BBQ Chicken Enchiladas.
I consider enchiladas to be ammunition.
Especially these BBQ chicken enchiladas.
See. Traditional enchiladas were the first dish I ever made Mr. How Sweet, long before he put a ring on it. They are still his most requested dish… he generally begs for them once or twice a month. If I want him to do something, I make enchiladas. He will almost do anything for enchiladas.
Except get rid of the turkey. Or eat a meatless meal. I already tried that with enchiladas.
Since he can eat the same meal for four hundred years before getting bored, I make enchiladas quite a bit. They’ve worn out their welcome on me – unless someone else is making them. Then I’m all in. Why does food taste better when someone else makes it?
After last week’s enchilada request, I was determined to put some kind of spin on it. On a whim, I whisked some of our favorite BBQ sauce into a can of enchilada sauce. I was instantly hooked. I knew that sweet, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce were just what we needed to break out of our enchilada rut. It was happening.
The thing is, I made this big batch of enchiladas just for Mr. How Sweet. I’m going to be away for a few days this week and wanted to leave him something for lunches and dinners. Or should I say dinner. One pan lasts about 30 minutes in our house. And in the face of starvation, you never know what he will eat.
I assume it would look like eggs… ground turkey… steak… chicken… protein bars… steak… cookies… and chicken. And I am not coming home to a man house that smells like that.
I couldn’t help it though.
They just looked and smelled so delicious. One bite turned into two, two bites turned into an entire enchilada, and one enchilada turned into three. I’ve never been good at math.
And that is how I ate Mr. How Sweet’s lunch for the week.
To be honest, the idea of BBQ enchiladas has crossed my mind once or twice, but I was afraid it may taste a bit off.
If the combination scares you, don’t let it. It truly is so delicious – Mr. How Sweet and I agreed that these are just as fantastic as traditional enchiladas, but different. Different in a good way. Not different in a strange way, like bacon in a granola bar.
What? That’s not strange either.
BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8 large whole wheat tortillas, my favorite are La Tortilla Factory!
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 28 ounce can red enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, or more depending on your tastebuds
- 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low-medium. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt, and let caramelize until soft and slightly golden - about 10 to 20 minutes. While onions are cooking, dump enchilada sauce into a bowl and whisk in your favorite BBQ sauce until combined.
- Add shredded chicken to onions with BBQ seasoning and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour in about a half of a cup of enchilada/BBQ sauce mixture, and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup colby cheese. Stir until mixture comes together and turn off heat.
- Pour a drizzle of enchilada/BBQ sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill it with 1/2 + of chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish. Dump remaining enchilada/BBQ sauce on top of tortillas and add remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
The good news? Mr. How Sweet seems to be getting the hang of this whole marriage thing. Happy wife = happy life.
[photos by sarah fennel]
160 Comments on “BBQ Chicken Enchiladas.”
I’d end up eating my food for the husband if I made this too! Love the different flavor combo.
Happy Wife, Happy Life is my TRADEMARK SAYING!!!! <3 it! Those enchiladas look insanely good!
Hahahah I LOVE that saying! Been telling him that since before we got married.
These look great for the weekend menu. Gracias Jessica!
You need to open a restaurant.
You can make the desserts. :)
i need to eat this immediately…really though. i would totally hit those enchiladas for breakfast!
I have never, ever had enchiladas. Blame Australia’s sore lack of good Mexican food, blame my mother’s allergies to wheat and tomato (and everything else, it seems…), blame the universe… I don’t care who I blame, but I have *got* to make this soon!
Oh dear… you NEED to have some!
These are so creative! For someone who grew up eating enchiladas… I’ve never seen a BBQ version. Looks great :)
Mmmm mixing two of my favorite things into one. Genius!
That’s how I feel about quesadillas- love em but I need to mix it up!
Wow, wow…amazing! Those look incredibly good.
Enchiladas are seriously the best. I can eat like 5 in one sitting!
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bookmarked these right away! love all the new flavor combos you come up with :)
My hubs is going to LOOOVE these enchiladas! Thanks for yet another amazing recipe, Jessica :).
What a great enchilada recipe! I’ve never made enchiladas, but I DO love eating them! :)
Dontcha love it when they figure it out? They just need to understand the rules. It takes a little time, but after 16 years of us being together…this marriage thing is like a well oiled machine. The enchiladas sound delicious!
You don’t look old enough to be together for 16 years!
Thank you! You just made my day!
Wow. Those look like the most perfect enchiladas ever! You’ve got some skills, lady! :)
What a fun idea! =) looks fab dahling!
