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.”
mmmmm~~~sounds good!!! i want to try this!!!!
Aww, enchiladas are one of my husband’s favorites too!
I like this twist from the traditional enchiladas!
These look amazing! Like something you would get at a little rustic mexican restaurant…..mmmm….I love mexican food!
I must learn to make better enchiladas so maybe my man will put a ring on it ;)
xxoo
I’m planning out my meals for the week and just sent this blog post to Hasome for his approval. His response was… (are you sitting down?)…. “looks awesome to me, Honey, but can you please add bacon to it?”
OH how I love that man! Thanks for the great recipe :)
Yes, please! I consider BBQ sauce its own food group.
These look fantastic. I’ll have to try a vegetarian spin on them as soon as I can get my hands on BBQ sauce.
These look amazing! I love Mexican food and I think my husband would eat it everyday if he had his way.
aint this the truth: Happy wife = happy life.
:)
what a novel concept! We haven’t tired of enchiladas (and we’ve been married over 3 years), but I might just have to try this spin anyway. If he likes them, maybe he’ll give up an X-Box night to watch Pride and Prejudice…
This seems like a natural. I love your spin on it, as always. It’s funny because I was just posting today the first meal I ever made for a boy – risotto. Hmmm. Maybe if I had made enchiladas instead he would have stuck around – although I’m pretty sure I’m glad he didn’t. Yummy.
Haha Happy Wife, Happy Life…yes, isn’t it the truth!
Mr How Sweet is one lucky fellow. But I’m sure he already knows this. I’ve recently been busting out the Foreman to cook for the bf. Baaaby steps :)
Your food always looks so professional and delicious! I love anything with sauteed onions!!
Even though I had mexican food all week, I could really go for these enchiladas. Great recipe girl! xo
Strange or not, I want these immediately. I’m thinking these are dinner tomorrow night. Yum!
They look soooo nice!
I love your healthy outlook on life and food, its so refreshing!
What kind/brand of BBQ sauce did you use?
You could probably bribe me with those enchiladas as well, they look fantastic!
Jessica- wanted to let you know that I gave you the Stylish Blogger Award because I love your blog! Stop by the blog and check it out. I hope you’ll share 7 things with everyone!
OMG- this recipe is getting saved immediately. It has my boyfriend’s name written all over it.
Btw, I don’t think I’ve ever commented before, but I adore your recipes… I made both your snickerdoodles and hot cocoa cookies and they were both amazing! I got tremendous praise for those, and had to admit they weren’t my own concoctions.:)
-Joelle (the pancake girl)
http://www.joelygolightly.wordpress.com
Wow – this sounds amazing! I have no idea how I’ve never had BBQ chicken enchiladas before! I love the bBQ/chix combo & I eat it just about every way imaginable! I’ll have to try this out!
Love these enchis!!!! Definitely need to try this, my boyfriend will adore them!
Oh. My. Gawd. —-Said just like The Nanny.
I know what I’m making as soon as my husband gets home.
Or not.
That would mean more enchiladas for me!
Sounds like a nice twist on enchiladas – love the use of whole wheat tortillas!
Wow! These sound delicious! I love enchiladas already but BBQ sauce….YUM! Can’t wait to try these!
These look amazing, Jessica! And you’re right…things always taste better when someone else makes it…probably because it’s free! haha!
Those look divine!
Hahaha, happy wife, happy life! So true.
These look fantastic, and flavourful. I think my whole family would love these; but yes, particularly my Dad
Yum! I used to make beef enchiladas for my hubby when we were dating, too… And he still asks for them all the time. I will have to make these for him!
I came upon your website today and … 2 hours later … was still reading! I can’t believe how many posts kept my attention! As a major food lover, you have reached my heart! Love your recipes, they are very … real! Can’t wait to try some. I’m a regular from now on!
Thanks Hannah!
These look great! Enchiladas was the first thing I learned how to make too. I would eat a stick if it had BBQ sauce on it so I know I will definitely be making these soon!
Found you on Tasty Kitchen, can’t wait to try these next week!
Came across this on Tastespotting or FoodGawker…yum! Would you mind sharing which brand of enchilada sauce you use? TIA!
I love Old El Paso!
These look fantastic (great idea to mix barbecue sauce!)… and congratulations to Mr. Sweet for getting the hang of it:).
So many times I see recipes that look good and I end up making them months later after they’ve been posted… not this one! We love enchiladas around my house, too, and I made them for dinner tonite. I only slightland tweaked the recipe (a little more BBQ and used a rotisserie chicken) and these are now in my top 3 list with PW’s White Chicken Enchiladas and Tidy Mom’s Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas!
Thanks!
After reading the ingredient list I opened my mouth and a huge wat of drool plopped down on my t-shirt. I’m not even ashamed
These look fantastic (great idea to mix barbecue sauce!)… and congratulations to Mr. Sweet for getting the hang of it:).
Oh my, I think I need to make these this weekend! :)
I love that dish you used. Where did you get it??
My mother-in-law got it for me for Christmas, but it is a Rachael Ray dish. I love her stuff! I think you can get it a few places, I know we have them at our Kohl’s.
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I just added this to the menu coming up in a week or so! They sound wonderful! Thanks!
I giggled as I read this as my Skinny Fat Kid is exactly like Mr. How Sweet! If I don’t make dinner, its a lot of sketchy protein with no sauce, no nothing. Egg whites, protein shakes and chicken.
He also has a love for enchiladas! I was going to make BBQ Chicken Burritos but I might have to switch to these after reading this recipe!
Just wanted you to know that I stuck this in my menu planning the second I saw it and finally made it tonight. I only made a few alterations based on what I had on hand (12 corn tortillas instead of 8 flour, med ched and jack instead of sharp and cojack etc)… but it was a hit! My husband and the kids all liked it. It’s going into my recipe binder where all the dinner hits go. Thanks for this great twist on an old favorite!
Angie
I made these tonight and we LOVED them! We’ll for sure make them again! Thanks!
Glad you guys enjoyed them!
I made these tonight for my husband, and he loved them. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Welcome! :)
Thanks for the recipe! I made these and they turned out delish!
ooh! these will be perfect to make for my dinner! However, I need to make 10 enchiladas.. Should I just add more tortillas or increase everything? Thanks!
I would make 1 1/2 of the recipe!
YUM!!! I just finished cooking these (tripled the recipe so I could freeze 2). These were fabulous! Thanks for sharing!
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