The Cheesy Kitchen

I know we’re all getting in the spirit of turkeys and sweet potatoes and stuffing.  But I just have to share this recipe for thai chicken enchiladas.  Oh my gosh.  I will be making these again.  And again.  And again.

The combination of flavors just works well–and the sweet and spicy sauce?  I could eat that by the spoonful.

These enchiladas come together very quickly, and only require 20 minutes of baking time, perfect for a weeknight.

Confession:  I ate one in the middle of the afternoon, hot out of the oven.  Could.not.stop.myself.

Recipe slightly modified from How Sweet Eats

What you need:

• 8 flour tortillas
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped/shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped/shredded cabbage
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped + crushed peanuts + more for garnish
• 2 1/2 cups light coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s)
• 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (this will approximately be one 7 oz. bottle of Thai Kitchen Sweet Red Chili Sauce, which I used—very mild spice)

*I lightly seasoned my chicken breasts with a sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, and baked at 325 for 40 minutes.  The breasts were tender and easily shredded.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add your olive oil.  Add your thinly sliced onions, your minced garlic, and your shredded carrots and cabbage.  (Pro-tip: For easy prep, get your shredded carrots and cabbage from your grocery’s salad bar.)  Let the vegetables cook for about 8 minutes, until you see them starting to get soft.  Now, add your shredded chicken, sliced green onions, crushed peanuts, and salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.  Cook for several minutes, then pour in ¾ C coconut milk and 1/3 C sweet chili sauce.  Again, mix well until combined.  Turn off the heat.

Set out a 9 by 13 baking dish and spray with nonstick spray.  Pour the remaining coconut milk and sweet chili sauce in a bowl, and whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Pour ½ C of this mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.  Spread with a spatula to coat.

Now it is time to fill your enchiladas!  Place several generous spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.

Roll each tortilla tightly and place in the dish.  I was able to fit 8 rolled tortillas.  Cover with the remaining coconut milk/chili sauce mixture.

Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with additional crushed peanuts.  Spoon sauce from the bottom of the dish over the top of the enchiladas.

This recipe (again, from How Sweet Eats) is exceptionally good.  Just the right amount of spice and sweetness.

I am not a big fan of coconut, but I still love the flavor that coconut milk adds to a dish.  It works so well in these enchiladas.

Tagged: Chicken Enchiladas, Enchilada, Sweet Chili Sauce, Thai Chicken, Thai Chicken Enchiladas