Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Certain flavor combinations have always called to me. Chocolate and peanut butter. Peanut butter and banana. And sure, some savory combos, too – I put garlic and onions in almost everything. One of my more recent flavor loves is the combination of honey and lime. Mixed together, these sweet and tart flavors can be found in cuisines all over the world. (And in my favorite Thai Honey Peanut Chicken/Tofu.)

Today’s recipe takes honey and lime south of the border for some Mexican-style fare. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. Don’t they just sound delicious? I mean, really. Shreds of juicy chicken coated in a sweet and tangy marinade. Gooey Monterey Jack cheese. Creamy, dreamy, green enchilada sauce enriched with a (not so) healthy dose of cream or half and half. More gooey cheese on top to add a gorgeous golden brown crackle. Heaven.

The fact that these enchiladas are simple to make is really just the icing on the cake. The important thing to note is that you need precooked chicken for this recipe. Otherwise you have to cook some up before you can get on with the filling, the rolling, and the baking. And, you know, the eating. You can use any simply flavored leftover chicken you have on hand; you want the chicken to have relatively plain flavor since you are going to be putting it in a marinade. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, you can quickly poach some chicken breasts or cook them in a little chicken broth in a slow cooker for a few hours.

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Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café  

Ingredients:
6 T. honey
5 T. fresh lime juice (about 2 to 3 limes)
1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
8-10 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream, half and half, or sour cream

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes. (You can also cover the bowl, pop it in the fridge, and let it go all day.)

When you are ready to make the enchiladas, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce into the prepared pan. Shake the pan to evenly coat the bottom.

Fill the tortillas with chicken and a little bit of cheese. (Make sure to reserve about half of the cheese for the topping.)

Place the filled tortillas seam-side down in the pan.

Take the bowl with the remaining marinade (whatever’s left after you take out the chicken) and add the remaining enchilada sauce and the cream/half and half/sour cream. Stir to combine then pour the sauce over the tortillas.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tortillas.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbly and golden brown on top.

Serves 4 to 6.