Tomatillo Cream Cheese Enchiladas

February 21, 2012 at 6:46 am · Filed under Chicken, Main course, Mexican

I’m participating in the Slow Cooker March Madness Tournament again this year! Last year, I participated in two rounds of the tournament and had a lot of fun. My first match-up was between Chicken Cordon Bleu and Creamy Corn Chowder in Round 1 of the tournament. For Round 3, Zuppa Toscana was matched up against Cafe Rio Chicken. From participating in this contest, I discovered four fantastic dishes that I might not have chosen to make on my own. I’m hoping that happens this time around as well!

This year, I chose among recipes that were already paired in duos. These Tomatillo Cream Cheese Enchiladas will take on Tomatillo Chicken Tacos. Check back next week for the winner!

Right off the bat, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to this recipe. Even coming from me, the girl who loves her crockpot, a crockpot enchilada recipe seems counterproductive. You still have to do all the work in rolling the enchiladas, so there’s no shortcut there, and not to mention the fact that the cook time is 2 hours on high. With working full time, I get the best use out of my crockpot during the work week when I can set something on low for 8 hours and come home to a nice dinner that’s ready and waiting. With a recipe that only cooks for 2 hours, that forces me to make this recipe on the weekend. It’s just not feasible to come home after work, prepare the enchiladas, and then wait 2 hours to actually eat them. In that case, I might as well bake them.

With that being said, this dish was really good. As Rick said, he was “pleasantly surprised.” He feared that the enchiladas would be soggy, but that was not the case at all! This recipe would be great in the crockpot on those hot summer days when you don’t want to heat up your oven. I’ll definitely plan on making these enchiladas again, even if that means baking them in the oven instead.

Tomatillo Cream Cheese Enchiladas
2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 flour tortillas (I used 9)
16 oz. jar tomatillo salsa verde
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used cheddar)

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the chicken, beans, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Stir until well incorporated.

Use about 1/3 cup of filling and spoon down the middle of each tortilla.  Roll up and place in the bottom of a large crockpot that has been sprayed heavily with non-stick cooking spray.  You’ll have to place some on top of others to make it all fit.

Pour jar of salsa on top of the enchiladas. Cook on high for about 2 hours.  When there is about 15 minutes left, sprinkle the cheese over the top and let melt. Serve with sour cream and garnish with lime and cilantro.

Note: The back side of your crockpot (side opposite of the controls) typically cooks much hotter.  Use a foil collar to make sure the enchiladas on that side don’t get burned.

How to make a foil collar: Layer and fold sheets of heavy duty foil until you have a six layered foil rectangle. Press the collar into the back side of the slow cooker insert; the food will help hold the collar in place during cooking.

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