Hold on to your sombrero because there’s a new enchilada recipe in town, Easy Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas.
Featuring the most delicious marinade and sauce ever, it features tequila marinated chicken cutlet, lime juice and a “secret” ingredient, brown sugar.
This sweet treat is then wrapped in a tortilla and grated cheese. Next, it’s topped with an out-of-this-world sauce of salsa verde, crema (Mexican-style cream), and more cheese.
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Count on it; This dish will have you wanting to celebrate Cinco de Mayo all year long. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients; it all comes together quickly.
Sharon’s tips:
- If you can’t find any crema, you can substitute sour cream diluted with milk or half and half. You can also use cream instead.
- You can also substitute honey, plain maple syrup, or corn syrup for brown sugar.
- It’s just my husband and I, so I usually split the enchiladas into multiple dishes, rather than making one big casserole, bake one and freeze the rest. An enchiladas and a half is a good portion for most appetites.
- Breaking the enchiladas up into smaller meals and dishes means they take less time to bake.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day and can be stored in the fridge for four days. I usually warm them up in the microwave.
- This dish freezes beautifully and should be frozen uncooked. Seal tightly and store in your freezer for up to three months. Then, before making it, let it thaw in your fridge overnight and follow the baking directions.
- As you’d expect, this is a great prep dish. You can make it up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge unbaked. Then take it out to room temperature about 30 minutes before baking and bake as directed.
- Yes, I know authentic enchiladas call for corn tortillas. Sort of Southern meets Tex-Mex, this recipe calls for flour tortillas. If you prefer corn, by all means use corn instead.
- You can substitute four small or two large cooked and shredded chicken breasts for the rotisserie chicken.
Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas recipe
Served 8
Ingredients:
1 roast chicken, skinned and boned, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup tequila
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8-10 flour tortillas, 10 inches
4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend
1 cup green enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa verde from the jar
1 cup crema, Mexican cream
directions:
First, mix tequila, brown sugar, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder in a bowl. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.
Place the shredded chicken in a plastic bag or bowl and pour in the marinade, making sure all the chicken pieces are saturated. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to assemble and cook the casserole, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the green enchilada sauce with the salsa verde and the crema.
Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce mixture onto the bottom of the bowl and spread.
Drain the chicken mixture and reserve the remaining marinade. Mix the chicken with 3 cups of grated cheese.
Place a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and roll up tightly. Place the rolled tortillas in your casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Eight enchiladas should fit in the dish.
If you have leftover marinade, mix up to 1/2 cup with the previously prepared enchilada sauce. Pour this mixture over the enchiladas and sprinkle with a cup of grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Let rest for about five minutes and serve. Enjoy!
Sharon Rigsby is the blogger behind Grits and Pinecones, a cooking and food blog. Check out all of her recipes by visiting gritsandpinecones.com.
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