Thursday, November 17, 2011

November Improv Cooking Challenge: Creamy Chicken, Pumpkin, and Pepper Jack Enchiladas




I love a good challenge.  I'm so excited to take part in the Improv Cooking Challenge!  We were given two amazing fall ingredients for November:  pumpkin and cream cheese.  Love.  As I thought about the great potential that these two ingredients bring to the table, I decided to give myself an additional challenge... no recipes.  So, as much as I adore a sinfully sweet treat, not having a recipe at hand makes baking a "no go" for me!  So, as I was recalling some of my favorite creamy dishes - chicken enchiladas came to mind...add pumpkin?  Why not?!  As I've said before - I love to "hide" vegetables in dishes - such a smart idea!
These enchiladas are rich, creamy, spicy, savory, and most of all ... delicious!  We were excited (because I knew it could be a total flop - sans recipe).  They were even husband approved (and he's a tough critic)!  He made my night when he said, 'These taste like they could be on a menu somewhere!"  Awww.  Enjoy - we did!  Best dishes and yummy dreams!

xoxo,

Creamy Chicken, Pumpkin, and Pepper Jack Enchiladas
By:  Little Mommy

Ingredients:
All purpose seasoning
Adobo seasoning
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 package of boneless, skinless, chicken tenderloins
1/3 of a medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1/3 package of 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese
3/4 c. pumpkin
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. diced tomatoes (or 1/2 c. Rotel)
1/2 can of green chilies (optional)
3/4 c. - 1/2 c. shredded peppeer jack cheese
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
6 flour tortillas

1.  Rinse, trim, and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2.  Place the chicken in a saute pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil.  Sprinkle  the chicken with all-purpose seasoning, Adobo seasoning, and parsley.  Cook thoroughly and set aside.  
Chicken cooling (before chopping into smaller pieces)

When cooled, chop into smaller pieces (consistency of shredded chicken).  
 3.  In a sauce pot, saute minced onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil until tender, add garlic (I grated it into the pot using microplane grater) and cook for 1 minute longer. 

4.  Add in cream cheese, pumpkin, and pepper jack.  Stir until all cheeses are melted. 
5.  Add in chicken stock, tomatoes (or Rotel), chilies, chicken, and all spices.  Stir thoroughly. 

6.  Heat 6 flour tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds.  (This makes them easier to work with - they won't break.)
7.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  
7.  Divide mixture equally between 6 tortillas, place the mixture inside each tortilla, wrap up the tortillas, and place the enchiladas into the baking dish.
8.  Top with more shredded pepper jack.  

Bake on 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 



If you enjoyed this recipe, "like" my Facebook page, or follow me on GoogleConnect!  Thanks so much!
Enjoy!



25 comments:

Mary said...

Sounds good Miss Kim! You are somethin' with creating your own recipe. =)

Kek

Kate said...

Looks so tasty! I LOVE chicken enchiladas....way to go on not doing a pumpkin cheesecake!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

You did a fantastic job with this tasty creation. You can cater for me, any time with such dishes.

Tara @ Crock-Pot Ladies said...

Drooling over here! That looks really good. Putting it on my list of must try! :)

Pam @ From Apples To Zucchini said...

I'm so glad to see I wasn't alone is a savory creation for this challenge! Your enchiladas look fabulous - glad to have found you through the links!

Jen at The Three Little Piglets said...

That sounds incredible! That filling would be good in so many other things too - like a little empanada type thing, wrapped in puff pastry... Great job on the challenge!

carolinaheartstrings said...

Hello fellow Improv blogger. This recipe looks so delicious. What a great idea and something entirely different. Come visit us. We have pumpkin velvet cake.

Sarah S said...

I am so impressed by the savory recipes for this challenge - great job! I'm definitely looking forward to making this, maybe even tonight. I haven't figured out dinner yet :)

Unknown said...

Love this! I'm a big savoury fan too.

Teri said...

I love that you went with savory instead of sweet. What a great idea!They look incredible!

Lisa~~ said...

Love that you went savory, your recipe looks wonderful.

If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my Improv Cooking Challenge recipe: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook

justputzing said...

This looks fantastic! Going savory with the ingredients is genius.

henning love said...

these look so good. i like seeing a pumpkin and cream cheese recipe that isn't sweet. will definitely be trying this recipe. another fellow improve cooking challenger

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

What an amazing looking dish ~ so creamy and yummy!

Glad I stopped by for a visit!
Kindly, Lorraine

Hearty Appletite said...

So yummy! It's nice to see a dinner dish with pumpkin and cream cheese! I'll definitely give you a FB "like." Would you mind "liking" me back? :)

Chrissy @ The Outlaw Mom Blog said...

I love that this is a savory recipe! Looks so yummy and I would not have thought to mix the ingredients like this. Thanks for sharing :-)

Danielle said...

I think you get the award for the only savory recipe entry! And it looks SO good. I love creamy enchiladas like this and the idea of adding pumpkin is perfect. Thanks for the idea.

Kristen said...

I am really impressed that you just whipped these up. I can just imagine how creamy and wonderful the filling was..SO delicious!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

It's so fun to see a savory Improv Challenge recipe! Your enchiladas sound amazing!

Anonymous said...

You did a beautiful job with this. I have made savory dishes with pumpkin also, although not both pumpkin and cream cheese.

Fawn @ Happy Wives Club said...

Who would have thought combining pumpkin and chicken could taste good. Very creative! Thanks for sharing.

Gisela said...

So smart and creative! I love pumpkin and I love enchiladas - perfect idea to put them together!

Pup Fan said...

I love that you went the savory route. Sounds tasty!

Desi said...

I love that you didn't make a dessert kind of recipe for the challenge. Your enchiladas look yummy! Great pick for the Improv Cooking Challenge!

http://steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-spice-cream-cheese-improv.html

Mimi said...

Amazing enchiladas!.
Mimi