Whenever we get mexican this is my go to meal!  Upon investigation I found that it was nearly impossible to find enchilada sauce at the store that was gluten free!  Rather than making a sauce from scratch- and in attempt to keep things simple I opted to prepare for you guys chicken verde echilladas (which are my favorite version anyways!)

This recipe can be made dairy free. With a few modifications. Instead of using heavy cream- use the cream from a can of coconut milk. Instead of regular cheese- use daiya! And last but not least instead of butter you can use nondairy butter (such as earth balance) or Ghee (which is lactose free).

For the tortillas I used my newly posted Grain Free Quinoa Tortilla recipe. However, feel free to use my Flax Tortillas to make these paleo/primal.  OR a 3rd option would be store bought corn or rice tortillas.  Beware that both corn and rice tortillas often break easily- and its best to warm them up a little bit before trying to fill and roll them up for baking. As long as you warm them up- you should have no issues.

Chicken Verde Enchiladas.

 

• 1 lb chicken, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 Tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 1 medium pepper, sliced thinly
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 9 tortillas of your choice
• 1/4 cup salsa verde

For the Cheese Sauce:

• 1/2 cup + 4 Tablespoons heavy cream (or heavy Coconut Cream) 
• 5 ounces of mozzarella cheese (approximately 1.5 cups) (Or nondairy shreds)
• 2 Tablespoons butter (dairy or nondairy)
• teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of black pepper

1. In a bowl, mix together the chicken strips, chili powder, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Let that marinate a few minutes while you cook the onions and peppers.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil and saute the onions and peppers until soft. Set to the side.
3. In the same skillet, saute the chicken for about 7 minutes until cooked and transfer to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of salsa verde to the cooked chicken mixture.
4. We’re now ready to assemble our enchiladas:  First, get out a casserole dish and cover the bottom with salsa verde. If you’re using corn tortillas, heat them up for 10 seconds in the microwave. Then stuff with a spoonful of chicken and the onions and peppers. Roll the enchilada up tightly and put into the casserole dish with the seam down. Repeat for the rest of the tortillas.
5. To make the cream sauce: whisk together the cream, butter, cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper until thickened. Pour sauce over the enchiladas and put under the broiler for 5 minutes until the cheese browns a bit. Note: If you’re using a non-dairy cheese, just bake the enchiladas at 375 until melted and golden- as the overhead broiler heat will make nondairy cheese burn.

 

-Brittany-