables bring in some texture and BOOM! pure bliss!

You can either boil the squash or sauté it. I usually sauté it in a big cast iron pan like I’m making my Stewed Squash recipe because I think it does a better job of letting the taste and texture of the squash come through but Mama usually boils it.

From time to time I get too big for my britches and start thinking I can improve old family recipes because, ya know, I’m like somebody now. I’m Miss Fancy Pants Blog Lady so of course I can make something good even better with my amazing cooking prowess.

I mean, I know what sous vide is and I’ve met Cat Cora and I’ve cooked in Kitchen Stadium so obviously I must know everything about cooking and recipes. 

Pfffft. The changes I tried on this recipe were total fails and I know now I just need to leave well enough alone. Classic recipes people pass down for decades don’t keep getting made generation after generation if they weren’t already the best versions. 

HOW NOT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE (IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING)

• I tried both Cream of Onion and Cream of Celery in this because… chicken?? There ain’t even any chicken in this recipe so why would we use Cream of Chicken??? Because it tastes good. That’s why. The End. You can try others if you want but I’m telling you, none are better than Cream of Chicken.
• I tried it with less butter. And it was dry. Don’t do it. You will want to use less but just… don’t.
• I’ve finely diced (instead of grated) the carrot and onion then sautéed them first (because surely to God that would be better). Anybody want to guess which was best? Yup. Just use raw grated onion and carrots. 
• I’ve made it with the whole bag of stuffing. It was dry. It was wrong. It made my family look at me and ask why??
• I was on a health kick once and used reduced fat sour cream and lightened up soup. Horrible. They replace the fat with starch which makes for dry casseroles and broken dreams. 

NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE FOR SQUASH CASSEROLE

• You can boil or pan-fry the squash. The recipe card has instructions for both ways.
• I ONLY use Pepperidge Farm's Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing in this recipe.
• You can use other Cream of Something soups but Cream of Chicken tastes best (see my diatribe about this above in the How NOT to Make This Recipe section). 
• Don’t use the whole bag of stuffing or the casserole will be dry (again, see above).

Recipe for Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole

Yield: 10 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 Min

A tried-and-true family favorite recipe made with fresh yellow squash and herb stuffing that's perfect at Thanksgiving, potlucks and holiday dinners.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs fresh yellow squash
• 1 small onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 10-oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 12-oz bag herb seasoned stuffing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash squash well then cut into slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Boil or pan-fry until very tender (see recipe notes) then drain well.
3. Meanwhile, using a box grater, grate carrot and onion (just like you would shred cheese) then add to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add sour cream, creamed soup (do not prepare first) and butter then mix well.
5. Add 3/4 of the bag of stuffing and cooked squash to the bowl then gently fold until well combined.
6. Pour mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top mixture with some of the leftover dry stuffing (not all of it, just enough to make a uniform top crust).
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Notes

• To boil the squash, simply add the sliced squash to salted boiling water then cook for about 7-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
• To pan-fry the squash, heat a little oil (or bacon grease!) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, then sauté until tender (about 10-12 minutes). Drain liquid from pan if present. 
• I use Pepperidge Farm's Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2012/12/squash-casserole.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2012

Squash Casserole recipe, southern Squash Casserole, squash, yellow squash, casserole, best, pepperidge farm, stuffing, herb, cream of chicken, sour cream, fresh, potluck, thanksgiving, how to, family recipe, no cheese, without cheese

side dish

american

Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!

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