Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas are tangy tortilla-wrapped bundles of goodness. Oozy goat cheese and chunks of chicken in a rich enchilada sauce and topped with more cheese is comfort food for a cold Winter’s night. I’m first going to say this is not an authentic enchilada recipe. This is more of a Tex-Mex American enchilada casserole. This is a version of how I learned how to make enchiladas long before the Mexican food scene was a thing. However, that is not to say these are not absolutely tasty. I played around with my original recipe I posted several years ago and added goat cheese giving these enchiladas a richness and elevating them to a new height.

The flour tortillas bake up very soft and tender in this recipe. This Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas recipe looks beautiful with plenty of red sauce and bubbly cheese, topped with green onions and black olives. It makes a warm, comforting casserole-like version of enchiladas that is crowd-pleasing. The sauce is full of spices yet not overly spicy, just packed full of flavor. It is the perfect casserole for a potluck. If you buy a rotisserie chicken, the meat from one chicken is about right for what this recipe calls for. If you go shopping at a warehouse store, the chicken along with the log of goat cheese is still reasonable, making it economical.

The sauce simmers for 30 minutes while you can gather the other ingredients for the filling, and in no time, it can be baking in the oven. This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day. It is the same way lasagna is better the next day. The flavors seem to blend better overnight. If you want to reheat this, I might add more jack cheese when you reheat it for more bubbly melted goodness. The chipotle powder can be found in most major groceries or a local Mexican grocer if you are lucky to have one. It can also be found on Amazon here. (I get a small commission at no cost to you from Amazon. If you use any link on this page, please consider helping fund my food journey.)

I hope everyone is staying warm and comfy out there as Winter has shown its cold embrace. Please think of others in your choices. We all need to get through this world together. Until next time!

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Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas, Rich enchilada sauce enrobed tortillas overstuffed with moist chicken and goat cheese. Delicious and tasty.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Texmex

Keyword: chicken and goat cheese, chicken enchiladas, Enchiladas, goat cheese, goat cheese enchiladas, mexican chicken recipes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the enchilada sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 large onions chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano Mexican oregano, if you can find it.
• 2 teaspoons chipotle powder optional for a little extra kick.
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth vegetable broth, or water

For the filling

• 3.8 oz can black olives drained, divided
• 1 cup sliced green onions divided
• The remaining cooked onions
• 4 cups of chicken meat cubed into 2-inch pieces. One rotisserie chicken is perfect
• 8-10 oz of fresh goat cheese crumbled
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 8- inch flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese about 8 oz

Sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, and more cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. To Make the Enchilada sauce.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and Sauté until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove all but about ½ cup of the onions and set aside.
4. Add the minced garlic to the pan with the ½ cup of the onions and cook for one minute until the garlic is fragrant. No need to cook it all the way.
5. Add in the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, optional chipotle powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and the water or chicken broth.
7. Bring the sauce to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce the boiling sauce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, the sauce will be thicken. You can thin it down with some more water. It should be the consistency of watery pancake batter.
8. Let the sauce cool for 10-15 minutes for easier handling. This sauce can be made a day ahead.
9. To make the Enchiladas.
10. Preheat the oven to 350°
11. Prepare a 13 X 9 casserole dish by coating it with olive oil or cooking spray.
12. Spread about 2 cups of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
13. In a large bowl, combine ½ a cup of the green onions, ½ of the chopped olives, the reserved cooked onions, the chicken, crumbled goat cheese, and the cilantro.
14. On a plate wide enough to fit a tortilla or a pie dish, spread a generous amount of the enchilada sauce.
15. One at a time, Place a tortilla over the sauce and press down to coat one side. Flip the tortilla over to coat the other side. Place about 1/8 of the filling in a log down the center of the tortilla.
16. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the prepared casserole dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas making a row of 8 filled enchiladas. Add more sauce to the plate as necessary.
17. Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the filled enchiladas.
18. Sprinkle the shredded pepper jack cheese, the reserved chopped olives, and the green onions over the enchiladas concentrating more in the center of each enchilada.
19. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
20. Serve with sour cream, sliced avocados or guacamole, and more cilantro.

Recipe Notes

These enchiladas freeze beautifully and actually taste even better the next day.