Chicken pumpkin enchiladas are the perfect October weeknight meal idea to celebrate this season best ingredients: Pumpkin! Chicken enchiladas made with pumpkin sauce is a Mexican classic with an October hearty twist to it that is so good and delicious.
Servings 12wraps
Prep Time 25 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Ingredients
For the red pumpkin sauce:
400ghomemade pumpkin puree see notesRecipe here
400gtomato sauce
½cuplow fat labneGreek yogurt. see notes
1/3cupchicken broth or water
2garlic cloves
1tspDijon mustard
1tbspdry oregano
2tspcumin powder
1tspsalt
1tspsweet paprika. see notes
½tspsmoked paprika
1tspcoriander powder
½tspwhite pepper
¼tspblack pepper
For the chicken filling:
1tspneutral vegetable oilI used avocado oil
1big red oniondiced
2garlic clovesminced
120gfresh mushrooms sliced see notes
3cupsshredded chicken see notes
250gcooked black beans see notes
Salt and pepper to taste
For the assembly:
2cupsshredded Mexican cheesemix of Monterey jack cheese with queso quesadilla and asadero cheese
12soft 20 cm tortilla wraps
Sour cream and avocado to serve
Instructions
For the red pumpkin sauce:
Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper as you wish. (see notes for spicy version)
For the chicken filling:
Add the shredded chicken to a bowl with the black beans and set aside. On medium high heat sauté the mushrooms first without oil. when the mushrooms start browning and release their water. Sprinkle some oil and add the onion and sauté till transparent. Add your garlic and sauté till you can smell the garlic. Turn off the heat and the onion mixture to the chicken and black beans in the bowl.
Add 2 cups of the red pumpkin sauce to the chicken mixture and mix with a spatula until everything is well cooperated.
Set the filling aside and let’s start the assembly.
For the assembly:
Preheat your oven on 180 C°. And prepare your baking dish.
Spread ¼ cup of the red pumpkin sauce in the bottom of your baking dish and spread it evenly.
Start rolling your tortillas. If they are to cold to wrap just microwave for 10 seconds so you can roll easier without cracking.
On each tortilla spread ¼ cup of the chicken filling. Sprinkle on top 1 tbsp of the cheese and roll the tortilla and arrange in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat until you finish the 12 tortillas.
Pour the remaining red pumpkin sauce on top of the tortillas and the remaining cheese on top also.
Bake and enjoy:
Bake your enchiladas for 20 minutes maybe it will take to 30 minutes depending on your oven. When you see the edges getting golden and crispy it means it is ready.
Remove from oven, let it rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy with some avocado slices, sour cream and some chili sauce on the side!
Notes
1- Pumpkin puree: you can use canned puree but no canned brand has a close deep flavored taste like the homemade. You can easily prepare it at home check out my recipe here.2- Laban: the traditional recipe asks for sour cream; you can totally go with that but I tried it with low fat labneh and it tasted so delicious. The labneh is basically same as Greek yoghurt but have less liquid in it and it is spreadable but you can also use Greek yoghurt.3- Sweet paprika: this recipe is kids friendly for that reason I didn’t put any spicy seasonings like any traditional Mexican recipe. But if you are not cooking this for kids you can add also with the sweet paprika 3 tbsp of chili powder or any spicy seasoning you like.4- Fresh mushrooms: I used mushrooms in this recipe but you can use any kind of veggies you have. Capsicum goes great and if you want to make it spicier you can also use jalapeno.5- Shredded chicken: I always have some cooked and shredded chicken in the freezer to use in my recipes. But you can prepare on the spot by grilling or boiling some chicken. Or you can always buy a roasteries chicken and shredded to use quickly in the recipe.6- Black beans: you can use a can of black beans well drained in the recipe if you don’t want to cook your own at home. But the homecooked ones are much tastier and better in texture. And much cheaper! in the price of one can you can prepare 5 cans at home! if not more!7- Red pumpkin sauce: after you finish the sauce taste and make it as spicy as you want by adding chili powder or cayenne powder or tabasco sauce.8- To freeze this meal before baking: simply finish your assembly as mentioned above, wrap it tightly in plastic wraps and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake as instructed but add 10 more minutes because it was in freezer.9- To freeze after baking: if you want to freeze in portions, cut your portions and arrange in freezer safe container, let sit in room temperature until completely cool down before covering and freezing. You can thaw and preheat in microwave whenever you want to eat. If you want to freeze the whole casserole, let it cool completely before wrapping tightly with plastic wraps and freeze. When you want to enjoy just bake as instructed but 10 minutes more. And enjoy!