Give enchilada night a fun, fall spin with these Pumpkin, Kale, and Chicken Enchiladas. It's an easy weeknight dish made with pumpkin puree, salsa, kale, and shredded chicken!
This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.
Halloween may be over, but pumpkin season is still going strong! As a total foodie, I always like to experiment in the kitchen and try new flavor combinations. I'm 100 percent, all about pumpkin everything this time of year. It's pretty much the reason I hoard cans of pumpkin puree in our cabinet!
Even though I primarily use our pumpkin puree for baked goods, I've decided to branch out a bit and try more savory and out-of-the-box pumpkin dishes this year. So when I saw a recipe for Quick Pumpkin & Kale Enchiladas in a recent supermarket flyer, I knew I had to try them!
I love pumpkin, I love kale, and I love enchiladas! I was pretty much sold! That's until I started reading through the recipe. It was all well and good until I got to the part about pulsing up walnuts to make a filling. Walnuts in enchiladas? Nope! I'll leave them for my pumpkin bread and muffins. But not my enchiladas!
Apparently after a little Googling, I found that walnuts are a common ingredient in some enchilada recipes, but not for this girl! Instead, I made a filling with shredded chicken, kale, and a sauce made with pumpkin, salsa, and a little garlic. Simple, but all the flavor you would want in enchiladas with a tasty fall spin!
Honestly, if you're not a big pumpkin lover, you would hardly be able to tell that there's pumpkin in this recipe. Okay. Maybe I lie. The pumpkin does give the enchilada sauce a creamier texture and there is a slight hint of pumpkin flavor. But it's nothing overwhelming!
Half of the pumpkin sauce gets added to the chicken and kale filling. The other half is saved to spread on top of the enchiladas. Then, the enchiladas get baked until bubbly and served!
Pumpkin, Kale, and Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small bunch kale cleaned with ribs and stems removed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree divided in half
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth divided in half
- 16 oz. mild chunky salsa divided in half
- 6 flour tortillas
- Optional: queso fresco fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken and season with salt. Cover and reduce heat to medium.
- Let the pot simmer until chicken is cooked completely through, about 10 minutes.
- Drain water from the pot and allow chicken to cool. Then, shred with two forks and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the kale and cook until wilted. Then, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Carefully pour in half of the pumpkin, broth, and salsa and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and begin filling the tortillas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam-side down in a 9"x13" dish.
- In the same saucepan, add the other half of the pumpkin, broth, and salsa. Bring to a boil, then lower heat.
- Spoon the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Cover the enchiladas with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Allow enchiladas to cool slightly. Then, top with queso fresco and fresh cilantro, if desired.
Recipe notes:
- I boiled the chicken and shredded it up to use in my filling. You could totally skip the step by using leftover chicken or even a rotisserie chicken (one of my favorite cooking cheats!)
- Use whatever tortillas you like. I used a low carb brand and they worked out just fine.
- The original enchiladas recipe didn't call for cheese, but your girl likes cheese so I sprinkled some queso fresco on top .
- I garnished the enchiladas with little fresh cilantro. But if you dislike cilantro, sprinkle a little chopped jalapeño or green bell pepper on top for an extra dose of color (and heat)!
My sister and I had these for lunch one day during the last leg of her wedding preparations. We each devoured two enchiladas. Then, my mom ended up wanting some, so I sent the last two home to her. That dish of enchiladas was gone! So good and I can't wait to make them again!
Did you make this Pumpkin, Kale, and Chicken Enchiladas recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
1 comment