My Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles are yummy, hitting all the right Tex-Mex flavor notes thanks to one of my favorite cheats, a jar of tomatillo based green enchilada sauce, canned black beans, and my three favorite chiles.
Michael and I can always agree on anywhere Mexican or Tex-Mex for dinner, it’s a favorite for us and we’re always spotting new places we want to try. While he usually gravitates toward a burrito bowl or fajitas, I’m ordering the enchiladas just about every time. I also cook a lot of Tex-Mex at home (just check out my Green Chile & Chicken Chili; GF Mushroom & Green Chile Empanadas; Fish Tacos; Stuffed Avocados; Easy Chicken Fajitas; and Ranch Water). My Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles are yummy, hitting all the right Tex-Mex flavor notes thanks to one of my favorite cheats, a jar of tomatillo based green enchilada sauce, canned black beans, and my three favorite chiles. Oh, and they’re also grain free thanks to shingled zucchini planks that roll up just like a tortilla. There’s a little bit of prep involved because you need to dry out your zucchini planks some first, or your enchiladas are likely to become a watery mess when baking, but the satisfying result is worth the extra step. Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles are best in summer, especially now and for the next couple months, when the farmers markets and grocery stores are stocked with shockingly large zucchini – I always marvel when they are the size of my forearm, or larger. Plus, Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles are light, fresh, and so green, which I think sums up summer to a T.
Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles
Ingredients
6 large zucchinis (2-inch diameter or larger), tops and bottoms removed
1 ½ pound chicken breast, halved
15 oz jar tomatillo based green enchilada sauce, such as Siete brand for an option free of grain and refined sugar
4 oz can mild Hatch green chiles
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 large onion, diced small (about 2 cups)
1 large poblano pepper, diced small (½ cup)
1 large jalapeno pepper, diced small (¼ cup)
12 oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded
¾ cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
Suggested toppings
Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
Sliced avocado
How to make Zucchini Enchiladas with Chicken & Green Chiles
Preheat oven to 315 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a mandolin set at an 1/8 inch, slice zucchinis into long planks – discarding or reserving for another use the first few and last few slices of each zucchini. You are looking for evenly sized planks that are 5-6 inches long and 2 inches wide; you should get 9 usable planks per zucchini. Lay zucchini slices out on lined baking sheets in a single layer, you should be able to fit 15 slices per sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, 2 sheet trays at a time, rotating sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through. (You are drying out the zucchini to reduce the amount of water released when your enchiladas bake, you are not cooking the zucchini through; baking the zucchini first also helps soften them so they are pliable and easy to roll). Set zucchini planks aside to cool and repeat with remaining zucchini planks until all have been in the oven to dry out. Once all zucchini has been in the oven, increase oven to 375 degrees.
While zucchini bakes and cools, prepare the filling.
In a 2-quart saucepan, mix together enchilada sauce and mild Hatch green chiles. Add the halved chicken breasts, stir to submerge chicken and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until chicken is cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add diced onions and poblanos and sauté until onions are softened, translucent, and just starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Add jalapenos and sauté for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove chicken from enchilada sauce, reserving enchilada sauce, and shred chicken into small pieces using two forks. In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken and onion and pepper mixture until well combined, allow to cool completely if still warm. Stir in 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey jack cheese. Gently mix in black beans.
Spread 1/3 cup enchilada sauce across the bottom of a 12 x 9 baking dish. Cut any narrow ends off zucchini planks so they are an even width their whole length. Working with 3 zucchini planks at a time, shingle the planks to make a larger flat zucchini sheet to serve as your “tortilla.” Lay one zucchini plank on your work surface, layer with second plank so that the long edge overlaps the bottom 1/3 of the first plank. Layer third plank so that the long edge overlaps the bottom 1/3 of the second plank. Add about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture, spreading down one of the short sides of the shingled zucchini sheet, and roll up to fully enclose the filling. Place enchilada, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini planks to make 18 enchiladas total. 12 enchiladas will fit in the prepared 12 x 9 baking dish. Pour ½ cup of enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas and top with ¾ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese.
In a smaller baking dish, spread half of the remaining enchilada sauce across the bottom. Arrange remaining enchiladas, seam side down, on top of sauce. Pour remaining enchilada evenly over the enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded Monterey jack cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream and avocado.
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