Valentine’s Day Dinner – Chicken Enchilada Hearts

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.

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.

My husband is an extremely picky eater and is hard to please, so when I find a dish that he likes, I make it often.

Enchiladas are at the top of his wintertime favorites. Yes, he even has seasonal dinner wishes. He wants heavy and hearty meals in the winter, and light and healthy meals in the summer.

Usually, when I make enchiladas, I make my own sauce and cook fresh chicken thighs. I like that I can control the spice. As you may know, I’m a total spice wimp.

Well as I began concocting this idea to turn chicken enchiladas into 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 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. Not only did they look perfect, but we both really liked the flavor, so I figured why mess with a good thing.I had never tasted store-bought enchilada sauce and purchased 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. When paired with the chicken breast, refried beans, and lots of cheese, it was great and so easy.

I’m thinking from now on this will be my go-to enchilada recipe.

My husband got his Valentine’s Day dinner a few days early which is nice because it gave me time to share this with you this year and even a little time to take a break and enjoy the holiday myself. I won’t be cooking. We’ll be having take out from my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Chicken Enchilada Hearts Recipe

Ingredients  (per heart)

3 small flour tortillas
1/4 cup enchilada sauce
3 tablespoons refried beans
2/3 cup shredded chicken breast
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
optional: 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce for decoration

Supplies:

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

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray the inside of the heart-shaped springform pans with cooking spray.

Layering the enchilada hearts:

• 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)

• continue layering
  • 1/3 cup chicken
  • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
  • 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese …
• Repeat.
  • 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up)
  • 1/3 cup chicken
  • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
  • 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese …

• • 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (put bean side down)
  • 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
  • 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Bake:

• Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil.
• Bake for 25 minutes then uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

• 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.

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?

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
• 1/4 cup enchilada sauce
• 3 tablespoons refried beans
• 2/3 cup shredded chicken breast
• 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 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. 1/3 cup chicken
4. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
5. 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese …
6. Repeat-
7. 1 tortilla heart spread with 1 tablespoon refried beans (bean side up)
8. 1/3 cup chicken
9. 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce
10. 1/3 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. 1/3 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.

More Valentine’s Day Entrée & Appetizer Recipes

from Hungry Happenings

Teddy Bear Taco Tart

Chicken Parmesan Hearts

Valentine’s Day Salad Topped with Tomato Hearts

Bee Mine Bumble Bee Corn Dogs

Hugs and Kisses Pizza Pinwheels

Mozzarella Cheese Filled Heart Pastries

served with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Mini Cheese Ball Warm Fuzzies

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