- Garner’s go-to enchiladas use poached chicken, canned soup, and lots of Monterey Jack.
- The mild, creamy casserole freezes well and feeds a crowd—perfect for sharing.
- Jennifer’s mom encourages tailoring spice and richness to your personal taste.
You might know Jennifer Garner from her performances in 13 Going on 30 or Alias—or you might know her as the sometimes-host of “Pretend Cooking Show” on social media. Garner recently shared another episode of her casual, at-home cooking adventures on Instagram, and this time, it’s a family affair. While on vacation in Nantucket, Massachusetts, Garner and her mom got together to make some nontraditional but very cozy-looking enchilada casserole.
Garner says the enchilada recipe is a “crowd favorite” and something her family loved when she was growing up. The recipe they make is fairly large, but Garner says her mom is an expert at increasing or decreasing as needed. (She’s even scaled the recipe up to feed a whole football team—yes, seriously.) Throughout the video, Garner tries to decrease the amount of chilis or sour cream, with her mom constantly telling her to add it back in. The exchange is adorable, but it also shows that you don’t have to be super precise with this recipe. Just follow your individual tastes, and you’ll be set.
To make this recipe at home, you’ll want to gather just a few ingredients: flour tortillas, shredded chicken, butter, cream of chicken soup, canned green chiles, diced onion, diced celery, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream.
The Garners start by poaching three boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cover the meat in cold water and add in onion, peppercorns and salt. Boil then lower to medium heat. Check until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, which means your chicken is cooked through. Shred the chicken, and you should end up with about two cups. If you’d rather get this dish on the table in a hurry, you could also use chicken breasts that you cooked in the slow cooker overnight or while you worked—and opting for rotisserie chicken from the store would work, too.
After preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and prepping your 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with butter or baking spray, saute 1 cup diced onion and 1 cup diced celery in butter until soft, then add the cooked chicken. They start with 2 tablespoons of butter, but Garner’s mother suggests adding a bit more with the chicken, as poached chicken can be dry. In all, they used 4 tablespoons. (You could always opt for olive oil instead.)
In a separate bowl, combine 1 can of cream of chicken soup with up to 2 cans of green chiles and up to 1 cup of sour cream. Spread a thin layer of the soupy mixture across the bottom of the casserole dish.
Next, fill 12 flour tortillas with the chicken mixture, roll them and place them seam side down in the casserole dish. Pour the rest of the soup mixture on top of the tortillas and cover with shredded or sliced Monterey Jack cheese. Bake the casserole for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and the casserole is bubbling.
The finished casserole is delicious right out of the oven, but the Garners also say it can be frozen to enjoy later on. It might also make a comforting freezer meal for a family member or friend in need.
As Pat Garner mentions, the enchiladas are very mild, so you’ll want to serve with hot sauce if you like more kick. You could also add jalapenos or a pinch of chili powder and cayenne to the chicken during the saute phase for extra warmth. While these enchiladas are far from traditional, we love that you can easily customize them to your liking.
To round out the meal, serve with a helping of Arroz Rojo Mexicano (Mexican Red Rice) and some Frijoles Charros (Mexican Cowboy Beans) or Esquites (Mexican Corn) for even more delicious flavor. If you want to add some more veggies to the mix, you could also opt for Mexican Cauliflower Rice and some Roasted Poblano Chiles with Onion Rajas.
However you dish this one up, you can be sure that it’s a great, simple choice for those days “when a casserole is just the thing,” as Jen says. We can’t wait to dig in.
