Chicken Enchilada Bowls

These Chicken 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!

Making the corn tortilla bowls wasn't much more work than hand-rolling 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.

These enchilada bowls will be a perfect addition to any Fiesta or Cinco de Mayo celebration but they are easy enough to make for dinner tonight.

So, let's make some yummy enchilada bowls.

Ingredients

Corn Tortilla Bowls

• corn tortillas

Chicken in Enchilada Sauce

• vegetable oil
• shallot
• garlic
• chili powder
• ground coriander
• ground cumin
• table salt
• granulated sugar
• boneless skinless chicken thighs
• tomato sauce

Peppers and Corn

• shallot
• poblano pepper seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces
• garlic
• fresh or frozen corn
• kosher salt and black pepper

Toppings

• shredded 4 cheese Mexican blend

Supplies

8 ramekins
pastry brush
baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil

Instructions

Bake tortilla bowls.

• Wet 2 paper towels with water then ring out excess.
• Set 8 corn tortillas in between the two paper towels.
• Heat in the microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, just to soften the tortillas.
• Brush both sides of the corn tortillas with oil.
• Press into a bowl shape in the custard cups, crimping as needed.
• Bake for 6 minutes.
• Remove tortillas from custard cups.
• Turn them upside down on a baking sheet and bake for 2-4 more minutes until the bottoms are lightly brown.
• Remove and set them right side up on the pan.

Make enchilada sauce.

• Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat just until shimmering.
• Add shallot and stir occasionally until light golden brown.
• Stir together garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar.
• Add to cooked shallots and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
• Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, then pour in the tomato sauce.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 14 minutes, stirring as needed.
• Remove from heat and set aside until ready to assemble enchilada bowls.

Poblanos and Corn

• Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add chopped poblano pepper and shallot and cook until peppers begin to blister and soften.
• Toss in garlic and corn and cook for 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Fill the tortilla cups:

• Then fill the tortilla cups with your chicken in enchilada sauce (recipe for homemade enchilada sauce in the recipe card below), corn, poblano peppers, and cheese.
• Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.

Substitutions

You can get creative and fill these tortilla cups with your favorite ingredients.

You can swap out the chicken for beef or pork.

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

Hot Taco Dip

Churro Sundae

Sombrero Cookies

Enchilada Skulls

Party it up this Cinco de Mayo and check out some of these other recipes that are perfect for celebrating.

• Heart-shaped Chicken Enchiladas
• Pork Carnitas and Chicken Taco Bowls

Recipe

This recipe was originally published on May 5, 2016.

Print

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Cripsy corn tortilla bowls filled with chicken and cheese tossed with red chili enchilada sauce and topped with poblano peppers and corn.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: appetizer, cheese, chicken, enchilada, entree, mexican

Servings: 8

Calories: 382 kcal

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

Corn Tortilla Bowls

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

Chicken in Enchilada Sauce

• 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

Peppers and Corn

• 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

Toppings

• 8 ounces shredded 4 cheese Mexican blend

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray 8 glass custard cups with non-stick spray.

Corn Tortilla Bowls

1. Wet 2 paper towels with water then ring out excess.
2. Set 8 corn tortillas in between the two paper towels.
3. Heat in the microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, just to soften the tortillas.
4. Brush both sides of the corn tortillas with oil.
5. Press into a bowl shape in the custard cups, crimping as needed.
6. Bake for 6 minutes.
7. Remove tortillas from custard cups.

8. Turn them upside down on a baking sheet and bake for 2-4 more minutes until the bottoms are lightly brown.

9. Remove and set right side up on the baking pan.

10. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Chicken Enchilada Sauce

1. Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat just until shimmering.

2. Add shallot and stir occasionally until light golden brown.

3. Stir together garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar.

4. Add to cooked shallots and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

5. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.

6. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, then pour in the tomato sauce.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 14 minutes, stirring as needed.

8. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to assemble enchilada bowls.

Poblanos and Corn

1. Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat until shimmering.

2. Add chopped poblano pepper and shallot and cook until peppers begin to blister and soften.

3. Toss in garlic and corn and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Assemble and add Toppings

1. Fill each corn tortilla bowl with about a tablespoon of cheese.

2. Stir about ⅔ cup of the cheese into the chicken then equally divide it among the corn tortilla bowls.

3. Sprinkle on Poblano pepper and corn mixture.

4. Top with the remaining cheese.

5. Bake for 8 minutes until heated through.

Recipe Notes

These enchilada bowls are best the day they are made. You can keep the leftover filling in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Fill the tortilla bowls just before serving. 

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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