Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

I read somewhere people are craving comfort food during these unprecedented and sometimes anxiety-inducing times we are currently living through. I would have to agree.

Instead of my fruit smoothie in the morning, I want a big slice of toast with melted butter and a drizzle of honey. The kids beg for pancakes and waffles every morning instead of their typical bowls of oatmeal or cereal.

Dinners lately have run on the decadent side with big juicy cheeseburgers off our Traegar grill with oven-baked French fries. We’ve made cheesy pasta dishes and grilled steaks. A glass of wine and a few snacks promptly at 5pm has become the new norm. 

Because we live so far out in the country, we rarely get any kind of takeout. No one delivers (not even the pizza guys) and usually the hassle of trying to pick something up is more of a headache than just throwing a meal together. But once a week, we order takeout from a number of our favorite restaurants. One of us drives into town, relishing the quiet 20 minutes in the car alone, to pick up our order. We, of course, want to support our local economy any way we can, but it also feels like a special treat in a season of a lot of unknowns and question marks.

A long long time ago, I read the book Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist, (which if you’re looking for a book to read, I highly recommend ). In the book, she talks about this recipe for enchiladas she makes whenever a friend has a new baby. They are special and decadent and the kind of dish you find yourself eating straight from the pan with a spoon long after dinner is over. This is the kind of dinner we all need right now.

Because I can’t leave anything alone, I made my own version of her recipe from the book. Mine is creamy and decadent just like hers but with a few extra goodies. I’ve made these enchiladas for years now and often double the recipe so I can give a pan to a friend or stash an extra in my freezer. My kids insist on a rolled tortilla, so I appease them with flour tortillas rolled up, but my preference is corn tortillas layered like a lasagna. However you like your enchiladas will work just fine. One last note, this recipe leaves lots of room to add or swap with your favorite ingredients. You could replace the chicken with roasted sweet potatoes or cooked quinoa. You can skip the spinach if you know your family will balk. The creamy enchilada sauce is really the star of the show. What you actually put in the enchiladas is whatever you and your family prefers.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

• 2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded

• 1/2 walla walla sweet onion, diced

• 2 ounce can sliced black olives, drained

• 2 ounce can fire roasted diced green chilies

• 3 cups shredded Colby jack cheese, divided

• 5 ounce container baby spinach, chopped

• 16 ounces low-fat sour cream

• 1 16-ounce jar green salsa (use whatever brand you prefer)

• 8-12 flour tortillas (soft taco size) OR package corn tortillas

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 green onions, sliced

• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Give the baby spinach a rough chop and dice the onion. In a mixing bowl, combine cooked chicken, baby spinach, onion, drained black olives and the fire roasted green chilies. Using clean hands, gently mix the ingredients together. Sprinkle mixture with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper. Add 2 cups of cheese to the chicken and vegetables and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and green salsa. Use a whisk to combine. 

Lightly spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Evenly spread about a third of the sour cream mixture on the bottom of the dish. Scoop chicken filling into tortillas. Fold the tortilla around the  mixture and nestle into the baking dish. Repeat until you’ve run out of filling and tortillas.  Smother the enchiladas int he rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining shredded cheese and a pinch of kosher salt. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling along the edges.

Remove pan from the oven, uncover the dish and garnish with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

*An alternative way to assemble this dish is like a lasagna. I strongly recommend you use corn tortillas for this version. Layer sauce in the bottom of the pan. Then place tortillas over the sauce until the pan is covered. Scoop filling over the tortillas. Layer with sauce and start the process over until the pan is filled to the top. Make sure the top layer is sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. Once dish is out of the oven, garnish with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.