Friday the 13th and Easy Enchiladas Verdes

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Alas, another night shot which really doesn't do these justice, a wrinkle in my cloth, and my little digital camera ran out of space in the middle of shooting...was it the shadow of Friday the 13th looming over me? Nope, I was just hungry!!

Happy Friday the 13th everyone. It’s hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the first month of this new year. I choose to view this as a lucky day, and therefore want to share a fiesta recipe with you in celebration, but do watch out for those out there who are a bit wigged out by the date!

As I’ve probably mentioned a time or two, I really, really like Mexican food. I don’t cook a lot of it at home, but am trying to remedy that as the fat content of eating it “abroad” catches up with you rather quickly…the “broad” part of that word being key.

The filling: This looks pretty creamy, don't you think?

I’ve dabbled with and adapted from various recipes, and settled on this one below based on a Cooking Light recipe for these terrific Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas), which are a lighter take on the usual cheesy gooey, but with fantastic flavor and just enough creaminess to make you happy. Are these authentic? Nope. Are they delicious? Yep. Filled with chicken, onion, lime juice, sour cream, cheese, seasonings and cilantro, it’s a savory and substantial bite, and the blanket of salsa verde on the top and bottom gives it just the right amount of kick. There’s very little prep because most of the ingredients can be purchased “as is,” which is great for a busy work night. The end result is a clean-tasting, lighter than most and deliciously satisfying dish. OlĂŠ!

Nothing says "comfort food" like a pan of Enchiladas Verdes!

Easy Enchiladas Verdes for Friday the 13th!
Serves 4.

3 3/4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (about 1 small chicken), I use organic unseasoned rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat
3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus about 1/4-1/3 cup for sprinkling on top
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup sour cream, you can use light but I wouldn’t recommend non-fat
1/2 cup less-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon, or to taste, kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8-flour tortillas, about 6-7 inches (they are actually about 7 inches and you don’t want them to be the 10 inch kind for sure!)
1-16 oz. jar medium heat salsa verde, preferably organic or minimally processed, or you can make your own of course (I used Zapata and have used the 365 brand)

Warm the tortillas on both sides before filling.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 3″ casserole dish with olive oil. Combine the chicken, 3/4 cup of cheese, onion, cilantro, sour cream, chicken broth, lime juice, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix to distribute the ingredients well. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch more salt if needed. Place about 1/2 cup of the salsa verde into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and spread evenly.

Put your filling down the middle and roll.

Warm the tortillas according to the package directions, and I use a small non-stick skillet over medium heat to warm/lightly toast mine on both sides before filling. Place a scant 1/2 cup of the filling evenly down the center of each tortilla, then roll and place them seam side down into the casserole dish on top of the salsa verde.

Place each filled and rolled tortilla seam side down in the dish on top of the salsa verde.

Top the enchiladas evenly with the remaining salsa verde and sprinkle the top with 1/4 – 1/3 cup cheese, or as much as you like. Cover the dish lightly with aluminum foil, making sure it doesn’t touch the top of the enchiladas, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are warmed through and bubbly. Serve with more sour cream if you like, but we like them just fine as is!

Top with more salsa verde, sprinkle with cheese, cover and bake.

44 thoughts on “Friday the 13th and Easy Enchiladas Verdes”

    • Thanks, I agree, that shot came out the best…shot next to my kitchen sink with all that florescent light…but generally that doesn’t work so well. It was tasty in the bowl…kinda like a mexican chicken salad! 🙂

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  4. I am one of the unfortunate few to whom fresh cilantro tastes like soap. Otherwise it sounds fabulous. Maybe flat-leaf parsley as a substitute? You’re all probably too young to remember the comic strip Pogo, about the possum and his friends living in the swamp. But at any rate, some months Pogo would say, “Friday the 13th comes on Saturday (or whatever day) this month.”

