Two grand events coincided to bring you today’s avocadolicious post.
First, I had the most amazing chicken and avocado enchiladas for lunch yesterday, topped with a killer avocado cream sauce. And as I was finishing the final bite, the I-could-totally-make-these-at-home lightbulb went off.
Second, this is the kick off week for the “California Avocado 4th of July Blast“, hosted by blogger friends Kristen (Dine & Dish) and Dara (Cookin’ Canuck). These girls are celebrating some serious avocado love by encouraging bloggers and home cooks to share their favorite avocado recipes, which I cannot wait to see!
So of course, the stars aligned and it seemed only fitting that I should whip up some chicken and avocado enchiladas today! I happened to see some gorgeous poblanos at the market today, so decided to add them to the chicken and cheese filling. But the rockstar of the recipe is without a doubt the avocado cream sauce. It pretty much is like guacamole in a sauce — delicious avocados, fresh cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and a few other saucy ingredients. And while you could definitely add in some jalapenos or serranos to give it an extra kick, my tastetester-friend Sarah and I agreed that the sauce was actually pleasantly mild and fresh. Definitely a good recipe to serve to a crowd (or kids) that might not like a ton of heat.
For other great recipes, be sure to check our the “4th of July Blast” and share your own avocado favorites!
Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (remove seeds for less heat)
- 8-10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
- optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese
Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of one lime
Instructions
To Make The Enchiladas:
- Prepare the “Avocado Cream Sauce” as listed below. Preheat the oven to 375? F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.
- To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
- Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.
To Make Avocado Cream Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Join Dine & Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission.
These were fantastic! I only used one poblano pepper because I’ve never used that type of pepper before. Next time, I will use two. Four of us adults devoured every last drop. Our guests, my sister and her husband, think they don’t like avocados so I didn’t tell them what was in the sauce, actually they didn’t ask and just though it was a white sauce. The sauce was amazing! I definitely will be making this again and again. Thanks Ali!
We’re so happy you and your family enjoyed them Karen — thanks for your sweet words! :)
Three years later and I’m still making these. I LOVE that avocado cream sauce. I also substitute shrimp for the chicken. Wonderful recipe.
Aww thanks for sharing that with us Danica, we’re so happy you’re a fan of this recipe! :)
you can also lay the tortillas dcitrely on a hot cooktop. very simple and no need for the pan (although everyone should have a good cast iron skillet). just dont walk away from the stove!
Thank you for the tip, we appreciate it!
This is really yummy; a bit time onsuming but very, very good!
Thanks for trying them Marilyn!
I have made these upwards of 5 times and I LOVE IT. It’s a great use for leftover chicken. When I don’t cook the chicken specifically for this recipe, I saute shredded leftover chicken with some butter and taco seasoning- or just cumin and chilli pepper if I don’t have a packet lying around. It really elevates the flavour. As for the avocado cream sauce, I could eat it with a spoon. Its divine. This is a really flexible and adaptable recipe; tonight I’m making it with leftover turkey! Thank you so much. I will be making this for the rest of my life, and loving every minute of it.
I made these and they were a huge hit! Creamy and delicious. I made a minor change (I know it’s annoying when people say that–sorry). I roasted the poblanos and peeled them and only then added them sliced to the onion and jalapeno for the last couple of minutes of the saute.
These were so amazing and easy to make. The flavor was good, next time I will probably add a little Cholula inside to give it a bit of a kick :)
I made these and they were so amazing! My whole family loved them- even my young children (5, 3 and 1). Thank you
just made these, so easy and soo delicious! There isn’t one recipe of yours that I’ve made that I haven’t liked!
This was super tasty and something I’ve been wanting to try for a while! The avocado/cilantro/lime sauce is a fabulous, healthier substitute to all the other sauces I’ve made in the past. Thank you for sharing!