This inside-out cheesy chicken enchilada dish paired with a tasty Spanish style rice is sure to satisfy that next Tex-Mex craving of yours.
Tex-Mex Foodie Lover checking in once again with an easy spin on chicken enchiladas for National Chicken Day! No filling and folding required. It’s sorta kinda an inside-out enchilada! There I go salivating again! All of the players in classic enchiladas are piled on top of tasty boneless skinless chicken thighs. Ummm! “Why chicken thighs”, you may ask? Only because they’re loaded with flavor and full of much more moisture than the very popular chicken breast. They’re also easy on the wallet for the budget conscious. 🙂
Whenever I get a chance to get really creative in the kitchen, I tend to gravitate toward Tex-Mex style cuisine if you didn’t already know. When in doubt, Tex-Mex it out, right? I just can’t get enough of it! From the spicy, cheesy goodness of WHATEVER down to all of the classic cool and crisp toppings, it’s just my kinda flavor!
I thought I’d pair it with a Spanish style rice to round out this budget friendly meal. Although I forgot to add some beans in there for fiber. Don’t you be like me and forget though! 🙂 Momma always said, “Don’t forget your fiber!” Oops! There’s always next time, right? Beans or no beans, you will just love this spin on the classic enchilada dish! Dare I say that you may even enjoy it a bit more because it’s a wee bit lighter than your typical enchilada? Ok, maybe I can’t really go that far with it. 🙂 I’ll let you be the judge! Thanks for stopping by guys! I love you with the love of the Lord! Say Grace and enjoy! 🙂
Enchilada Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt season to preference
- pepper season to preference
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1 c. sweet onions sliced
- olive oil for sauteeing
- 1/2 c. salsa
- Enchilada Sauce
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 T. flour
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. cumin
- 1/8 tsp. oregano
- 1 c. chicken broth
- Spanish Rice
- 1 and 1/2 c. white rice
- 3 and 1/3 c. chicken broth
- 1 T. butter
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
- 1/2 c. salsa
- 1 and 1/2 c.cheddar-jack cheese shredded, divided
- tomato diced, garnish
- tortilla strips garnish
- sour cream garnish
- cilantro optional, garnish
Instructions
- Rice - Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Pour rice, chicken broth, butter, jalapeno, chili powder and cumin in a casserole dish and stir to combine. Place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until broth is completely absorbed. Remove from the oven and stir in the salsa.
- Enchilada Sauce - Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add flour and whisk together for a minute.
- Add the garlic powder, kosher salt, cumin, and oregano.
- Pour in the stock, whisking constantly until smooth.
- Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
- Chicken - Season chicken with kosher salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Saute onions for about 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Brown chicken for about 2 minutes on each side (adding more oil if needed) . Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add salsa to deglaze the pan. Then pour in about 1 c. of enchilada sauce and reserved onions.Stir well.
- Add the chicken back into the pan covering with the sauce and onions then place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until juices run clear.
- Top each thigh with about 1/4 c. of cheese and place back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
- Garnish with tomato, tortilla strips, sour cream and cilantro. Serve over rice and the beans that I forgot. Say Grace and enjoy!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Living in Germany it’s hard to come by good TexMex! And I absolutely love chicken thighs, it’s my favorite part of the chicken, thank you for your beautiful recipe, I’m sure my family will love it! X
Thanks for stopping by Adriana! The thighs are everything, right! They work so hard and just taste so good! 🙂 I love Germany! I got to visit a couple times when I was 11 and 12 so eons ago! Would love to go back!
This looks incredibly delicious! All I needed to read was cheese, and I was in! I definitely want to try this, and I’ll take your advice and remember the beans! 🙂 Cheers!
Thanks Kathrina! Yes! Cheese is a dear friend of mine too! I hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
My kind of dish – chicken and rice. Looks totally yummy!. BTW, I love the name of your blog. Always say grace before a meal. 🙂
Thanks Linda! Amen! I’m forever grateful to God for everything little (or big) thing that He provides. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Sounds amazing! I printed this to make this weekend. My husband is a dark meat lover, so I usually substitute the chicken breast with the thighs and drumsticks for him. Your recipes are all so appealing and look easy to make. Thank you for sharing them!
Thanks for stopping by Barb! My hubby is the opposite (loves the chicken breast) but he really enjoyed this dish. Let me know how it turns out! Have an awesome weekend!
What a tasty looking and sounding dish! This is one that my whole family would enjoy!
Thanks Rachel! It’s a winner! 🙂
This looks like the kind of dish my family loves! And better yet, I’ll bet there is enough left over for the lunchbox!
Yep! Even better the next day! Thanks for stopping by!
This looks SO good…we love rice at home so I’m always looking for new ways to make it…this looks really really good…love the photography too!
Thanks so much! No must, no fuss when cooking rice in the oven. I never cook it any other way!
Tex-Mex is always yummy. This enchilada chicken and rice looks so delicious. It sounds like it is full of flavor.
Yep! Loaded! Thanks for stopping by Dawn! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe and now a dinner I’ll be making this week!
Thanks for stopping by Deb! You’re gonna love it!!
Yum! I know this has to be good because of all of those great spices you added. Good call to use chicken thighs too. I usually prefer to use thighs. Beautiful photos! I love this line, “When in doubt, Tex-Mex it out, right?” Right! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Sandra! I’m a HUGE Tex-Mex fan and thighs are just the best, right? Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I meant to rate this five stars, but it only let me use four. 🙁 Let me try it again.
Thanks Sandra!
Hi Felesha!
I’m totally with you… “When in doubt, Tex-Mex it out!”… You’re so funny! ?…I just Love the big, bold bright flavors of tex-Mex… I can’t wait to make this for my family.
I’m sure that your family will enjoy those bold flavors! Thanks for stopping by Ann!
I am in the process of making this right now. It smells so good. I can’t wait!
Hope you enjoyed!!