Cilantro Avocado Enchiladas

I love avocados. And I mean LOVE, like they are my soul mate kind of way. Not quite Fatal Attraction-level, but avocados ARE a good fruit. I know we don't think of them as a fruit; it's always a little odd when our concept of fruit being sweet is challenged, but growing on a tree? Fruit.

I'm ever so slowly growing an avocado tree. Believed by the Aztecs to make you strong (which, were they wrong?), avocados were a big part of diets. It's such a healthy dietary addition, with a hefty amount of monosaturated fat (the good kind), protein, and other vitamins. I even cook with avocado oil these days - high smoke point + all the good fat.

Avocados are thought to have originated in Mexico over 10,000 years ago, surviving so long because large mammals would eat them whole, digested the fruit, then passed along the ready-to-grow seed. At least, I hope they were large mammals.

This all came about at random, really. I had a bunch of cilantro from the carne asada recipe, and as always, I'm trying to keep an eye on the food waste and prevent it as best I can. When it comes to herbs, that can be as simple as letting the leaves dry out or freezing them in ice cube trays. But cilantro is one of those herbs that I tend to wish I had in the moment; all of a sudden, I'll come across a recipe that calls for a metric butt ton of it and will only have dried leaves. So, it was clear that I needed to take advantage of the surplus.

Whenever I go down one of those recipe rabbit holes, I can get a bit indecisive. I'm not sure why what I cook next is a big decision, but alas. Welcome to my world. But I got to thinking about cilantro sauces like the eternally fantastic cilantro garlic sauce and that kind of weird but also was amazing avocado alfredo I did (don't judge my photos, plz), and then I found that someone had already done this. But I was going to do it anyway!

There's no wrong way to go on the chicken for this; you can use slow-cooked, in the pressure cooker (a la pressure cooker taco chicken), or cooked on the stove, like I did here in a grill pan. I lightly seasoned it with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder, then mixed it with some cheese and rice (or a mix of rice and quinoa, in case you look at the photo below and wonder what I'm talking about).

The sauce is an easy make; I made flour sauce over the stove and then added in fresh cilantro and sliced avocado, blending it all until smooth.

I scooped the chicken mixture into some tortillas and placed them in a casserole. 

I spooned the sauce over the top, closing the tortillas as I did, then topped it all with cheese.

They needed about 25 minutes in the oven and were ready to go.

As an avocado lover, topping these with fresh sliced avocado was a must.

And they looked quite cute to boot.

Fantastic. How is avocado sauce not a thing all the time? This was certainly a lighter take on enchiladas. I say that because tomatoes are more acidic, and tend to feel heavier in a sauce. But this, this was like a refreshing delight of a dish. Stellar flavor, perfect texture, and all filled with avocado. 10/10.

Cilantro Avocado Enchiladas Recipe

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 pound thin sliced chicken breasts

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 cup sour cream

2 avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the enchiladas:

1 cup cooked rice or quinoa

10-12 tortillas (either corn or flour)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Monterey jack or a Tex Mex mix)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook chicken as desired, or add 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil to a large skillet or griddle pan and heat to medium. Season chicken with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. To make the chicken filling, chop or shred chicken into smaller pieces. Mix in rice and 1 cup shredded cheese.

To make the sauce, add the butter in a skillet and melt over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour, cooking for 2-3 minutes, until lightly brown. Add the garlic and continue cooking 1 minute. Whisk the broth into the flour mixture, then bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Slowly stir in the sour cream. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro, lime juice, and seasonings, then pulse several times until smooth. Work carefully as the mixture will be hot.

To make the enchiladas, add the chicken filling to a tortilla and place in a large casserole dish. Repeat with enchiladas until all filling is used up. Spoon the sauce over the top, closing the tortillas to form the enchilada with the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, then top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

adapted from chicken and avocado enchiladas