East meets West with Sweet Chili Chicken Enchiladas smothered in TO LIVE FOR Sweet Chili Coconut Honey Lime Sauce! One of my favorite recipes to date – you don’t want to skip these!
CHILI ENCHILADAS
Asian Mexican fusion has to be one of my most favorite cuisines like my Teriyaki Chicken Tacos and Asian Caramel Pulled Pork Tacos. The two cuisines might appear vastly different but they have strikingly similar flavor profiles (thus my two favs!:), that lend themselves beautifully to intermingling and creating unique, enticing flavor combinations like these delectable chili enchiladas!
So, if you are a little apprehensive about “how good” these chili enchiladas will be – please rest assured that if you like honey lime and coconut, you will go crazy over these enchiladas. In the best kind of crazy way
HOW TO MAKE CHILI ENCHILADAS
The idea for these otherworldy creamy chili enchiladas came from my Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas that are tangy, sweet and spicy and still one of Patrick’s favorite recipes of all time.
Instead of the Salsa Verde based sauce, I swapped it for Asian Sweet Chili Sauce which is whisked with honey, lime and a rainbow of spices. You then reserve some of this sauce to mix with your chicken filling, and the rest you simmer with coconut milk to create a flavor bursting creamy sauce to smother your chili enchiladas.
The filling itself of tender juicy, pineapple infused sweet chili chicken is created by simmering your chicken with a can of pineapple in its juice and then adding some carrots for a refreshing, textured filling. Sprinkle your filling and your smothered sweet chili enchiladas with Monterrey Jack Cheese and you are 30 minutes away from East meets West meets your mouth.
TIPS FOR CHILI ENCHILADAS
- corn or flour tortillas? I prefer flour tortillas for this sweet chili chicken enchiladas recipe because we want the Asian flavors to shine and not fight with the nutty corn flavor of the tortillas.
- Can I use rotisserie chicken? I usually think rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut in chicken enchilada recipes, but for this chili enchiladas recipe, I recommend making your own shredded chicken because it gets infused with sweet and tangy pineapple juice. That being said, you can still use rotisserie chicken if your short on time -or patience 😉
- Where do I find Asian Sweet Chili Sauce? You can find Asian Sweet Chili Sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store. It is sweet and spicy made with red chilies, onion, garlic, sugar and fish sauce and is about to become your new favorite ingredient!
- Can I make chili enchiladas ahead of time? Absolutely! You can completely assemble the enchiladas, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to eat, bake straight from the refrigerator for an additional 10 minutes or until heated through.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHILI ENCHILADAS?
These Chili Enchiladas are the main attraction and so flavorful, we love to serve them just with plain rice and a big green salad. You can also serve them with fresh fruit like pineapple or my Pina Colada Fruit Salad or Perfect Fruit Salad.
CAN I FREEZE CHILI ENCHILADAS?
These Chili Enchiladas freeze great for meal planning made easy! To freeze, assemble enchiladas but do not add the cheese on top – for best results, you will want to add the cheese just when you’re ready to bake. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap then cover with foil and freeze for up to three months. To thaw, place the enchiladas in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then add cheese and bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutest.
OTHER CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
- Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Jalapeno Chicken Enchiladas
- Chipotle Mango Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas
- Breakfast Ham and Cheese Enchiladas
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Sweet Chili Chicken Enchiladas
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Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive/coconut oil
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice
- 1 cup Matchstick carrots
Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1/2 cup Asian sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tsp EACH ginger pwdr, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha/ Asian hot chili sauce (optional, more or less to taste)
Add later:
- 1 13.5 oz. can quality coconut milk (I use Chakoah)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Enchiladas
- 8-10 flour tortillas, toasted in skillet ( optional)
- 3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
Garnish
- chopped green onions
- chopped fresh cilantro
- roasted peanuts, crushed
Instructions
- Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Flip chicken over and add the can of pineapple with juice to the skillet. Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, stirring pineapple occasionally, adding additional water if the liquid evaporates too quickly. Add carrots, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes more or until chicken shreds easily. Remove chicken and let rest for 5 minutes before shredding.
- Sauce: While chicken is cooking, whisk all of the Sauce ingredients together except for the coconut milk and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the sauce to a medium saucepan and stir in coconut milk and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until thickened, 1-2 minutes. To the remaining sauce in the bowl, add shredded chicken/pineapple/carrots and stir until well combined.
- Assemble: Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add ½ cup of sauce from saucepan and spread over the bottom of the baking dish (it will barely cover bottom).
- Add a few spoonfuls of chicken/carrot/pineapple to each tortilla and top with a few spoonfuls of cheese (about 1 ½ cups cheese total). Roll up and place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Turn oven to broil and cook until cheese is golden brown (2-3 minutes). Garnish with chopped green onions, cilantro and crushed peanuts as desired.
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Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! I love Mexican and Thai so this is a winner for me! I use Thai sweet chili sauce when grilling shrimp and as a dip for them. Enchiladas are a regular here either with flour or corn tortillas depending on my mood! I envy where you live as you have such great access to so many fresh products! 🙂
Jen says
Another reason we are such great foodie friends 🙂 Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is one of my go-to ingredients and I put it in practically every Asian dish! I haven’t tried it with grilled shrimp in a while but just you mentioning it has my brain wheels spinning and me salivationg… I feel a Thai Sweet Chili Shrip recipe coming on – thank you! 🙂
LaTrice says
You gave me an idea on what to make for dinner!! I’m moving into my new apartment this upcoming Friday, and definitely looking forward to making these enchiladas!!!! 🙂
Jen says
YAY for a new apartment – I hope your move goes smoothly and you get settled in quickly and can reward yourself with these enchiladas 🙂 thanks Latrice!
