These Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn made using a blend of four kinds of cheese, chicken thighs, Poblano Peppers, and corn tortillas are easy enough to make for dinner tonight but look festive enough to serve at a party.
My family loves my chicken enchiladas which are made with chicken thighs, corn tortillas, and lots of cheese, but rolled enchiladas covered in chili sauce aren't that pretty!
For my mom's birthday celebration, I wanted to make a meal that looked really festive yet tasted like my popular enchiladas. So, I decided to turn corn tortillas into crispy bowls filled with chicken smothered in enchilada sauce sprinkled with lots of cheese and topped with sautéed poblano peppers, shallots, garlic, and corn.
The meal turned out colorful and festive just as I had hoped. These enchilada bowls would be a perfect addition to any Fiesta.
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.
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.
To make tortilla bowls:
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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 are lightly brown.
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Remove and set right side up on the baking pan.
Fill the tortilla cups:
- Then fill the tortilla cups with your chicken in enchilada sauce, corn, poblano peppers, and cheese.
- See the printable recipe below for baking instructions.
You can get creative and fill these tortilla cups with your favorite ingredients. To make them spicy, add some jalapenos or ghost peppers. You can even add some cayenne pepper to the enchilada sauce if you really want to add some heat.
More Mexican Recipes
- Sombrero Cookies filled with Candy
- Churro Sundae
- Hot Taco Dip
- Enchilada Skulls
- Heart-shaped Chicken Enchiladas
- Pork Carnitas and Chicken Taco Bowls
Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ 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 ½ inch pieces
- 1 clove garlic
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen corn
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces 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 are lightly brown.
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Remove and set right side up on the 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 a 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 cheese.
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Stir about ⅔ 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.
This recipe was originally published on May 5, 2016.
Party it up this Cinco de Mayo and check out some of these other recipes that are perfect for celebrating.
- Snowman Popcorn Bucket - December 24, 2022
- Peanut Butter Popcorn - December 20, 2022
- Peppermint Popcorn - December 8, 2022
