White Chicken Enchiladas ~ Gluten Free

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Wow! This yummy Chicken Enchiladas dish instantly moved to the top of our "Family Favorites!" It's a great recipe for making ahead and re-heating for those busy nights and/or last minute plans for dinner guests 🙂 Friends and family will LOVE receiving this as a house-warming gift or for any occasion! As usual, a HUGE "Thank You" goes to "The Pioneer Woman" for sharing this wonderful recipe. I made some changes to the original recipe to make it allergy-friendly and Gluten Free for my family 😉
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish
Servings 12 Enchiladas

Ingredients
  

The Chicken:

  • 4-5 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts You could also use a cooked Rotisserie Chicken from your local Grocer to save time
  • Kosher Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Roasted Bell Peppers:

  • *2 *Red Bell Peppers or 1-16 oz. already-roasted red Bell Peppers in a jar
  • *2 *Bell Peppers (any color) or 1-16 oz. jar of store-bought Roasted Bell Peppers

The Chicken Mixture (the Filling):

  • 1 Large Onion or 3-4 Green Onions (white & green parts), thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil I use Canola
  • *1 Cup Chicken Broth *You will need a Total of 3 Cups (1 Cup for the Filling + 2 Cups for the Sauce); I use Low-Sodium, so I have more control over the sodium content
  • *1 Cup Heavy Cream *You will need a Total of 1 1/2 Cups (1 Cup for the Filling + 1/2 Cup for the Sauce)
  • *1/2 tsp Paprika *You will need a Total of 1 tsp (1/2 tsp for the Filling + 1/2 tsp for the Sauce)
  • ½ of the Roasted Peppers (from above)
  • the Prepared Chicken (from above)

The Sauce:

  • 4 Tbsp Salted Butter
  • ¼ Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Flour
  • 2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
  • ½ Cup Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • 1 ½ Cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese *You will need about 3-1/2 Cups + more, if needed
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream, Lite or Regular I use Daisy brand Lite

Other Ingredients:

  • 12-14 8" Gluten-Free Tortilla Wraps
  • 1 Cup Salsa I use Store-bought
  • ¼ Cup Cilantro (Optional)

Instructions
 

Baking the Chicken:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
  • Rinse the Chicken Breasts with cold water, pat a little with paper towels, place on the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper and drizzle with the olive oil.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes or until the Chicken is almost done (you will be cooking the chicken a bit more later).
  • Let the Chicken cool a little, then shred using 2 forks; set aside.

Roasting the Bell Peppers:

  • While the Chicken Breasts are baking, prepare the Bell Peppers for roasting by cutting them into halves down the middle (from stem to bottom) and removing the stems, seeds and any white membrane. (Note: if you're using store-bought Roasted Bell Peppers, skip the "Roasting" step, drain and chop 2-16 Fl. Oz. jars into 1/2" pieces).
  • Place the Bell Pepper halves face-down on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 3-5 minutes or until the skins are blackened.
  • Remove the Peppers from the oven and place them into a resealable plastic bag; close bag and leave for about 30 minutes.
  • When cool enough to handle, remove the Peppers from the plastic bag and scrape off the blackened part (discard this black part); chop the Peppers into 1/2" pieces (or any size desired); set aside.

Making the Filling:

  • Heat the Vegetable Oil in a large skillet over Medium heat and add the chopped Onions, cooking until translucent (about 2-3 minutes)..
  • Next, reduce temperature to Medium-Low and add the Shredded Chicken, 1 Cup of the Chicken Broth and 1 Cup of the Heavy Cream, mixing thoroughly.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon Paprika and 1/2 of the chopped, Roasted Peppers; stir thoroughly and continue cooking for a few minutes (the liquid will reduce and thicken a little bit); set aside.

Making the Sauce:

  • Using a separate, large skillet or saucepan, melt the Butter over Medium Heat; add the GF Flour, whisk thoroughly and cook for 1 minute, while whisking.
  • Add the remaining 2 cups of Chicken Broth, whisking constantly until smooth (about 2 minutes).
  • Next, reduce heat to Medium-Low and add the remaining 1/2 cup Heavy Cream, 1/2 teaspoon Paprika and 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheese; mix completely.
  • Lastly, add the Sour Cream and the other 1/2 of the chopped, Roasted Peppers, mixing thoroughly (add a bit of Chicken Broth if the consistency is too thick); add any Salt and Pepper at this point, if desired.

Putting it Together:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • To assemble the Enchiladas, I set up a "work station" as follows: A. 9"x13" Baking Dish (may need 2) B. large plate with the stack of Tortillas C. Bowl of remaining Shredded Cheese D. The skillet containing the Chicken Filling mixture
  • First, using a slotted spoon, spread about a 1/2 cup (+or-) portion of the Chicken Filling towards one end of the Tortilla Wraps and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of the Shredded Cheese; next, begin rolling the Tortilla wrap starting from the Chicken Filling end; place seam-side down in one of the 9"x13" baking dishes; Repeat until all of the Tortilla Wraps and Filling are gone.
  • Pour the Sauce over the tops of all of the Tortilla Wraps (Enchiladas) and spread out evenly to thoroughly coat; Sprinkle the top with any remaining Shredded Cheese (about 1/2 cup per dish).
  • Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until bubbling.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings: Sour Cream, Salsa, Cilantro, etc. Yum!