Description
Hello deliciousness, these oven-baked Spinach Chicken Enchiladas are loaded with flavor, high in protein, and perfect to feed a crowd. A spinach and cottage cheese filling combined with sautéed veggies and chicken, and then filled with cheese and topped with queso. My goodness, they’re just sooo incredibly scrumptious!
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) container cottage cheese (I use Good Culture)
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- ¼ cup sliced jalapenos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ lbs cooked & shredded white meat chicken
- 3 ½ cups shredded chihuahua cheese– (Oaxaca or Monterey Jack as sub)
- 8 flour tortillas, burrito-sized
- 1 (15-ounce) jar queso blanco dip, room temperature
- For serving: Chopped avocado, fresh chopped cilantro- for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Combine cottage cheese + spinach. In the body of a high-speed blender, combine the cottage cheese, fresh baby spinach, and jalapenos. Blitz the mixture until well combined and smooth; the mixture/sauce should be vibrant green. Then set the spinach sauce aside while you prep the filling.
- Sauté the veg. In a large skillet over medium heat, coat the pan with oil and swirl to evenly coat the bottom. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and saute until golden and tender, about 6-7 minutes.
- Build flavor & filling mixture. Then add the diced green chiles, garlic, Adobo seasoning, oregano, chili powder, and salt/pepper to taste. Stir the mixture well to fully combine and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Then add the cooked & shredded chicken to the seasoned veggie mixture and toss well to combine, ensuring the chicken is well-coated in the spices. Let the mixture cook for 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat. Pour the blended cottage cheese/spinach sauce into the pan with the chicken mixture and toss well to fully combine. Set aside.
- Enchilada assembly. Make a little assembly line of the chicken filling mixture, shredded cheese (save ½ cup for topping), and tortillas. Grab a tortilla and add about a heaping ½ cup of the chicken mixture to the center (in the shape of a log), followed by a few tablespoons of shredded cheese right on top of it. Then, lengthwise, roll up the tortilla tightly and place it seam side down into the prepared baking pan. Repeat the process until all enchiladas are assembled and packed in the baking pan. Then evenly pour the queso blanco dip over the top of the enchiladas and top with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are brown. Afterward, feel free to broil the enchiladas for a minute or two to get an extra brown/crisp topping if you’d like. Then remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Serve. Garnish the enchiladas with chopped avocado and fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.