Grab the mystery ingredients inside a Chopped at Home Challenge Basket to create these Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn made using Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican blend, chicken thighs, Poblano Peppers, and corn tortillas. This post is sponsored by Sargento.
Or you can challenge yourself to create your own unique recipe and enter for your chance to win $5,000 and a trip to New York City to compete in a televised Chopped cooking challenge for a $10,000 grand prize.
Have you ever dreamed of being on Food Network’s Chopped Challenge show?
Do you get excited at the thought of opening a basket to find secret ingredients waiting to be transformed into an amazing meal?
If you answered, “yes,” then it’s time for you to take inspiration from this post and test your chops in the Chopped at Home Challenge with Sargento. You too can create a Mexican inspired recipe using the secret “basket” ingredients and enter it into the contest.
Secret “Basket” Ingredients:
- Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican blend
- chicken thighs
- Poblano Peppers
- corn tortillas
When I was given this challenge, I had plenty of time to think of how I could combine the ingredients to make a special dish. Fortunately, I didn’t have to think too hard.
My family loves my chicken enchiladas which are made with chicken thighs, corn tortillas, and lots of cheese. The only ingredient not in my original enchiladas was the poblano pepper and I knew I could make that new ingredient work but didn’t want to simply make rolled enchiladas. I wanted a meal fit for a fiesta.
My family was gathering together at our house last weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday, so I decided to make crispy corn tortilla bowls filled with chicken smothered in enchilada sauce sprinkled with lots of Sargento Cheese and topped with sautéed poblano peppers, shallots, garlic, and corn.
Making the corn tortilla bowls wasn’t much more work than hand-rolling the enchiladas, and they made for such a nice presentation. Each little bowl showed off the deep green Poblanos, the golden yellow corn, and the rich red chili sauce.
Oh, and let’s not forget about all that gooey orange and white Mexican cheese that was melted over top.
I made one casserole dish filled with my traditional enchiladas and had my guests choose between those or my new Chicken & Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn.
You can guess which dish everyone wanted to try.
The colorful bowls were irresistible.
I was so excited to see how much everyone enjoyed the twist on this classic dish. Next time I serve enchiladas, I’ll definitely be making them this way.
Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 20 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch long strips
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot diced
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 clove garlic
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican blend
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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Spray 8 glass custard cups with non-stick spray.
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Wet 2 paper towels with water then ring out excess.
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Set 8 corn tortillas in between the two paper towels.
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Heat in the microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, just to soften the tortillas.
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Brush both sides of the corn tortillas with oil.
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Press into a bowl shape in the custard cups, crimping as needed.
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Bake for 6 minutes.
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Remove tortillas from custard cups.
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Turn them upside down on a baking sheet and bake for 2-4 more minutes until the bottoms lightly brown.
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Remove and set right side up on baking pan.
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Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
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Heat oil in a skillet set over medium high heat just until shimmering.
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Add shallot and stir occasionally until light golden brown.
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Stir together garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar.
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Add to cooked shallots and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
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Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
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Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, then pour in the tomato sauce.
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Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 14 minutes, stirring as needed.
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Remove from heat and set aside until ready to assemble enchilada bowls.
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Heat oil in skillet set over medium high heat until shimmering.
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Add chopped poblano pepper and shallot and cook until peppers begin to blister and soften.
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Toss in garlic and corn and cook for 3 minutes.
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Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
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Fill each corn tortilla bowl with about a tablespoon of the cheese.
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Stir about 2/3 cup of the cheese into the chicken then equally divide it among the corn tortilla bowls.
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Sprinkle on Poblano pepper and corn mixture.
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Top with the remaining cheese.
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Bake for 8 minutes until heated through.
Are you inspired to create your own recipe to enter into the Chopped At Home Challenge with Sargento?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.
Party it up this Cinco de Mayo and check out some of these other recipes that are perfect for celebrating.
