Chicken Spinach Enchiladas
I love this recipe because it’s a way of hiding spinach in a kid-friendly Mexican enchilada if you have a kid who won’t eat any green vegetables. The garlic & cheese overpowers the spinach but the good news is this recipe really tastes good, too. The recipe is excellent as a leftover and can be warmed up easily in the microwave. In addition, you can cut the recipe in half as well before you cook it. If you want to lower the fat and calories in this recipe you can also use fat free cream cheese. You can use canned chicken breast or you can poach your chicken which is very easy to do.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil under medium heat for 5 minutes until tender. Add spinach and green chilies. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir in chicken and cream cheese, pepper jack cheese and fresh cilantro. Stir continuously until the cheeses melt. Spoon ¾ cup of chicken mixture in center of tortilla. Roll up tortilla. Placed the rolled tortilla seam side down on a 13 X 9 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Top with 1 tbsp Tomatillo or Thick Salsa per tortilla.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: 395 calories, 29 grams protein, 15 grams of fat, 32 grams of CHO, 4 grams dietary fiber, 895 mg sodium.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8 servings; one taco each
Ingredients
1 cup diced onions
3 garlic cloves, minced or ¾ tsp dried minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped baby spinach
2 cans (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies, drained
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 (8 oz) package of low fat cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 cups (8 oz) shredded low fat pepper jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 (8-inch) soft taco whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas to make gluten free
Spoon 1 tbsp of bottled Tomatillo Salsa or Thick Salsa per tortilla before serving
Shopping List
1 onion
3 garlic cloves or dried minced garlic
olive oil
chopped baby spinach
2 cans (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
1 ½ pound cooked chicken breast
1 (8 oz) package of low fat cream cheese
8 oz shredded low fat pepper jack cheese
fresh cilantro
8 (8-inch) soft taco whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas to make gluten free
Tomatillo Salsa or Thick Salsa
By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. She is the Chief Blog Organizer for www.DayByDayLiving.net Barbara does fundraising and social media for Veterans Lodge (www.VeteransLodge.org) The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara is a former runner who walks, a spinner, hiker a mother and grandmother to 13 grandchildren. 
