Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

A delicious and sweet dinner, these Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, will have the whole family asking for seconds! The chicken mixture is also great for salads, burritos and more!

This recipe is one that every family should have in their recipe book! The flavor is amazing and just hits the spot with each and every bite! I love to serve them with my Easy Bean Dip and Cilantro Lime Rice!

The thing I love most about Enchiladas is that they are not an exact science! You can make them to order! So, with that said, take this recipe and feel free to add anything you’d like — some have added black beans, corn, onions and green chilis to the enchilada filling!

One other tip – when you are making the chicken mixture – DOUBLE IT!  Then freeze the 2nd half of meat. That way when you are craving it again, all you have to do is pull the meat out of the freezer and assemble your enchiladas!

SHOULD I USE FLOUR OR CORN TORTILLAS FOR ENCHILADAS?

It’s really a personal preference, because both work! A lot of enchilada recipes call for corn tortillas. For this specific recipe, I prefer using a large flour tortilla. However, if you prefer corn tortillas, feel free to use them!

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE IN THESE ENCHILADAS?

The most popular type of cheese used in these enchiladas is cheddar cheese. However, another popular choice is Monterey Jack. I always stock Colby Monterey Jack Cheese and even use it sometimes when it’s what I have on hand! All 3 taste great in this recipe! But again, cheddar cheese is probably the most popular.

HONEY LIME CHICKEN ENCHILADA INGREDIENTS

• 4 Cups Shredded Chicken (3-4 large chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken)
• ½ Cup Honey
• ½ Cup Lime Juice (2-3 limes)
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 20 oz Green Enchilada Sauce (I use 2 – 10 oz cans)
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 Cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 8 Flour Tortillas (or corn if preferred)

HOW TO MAKE HONEY LIME CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Chicken Marinade

The first thing you need to do is prepare the chicken — take the shredded chicken (or rotisserie chicken) and combine it with the honey, lime, chili powder and garlic powder.

Mix it all together in a large ziplock bowl, pan or bowl and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes. I actually prefer to make mine in the morning and allow it to marinate all day, until I assemble my enchiladas that evening for dinner.

Creamy Enchilada Sauce

Next, combine your canned green enchilada sauce and heavy whipping cream and mix.

Now it’s time to assemble the enchiladas!

HOW TO PREPARE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1. Gather the tortillas, mixed enchilada sauce, marinaded chicken and cheese.
2. Take a spoonful of sauce and spread it on the center area of the tortilla.
3. Then spread out about ½ cup of the chicken mixture over the sauce.
4. Next, sprinkle a little of the cheese mixture on top of the chicken.
5. Lastly, take one side of the tortilla and fold it over. Then roll the tortilla up.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE PAN OF ENCHILADAS

1. Take a 9×13 pan, grease it and then pour about ½ – ¾ cup of the creamy green enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan.
2. Prepare each enchilada as instructed above and then place them in the pan — the pan can usually fit about 8 enchiladas.
3. After the pan is full, top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce.
4. Top the entire pan with the rest of the shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

CAN I FREEZE ENCHILADAS?

Yes! There are two ways you can approach this! I actually prefer to just make the chicken mixture and freeze that in a freezer safe container. Then the day of, I thaw the chicken and assemble the enchiladas. I have found that the tortillas can end up being a little soggy when preassembled and then frozen.

However, if I am going to preassemble and freeze them, then I prefer to use corn tortillas. They seem to handle it better without having the tortilla get a little soggy. Another trick my friend taught me, was to quickly fry the tortillas, before assembling. This helps keep the moisture out. I also always use disposable freezer pans, so I’m not low on my glass pans.

When I freeze pans of enchiladas, I double foil the top. It can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To cook from a frozen state, bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours covered. Then uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

To cook when thawed, bake at 350 degrees from 30 minutes.

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH MY ENCHILADAS?

I like to serve my enchiladas with:

• Shredded Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Pico
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole or Avocado
• Sliced Limes

Other good sides to serve with the enchiladas:

• Easy Bean Dip or a can of black beans
• Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice
• Corn Salsa — this recipe from Pretty Providence makes a great topping.
• Chips and Salsa

ENJOY!  Seriously, doesn’t it look amazing?  I love the mix of the sweetness of the honey, citrus from the lime and flavor from the chili powder! In my opinion, they all come together to make the perfect Enchilada!

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*This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated with new pictures, a video tutorial and information.