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    • Hi Carol! Happy New Year to you, and I do remember Pogo actually! I have another friend who can’t stand cilantro and thinks it tastes like dirt. I think you could easily swap italian parsley in this recipe.It would taste a little different, but that sounds like it would be a GOOD thing in your case, and certainly it goes with all of the other flavors…I say give it a try! 🙂

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  5. I’m with you and your love of Mexican food. These enchiladas look great and I love that you use asiago cheese. There’s nothing unlucky about being served these beauties on the 13th!

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    • Thanks, John! For this recipe, I think the asiago gives a little more bang for your buck in terms of depth of flavor than some of the mild and sometimes a bit salty hispanic cheeses…although I love asadero and queso blanco on lots of things, too. But you can’t go wrong with asiago cheese in my opinion!

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  9. What a quick, easy and delicious meal! Scrumptious.
    I was just telling my hubby that you will have a Friday the 13th if a month starts on a Sunday. Just thought I would add that useless bit of info in for you.
    🙂 Mandy

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    • Thank you for the compliments, Mandy! These are really tasty, and I think you’d like them if you try them out. That’s interesting about Friday the 13th happening on months that start on a Sunday…I did not know that. Seems like someone just told me a similar tidbit about leap years, but I can’t remember exactly what is was in my fuzzy little brain! 😉

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    • Hi Noodle! These enchiladas are really good, and not really like the ones you’d get in a Mexican restaurant…at least in my experience. I think your husband is probably right! Really good Mexican food is nothing like what we call the Tex-Mex gooey style that’s popular in most Mexican restaurants here in the states. The regional and home made dishes are well composed with fine ingredients and often quite complex. Moles are a wonderful example of a complex sauce/dish they make in Mexico, and there are more varieties of them with different ingredients than you can shake a stick at! One of my favorite dishes is Cochinita Pibil which is pork spiced and roasted slowly in banana leaves that is just out of this world….and on and on. I KNOW you’d like some of those regional dishes based on reading your blog! 🙂

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  11. Your enchiladas look so good. We don’t do enchiladas here in Holland so taking inspiration from your post, I’m gonna introduce it here ;-).

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  12. I really don’t cook Mexican much and I know that breaks my son’s heart!! He does love Mexican food and this would be one he’d be very happy with!! Thanks for the reminder, I think I’ll surprise him!!

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  15. I love Mexican food and have ceretainly eaten my fair share. I’ve had enchilades verde for breakfast while vacationing in Mexico…that is how much I love them. Your recipe sounds very good.

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    • Hi Karen, and thanks so much for the compliments. I’ll bet you’ve tried all kinds of great Mexican food between growing up in Texas and vacationing in Mexico. I really want to go to Mexico and sample the food and the culture first hand…a place I haven’t been to yet, although my husband spent some time in Oaxaca and sampled many moles while he was there…and loved them of course.

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  16. This looks like one for us to try…I will have to figure out what type of bean to use as a substitute in half of the tortillas (for my vegetarian wife).

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    • Hey Toby! I’d recommend drained and rinsed black beans as a sub for the chicken. You might need to slightly adjust the lime juice and the cumin for the beans, too, as they might need a tiny bit more seasoning to taste. Actually that sounds like it might be fun for us to try sometime, too!

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    • Hey Julie! So great to see you here and thank you so much for stopping by and for commenting. I agree, these are good for any night of the week, especially a busy one! My only problem with them is that I’d eat them every night if I could…I’m a Mexican food junkie. 😉

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  19. Hey, Betsy! I did make the enchiladas (almost): I stacked them New Mexico style, rather than rolled them and I used a Cracker Barrel cheddar with jalapenos for the cheese and home-roasted chicken. I liked them a lot. I especially liked the lime and cumin in them, as I knew I would. I’m make them again. That’s two really good recipes I’ve gotten from you so far.

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    • Hi Sharyn, and I’m so happy you tried them and liked them. Thanks for letting me know, and for sharing a great idea…stacking them! I didn’t know that was the New Mexico style, but I’m going to try it next time…probably mix it up with some different cheeses as well. 🙂

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