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    Home » Recipes » Valentine's Day

    Valentine's Day Dinner - Chicken Enchilada Hearts

    Published: Feb 1, '22 · Modified: Feb 1, '22 · By: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Spice up your Valentine's Day by serving Chicken Enchilada Hearts. These Chicken Enchilada Hearts are easy to make using a heart-shaped pan and can be as spicy as you like.

    heart-shaped chicken enchiladas topped with cheese and chili sauce served with jalapenos and sour cream

    When I asked my husband what he'd like for his Valentine's Day dinner, he said, "enchiladas," so I made him these special Chicken Enchilada Hearts, and he loved them.

    He loves traditional enchiladas made with a soft flour tortilla rolled around shredded chicken and cheese topped with a tomato sauce flavored with cumin, coriander, garlic, and chili powder.

    Usually, when I make chicken and cheese enchiladas, I make my own sauce and cook fresh chicken thighs in the sauce like I did when I made Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Bowls with Poblano Peppers and Corn.

    chicken enchilda hearts drizzled with red chili sauce

    But as I began concocting this idea to turn chicken enchiladas into a heart-shaped Valentine's Day meal, I figured I'd need to experiment, possibly a few times, so to make my life easier I started with store-bought enchilada sauce and rotisserie chicken.

    I baked my enchiladas in Wilton's 4-inch non-stick springform heart pans and they came out perfectly the very first time. They looked great and tasted pretty good too, so I didn't bother making them again using my homemade enchilada sauce recipe.

    I used a jar of roasted tomato enchilada sauce which I have to admit was a bit spicier than I'd like, but it had a really nice tomato flavor with nice undertones of chili powder, coriander, and cumin spices.

    You can take the extra effort to make homemade sauce or use your favorite jar of sauce. Either way, these enchilada heart will make a festive Valentine's Day meal.

    Valentine's Day dinner recipe - chicken and cheese enchilada hearts served with jalapenos, sour cream, and chili sauce

    Chicken Enchilada Hearts Recipe

    Ingredients  (per heart)

    flour tortillas - You can use any size you like. You'll cut 4-inch hearts out of the tortillas to fit into the small heart-shaped springform pans.
    enchilada sauce - Use store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce.
    refried beans - Use your favorite brand of refried beans.
    shredded chicken breast - Rotisserie chicken works great.
    shredded sharp cheddar cheese - I prefer to shred blocks of cheese as they melt better than pre-shredded cheese.
    shredded Monterey Jack Cheese - You'll use this to top all your enchilada hearts so they are white on top.

    Supplies:

    Wilton comfort grip heart cookie cutter or any 4-inch heart cookie cutter
    Wilton small 4-inch non-stick heart-shaped springform pan
    non-stick cooking spray

    Let's make chicken enchilada hearts!

    cut tortilla hearts, top with refried beans. and layer on enchilada sauce in heart-shaped springform pan

    step 1 - cut tortilla hearts and begin layering ingredients

    • Spray the inside of the heart-shaped springform pans with cooking spray.
    • Cut 3 hearts out of the tortillas using a Wilton Comfort Grip Heart Cookie Cutter.
    • Layer the ingredients as follows:
      • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
      • 1 tortilla spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up)

    layer on shredded chicken breast, cheese, refried beans, and enchilada sauce making enchilada hearts

    step 2 - add layers of chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce

    • continue layering
      • ⅓ cup chicken
      • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
      • ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese ...
    • Repeat.
      • 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up)
      • ⅓ cup chicken
      • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
      • ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese ...

    top heart-shaped chicken enchildas with sauce and Monterey Jack cheese.

    step 3 - add final tortilla heart and cheese

      • 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (put bean side down)
      • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
      • ⅓ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

    Chicken Enchilada Hearts recipe and tutorial from HungryHappenings.com

    step 4 - bake

    • Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil.
    • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes then un-cover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

    baked chicken and cheese enchilada hearts with melted Monterey Jack cheese on top

    step 5 - un-mold your enchilada hearts

    • Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a plastic spreader/spatula around the edge of the pan.
    • Release the clamp and remove the sides of the pan.
    • Set each enchilada heart on a dinner plate and serve.
    • Decorate with enchilada sauce, if you'd like.

    drizzle enchilada sauce over the cheese-covered chicken enchilada heart

    I strained some of the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, then poured it into a squeeze bottle so I could drizzle it over the heart and add dots of sauce to the plate.

    Fancy, huh?

    What are your dinner plans for Valentine's Day? Do you do anything special?

    You can find supplies needed to make these heart-shaped chicken and cheese enchilada hearts from Amazon. I earn a small commission when you use the product links at NO extra cost to you.

    This Valentine's Day recipe was originally posted on February 12, 2015, and was updated in 2022 with better pictures.

    heart-shaped chicken enchiladas topped with cheese and chili sauce served with jalapenos and sour cream
    Print
    Enchilada Hearts
    Prep Time
    15 mins
    Cook Time
    30 mins
     

    Heart-shaped chicken and cheese enchiladas make a festive Valentine's Day dinner.

    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: enchilada
    Servings: 1
    Author: Beth
    Ingredients
    Ingredient Quantities PER HEART
    • 3 small flour tortillas
    • ¼ cup enchilada sauce
    • 3 tablespoons refried beans
    • ⅔ cup shredded chicken breast
    • ⅔ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
    • ⅓ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
    • optional: 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce for decoration
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. Spray the inside of the heart-shaped springform pans with cooking spray.
    3. Cut 3 hearts out of the tortillas using a Wilton Comfort Grip Heart Cookie Cutter.
    Layer the ingredients as follows:
    1. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
    2. 1 tortilla spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up) …
    3. ⅓ cup chicken
    4. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
    5. ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese …
    6. Repeat-
    7. 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up)
    8. ⅓ cup chicken
    9. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
    10. ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese …
    11. 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (put bean side down)
    12. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
    13. ⅓ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
    14. Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil. Bake for 25 minutes then uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
    15. Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a plastic spreader/spatula around the edge of the pan. Release the clamp and remove the sides of the pan.
    16. Set each enchilada heart on a dinner plate and serve.
    17. Decorate with enchilada sauce, if you’d like. I strained some of the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, then poured it into a squeeze bottle so I could drizzle it over the heart and add dots of sauce to the plate.

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    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth
    Beth
    Hi, I'm Beth Jackson 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
    Beth
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    1. beth

      February 13, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      My husband really loved his special dinner. I hope your's does too! Happy Valentine's Day.

      Reply
    2. The Partiologist

      February 13, 2015 at 1:09 pm

      All I can say is "Winner winner, chicken enchilada dinner"! 🙂

      Reply
      • beth

        February 13, 2015 at 1:32 pm

        My husband would agree! Thanks, Kim:)

        Reply
    3. Jen

      February 13, 2015 at 4:08 am

      What a fun valentine meal idea! Love all your fabulous ideas!

      Reply
      • beth

        February 13, 2015 at 1:31 pm

        Thanks so much, Jen.

        Reply
    4. Colleen

      February 12, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      They look adorable to have for a Valentine's meal and look good besides.
      Where did you get your heart shaped spring form pans at. I really like those. What cute little heart shaped cheesecakes they would make as well.

      Reply
      • beth

        February 12, 2015 at 9:14 pm

        Thanks, Colleen. These were fun to make and more fun to eat. Wilton actually sent me the springform pans, but I have seen them at craft stores like JoAnn's and Michael's. You can get them from Amazon.com too. There is a link above for the pans on Amazon.com.

        Reply

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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