Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

You've probably seen this on several cooking blogs.  But, I originally got the recipe from Good Things Utah, I wanna say about 2 years ago.  We fell in love with this recipe the very 1st time I ever made it.  2 years later, we still love it and it's still one of our favorites.  I love the sweet chicken, it tastes like restaurant quality!  I love to serve this dish w/ spanish rice and refried beans then topped off w/ sour cream.  I rate this recipe a 5!

Marinate chicken in honey lime sauce for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Mix green enchilada sauce and heavy cream (I use half & half) then place 1/2 c of the mixture at the bottom of the pan.

I like to microwave 6 corn tortillas at a time in the microwave for 45 seconds.  It's quicker and easier than heating them on a griddle.  Top with chicken and cheese then roll the tortilla and over lap on the seam side and place seam side down in pan.

Top off w/ the remainder of sauce and generously sprinkle cheese on top.

Garnish with chopped cilantro! yum!

Bake for 30-35 minutes

Serve w/ sour cream, refried beans (or black beans) and rice.  Yum!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use. (To make it a little easier skip this step and place 6 tortillas at a time in between to moist paper towels and heat in microwave for 45 seconds.)

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each. (I try and fit at least one more in the center of the 2 rows.)

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Garnish w/ cilantro. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and Spanish Rice or a green salad for a great meal.  Enjoy!

Serves 4 to 6