Mmmm now that is something I would love! Almost anything bbq chicken I’m game for.
enchiladas are a favorite in our house too… and while I’ve made some interesting combinations, I don’t think I’ve thought of this!! :) I may have to make these next time, which will most likely be this week! ;)
Delicious! I love the idea of adding barbecue sauce. I think everything tastes better with barbecue sauce.
Great idea! I love making different kinds of enchiladas — my favorites are spicy Thai peanut enchiladas. You know, like the spicy Thai pizza from CPK? They were really different, but really good!
Too bad I can’t get up the energy to make enchiladas regularly… I can’t face dirtying that many dishes for one meal…
Those sound delicious!
You are such a sweet wife, leaving your hub enchiladas to enjoy while you’re gone! I always MEAN to do something like this for my husband, but then…I never do! Ha!
What a great idea, and they look great. I love cheese sprinkles!
Well, wow! My husband and I love, LOVE BBQ Chicken Pizza – and we’re enchilada fans, too, so this recipe is gonna happen for us. Thanks for the idea!!
You are so creative, Jessica! These sound amazing! Did you use flour or corn tortillas? I can only find the La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas at my local store. I guess I am going to have to break down and order the flour tortillas on-line!
The La Tortilla ones I used are flour, but they are sort of chewy like corn tortillas. I actually like corn tortillas more, but can never find large ones anywhere!
My favorite addition is the caramelized onions. The BBQ kick must make it divine.
Part of me wants to make this, but skipping the whole “wrapping enchiladas part.” Just mix the chicken, sauce, onions, and top it with melted cheese. Then eat it with a fork.
Or that mix could be a great topper for nachos. Just saying.
We end up doing that often because I always make too much filling. It’s the best problem to have.
Those look pretty awesome!
Thanks for the recipe! =D
These sound AWESOME!
Those look delicious!
To shred the chicken, did you put them in a crock pot first? :-)
I make the chicken a million different ways – sometimes I put it in the crock pot, other times I either grill, bake or boil it, let it cool and just shred.
These look amazing!! I don’t think I’ve tried enchiladas before. I’ve been to a few Mexican buffets that have them but I always tend to go straight to the tacos.
These look so good! I can never get enchiladas quite right, and I think it’s because of the tortillas I usually use. I’m definitely going to have to find new ones and give these a try!
I’m convinced bbq sauce makes most meals better :). This looks incredible. I’d be all over those onions. I bet the husband was thrilled
awesome…always looking for a riff on enchiladas cuz their my Mister’s favorite too…Also wondering about the deep question of why food tastes better if someone else makes it??? So weird,so true…
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
It just does.
Love the twist on traditional enchiladas!
Wow these enchiladas look amazing and the bbq sauce looks like a delicious alternative to the usual sauce. My hubby sounds similar to yours in that he loves meat. I’ve tried tricking him with ground turkey or turkey sausage and he always calls my bluff. He will definitely appreciate these guys!
I’ve never made enchiladas—but you make it look super easy. I can definitely see these in my future :)
Thanks for sharing—love reading your posts.
Thanks!
I can definitely see why these would be hard to resist.
What a fabulous recipe–would be fun and festive to make for a party, too.
These look so good! I’ve never made enchiladas before so I’m bookmarking this recipe!
girl let’s them for breakfast. why not. we need our protein!
These look so good! I love enchiladas but hardly ever make them. I don’t know why. They’re so good.
I’m pretty sure my husband could eat BBQ chicken everymeal…so I’m positive I have to make these :)
Yummmm. Sometimes, the oddest-sounding flavor combinations can be the best! I had a pulled pork burrito out the other day, and it was surprisingly good!
Oh I love pulled pork. I’d be all over that!
I am far too lazy to roll my enchiladas…I do them casserole style. Less mess, Happy Katie.
BbQ sauce makes everything better, that’s a fact.
Hahaha we do that a lot too. Rolling can be a pain!
I have a feeling these are going to be moved up to the top of my “must make” list reaaaal soon. My boyfriend would eat nothing but variations on barbeque chicken for the rest of his life and be a happy man.
I’ve learned you trust you with all your food combinations. Never Fear. :)
Barbecue sauce on any meal = instant heaven
What a lucky lucky man Mr. How Sweet is!
Surely he knows HOW LUCKY he is!
Yep!
I’m positive he does!
xo
Looks delish!
God, I love enchiladas. Though, I’m more of a bean and cheese girl. Yum.
You know, bean and cheese are probably my favorite too, and I have never made them! I need to get on that.
You could put BBQ sauce on a turd and I’d like it …er no, I wouldn’t, but you get the idea…I really love BBQ sauce =)