Hatch Chile Chicken Enchiladas

This, or a similar version of it, would have to be my favorite comfort food. When I was young it was something that my mom would make semi-regularly, until I figured it out and took over. I loved the taco-seasoned chicken or ground beef, the melty cheese, the flavorful sauce, all baked together until melty and perfect. It felt like I was creating something from nothing, and they all work together scratch that weird casserole itch that I think probably all Americans have.

They were the first thing that I could make without a recipe and riff on, choosing some combination of meat, beans, and vegetables for the filling. It was also my first published recipe, painstakingly written and tested by a high school-aged me in probably 2006 and added to our family cookbook…I really hope this one is a little easier to understand then that mess (sorry to any fam who’ve tried to make it since then).

This recipe is a little different from that original one, first and foremost it uses fresh hatch chiles and rotisserie chicken. I just happened to have those lying around when I developed this recipe, and rather than stare at that half a Costco rotisserie chicken carcass waiting around in my fridge I stripped it and threw it in. I also did not use a premixed taco seasoning because I wanted to be able to control the amount of salt, and I also feel like I don’t really know what’s in that giant container of taco seasoning and which makes me feel tres, tres weird about it. For the most part all the ingredients in this recipe are negotiable (with the exception of tortillas and enchilada sauce) so if you don’t like something, leave it out. This enchilada is whatever you want it to be.

This is my first official recipe post, so I’m going to keep it short and sweet and cute. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups chicken, chopped or shredded
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can diced green chiles (4oz)
1 hatch chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp ancho chile powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
5-8 flour tortillas, depending on your pan size
1 15oz can red enchilada sauce (I like Hatch brand)
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°

Heat a large saute pan on medium heat. Add oil, onion, hatch chiles, and diced green chiles to pan and cook until onion becomes translucent. Add chicken, pinto beans, salt, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, chile powder, black pepper, and water. Cook until most of the water has evaporated and beans are starting to break down. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Remove from heat.

Add a thin layer of enchilada sauce to the bottom of an 8″x 8″ baking dish or 10″ cast iron pan. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2-3/4 cup of filling and a small amount of cheese, roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until pan is full. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese topping is bubbly and starting to brown.