If you've been reading this blog long, you'll know that I LOVE Mexican food, but trying to lower the calories and keep the great authentic flavor is a little difficult, especially when making something like enchiladas. And when enchiladas are topped with a rich, creamy Suiza sauce, you might as well pack it up and call it a day on the diet wagon. I have been working on this recipe for a while and admittedly could probably figure out more ways to lower the calories even more, but really I'm afraid that it just wouldn't taste the same. Plus, I think 400+ calories is pretty good for an evening meal, especially when you can have a nice green salad on the side.
Suiza sauce is traditionally a cream based sauce, so to cut calories here I used light sour cream, which I think works really well. I kept the cheese and layered it in with the chicken and sauce. This is a wonderful comfort food that I hope you will enjoy as much as I do…but without as much guilt!
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Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos chopped, to taste
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeno juice
- 1 cup chopped Spanish onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt used: Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups reserved chicken broth
- 1 7 ounce can prepared salsa verde (used: Herdez)
- 1 small can chopped green chiles
- 8 ounces lite sour cream
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 dash ground cumin
- 24 corn tortillas quartered
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- For the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a roasting pan or Dutch oven with cooking spray. Place chicken thighs into pan. Add jalapenos, jalapeno juice, onion, garlic, chicken broth, cumin and seasoned salt.
- Braise in oven for 2 hours (the meat will be very tender and there will be a lot of juice left in the pan…about 3 cups). Remove from oven and remove chicken thighs onto a platter to cool. RESERVE 2 cups braising broth. Once chicken has cooled, shred with a fork; set aside.
- For Suiza sauce:
- In a deep skillet, melt butter. Add flour, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, then immediately stir in broth all at once and continue stirring until well combined and smooth. Stir in salsa verde, green chiles, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spray a deep 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and add about 1 cup of suiza sauce into the bottom. Layer ¼ of the tortilla pieces, then shredded chicken, a little more sauce, then cheese. Continue repeating these layers. End with tortilla pieces, remaining sauce and remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
*Nutrition information is automatically calculated based on ingredient data and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient options are provided, the first listed is used for calculation. Optional ingredients and garnishes are not included in the nutrition analysis.
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