Today we’re turning dinner into dip!

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You guys. My love for buffalo chicken dip may be overtaken now by chicken enchilada dip. I cannot get enough.

And it happened by accident.

You know we make enchiladas, like, once at week. More often than not, I’m a little overzealous with prepping the chicken filling and always end up with too much – which is rarely a prob considering I live with a human garbage disposal. (Which is also fantastic when it comes to food consuming purposes.) BUT. This time, before he got his hands on it? I trashed it up with cream cheese and a boatload of monterey jack and white cheddar and feelings. Lots of feelings.

chicken enchilada dip I howsweeteats.com

This is perhaps one of the most unphotogenic dips I’ve ever made but I’ve been on pins and needles about sharing it’s deliciousness. We made this for the first time during the playoffs a few Sundays back and it turned out to be our dinner. So even though we made dip from dinner… dinner turned into dip that night.

Confusing, I know. Life is hard.

Never did I ever think this would happen, but the little layer of veggies on top totally make the dip for me. Sure, the “meat” of the dip is delicious – all cheesy and gooey and the perfect blanket for a crispy, salty tortilla chip.

But when you add the shredded lettuce (preference: butter lettuce), cherry tomatoes, cilantro and sliced green onions, it adds a freshness and texture that isn’t often found in dips. It’s kind of like that old-school seven layer taco dip, but warm and melty and filled with more cheese than anyone could dream.

chicken enchilada dip I howsweeteats.com

If you really want to question your sanity, you can wrap some of this up INSIDE A TORTILLA and eat it like that. Maybe make some real enchiladas out of enchilada dip. Maybe make an enchilada quesadilla. Maybe give yourself a big fat and cheesy enchilada hug. The best kind.

If dip is your thing this weekend and you need football food, you can also try this bbq chicken dip or white pizza dip. This cheddar blueberry dip (as well as this toasted almond parmesan dip) is not for the weak but both are some of my favorite apps of all time. Or you can be boring (the good kind of boring) and make this cheesy roasted red pepper dip or this kicked up spinach dip. I think I’m going with the last one.

All this dip stuff reminds me of how when I first started dating my husband, we would… actually eat buffalo chicken dip for dinner. Not by accident. Like I would make some for our real dinner and we’d eat it with crackers or whatever. Maybe carrots (not me). Was that a real thing?

I’m jealous of my early twenties self.

chicken enchilada dip I howsweeteats.com

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip

5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking dish (8×8, 8-inch round, etc) with nonstick spray.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the cream cheese and about 3/4 of the cheese. Beat on medium speed until creamy and combined. Use a large spoon and stir in the chicken, paprika, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Once it’s combined, stir in the garlic, green chiles and enchilada sauce until mixed. Spread the dip into the baking dish and cover with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.
  • Remove the dip from the oven and cover it with the shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately.
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chicken enchilada dip I howsweeteats.com

I could never live without this cheese.