Sara says
Wow! I love Sweet chili sauce and sriracha, but I also love cheese, and finding a recipe with all three is nearly impossible! One question though; I’m allergic to coconut, so is there a good alternative to coconut milk I could use? I was wondering about almond milk, but vanilla almond milk is very sweet and unsweetened almond milk is very plain, so I wasn’t sure which would be better since I have no idea what coconut milk tastes like!
Jen says
haha – so happy you found these enchiladas Sara with so many of your favorite ingredients! I would substitute the coconut milk with half and half with just 2 teaspoons cornstarch to thicken (add more in a slurry if needed) or use straight up heavy cream without cornstarch. This will give you a nice and creamy sauce and although you will miss some off the coconut flavor, the other flavors will still be delicious. Let me know how it goes!
Cyd says
This meal was a big hit with my family tonight. Definitely a keeper! thanks!
Jen says
Yay! I love hearing that Cyd, thank you so much!
Malinda @Countryside Cravings says
What an interesting flavor combo, I never would have thought to intermingle these two. Genius!! This is a must try for sure!
Stacey says
Hi! I love your site! Your slow cooker French dip beef is in my crock pot as I write this, so I can’t wait to get home and give it a try and see how my family likes them (like there’s really any question though honestly). I am wondering if there are any crock pot possibilities for your sweet chili chicken enchiladas? Is there a way to adapt the recipe so the chicken cooks in the crock pot (while I’m at work) and I can do all the other stuff (sauce and assembly) prior to serving? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated as I’m a working wife/mom who is also in school! Thank you for sharing your life stories and recipes with all of us! You are truly an amazing individual!
Jen says
Hi Stacey, thank you so much for your kind comment! Sorry it has taken me forever to get back to you – we have had tons of family in and out of town, weddings, etc. Hope you loved the French Dips! As far as adapting to the crockpot, I would add the chicken, can of pineapple DRAINED (because the pineapple juice won’t evaporate in the crockpot), and carrots to the crockpot. I then would follow step 2 but instead of adding remaining sauce to shredded chicken/pineapple/carrots, you would add it to the slow cooker and cook the chicken with this sauce. Hope that helps!
Lisa Kelly says
Hi – love your recipes and this one looks awesome. My husband is not much of a fan of pineapple so I am wondering would this still work if I didn’t use the pineapple chunks but just used the juice. I don’t think he would notice the specific flavour of the juice if the chunks weren’t there.
Would love to hear your thoughts
Jen says
Hi Lisa! I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipes! To me Thai food is all about balance and I’m afraid leaving out the sweet pineapple would throw off the balance as it adds a fresh sweetness. Sorry! If you do end up trying it without the pineapple, please let me know your thoughts!
Becky says
I made these a few nights ago and fell in love. They were a huge hit!
I have a meal exchange coming up and was wondering if there is a trick to preparing the enchiladas and freezing them so that all the ladies can enjoy this/be amazed with my cooking/beg me for the recipe. OR, if you think this won’t freeze exceptionally well, do you have another suggestion with similarly fun flavors that would?
I’m really enjoying your blog, thanks for all the great recipes!
Becky
Jen says
Hi Becky, I am so happy these enchiladas were such a hit! I think these enchiladas should freeze well but I would recommend assembling them but not adding the sauce or cheese on top. Instead, once assembled and cooled completely, line with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze and then add the sauce to a separate freezer bag and freeze. As far as similar flavor profiles, my Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken has similar flavors but more with a Mexican flair – using salsa verde instead of Asian Sweet Chili Sauce – this would also be a hit and freezer very well: https://carlsbadcravings.com/slow-cooker-salsa-verde-honey-lime-chicken-recipe/ Good luck and have fun!
Melanie says
These are crazy good!!! Made them tonight for company and nothing but rave reviews!! Thank you!
Jen says
YAY! I am thrilled they were such a hit! Thanks Melanie!
Jessi says
Don’t change a thing in any of your recipes! This is one of my hubby favorites!!
Jen says
You are so sweet – thank you! I am so happy to hear this is one of your hubby’s favorites especially because it is more unique! Tell your husband he has good taste 🙂
Laura says
I know this is an older recipe, but I wanted to check the ingredients to make it for the millionth time and I realized I never commented on it! My family loves this recipe- in fact, it is one of our regular dishes! It is on my kid’s ‘favorite’ list. My parents love it when they visit and I’ve shared this one with friends. I love how you mixed the Asian flavors with the enchilada goodness!! Thank you so, so much for this recipe!! You created a classic in our home!
Jen says
I am so happy you commented on this recipe Laura because it may sounds silly, but I put my heart into each recipe so they become like a child to me that I never forget so I’m thrilled when I get a comment like yours! so THANK YOU for making my day! xo
Stacey says
This sounds Amazing! My husband cannot stand all things Coconut. Any recommendation for substituting the coconut milk?
Jen says
Hi Stacey the coconut milk goes with the Thai theme so it won’t taste the same without it-but you could try substituting half and half. Good luck!