BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Layered Enchiladas -

Are you noticing a trend lately? A spicy, full-flavored trend?

I’ve been on a Mexican food kick here for the past few weeks. I can’t explain it. I guess it was inspired by the Cinco de Mayo holiday last weekend, and it’s just continued from there.

Most of the Mexican food I make is a mix of Tex-Mex and American food. I don’t like to just make tacos, I’ll make cajun shrimp tacos or mango habanero chicken tacos. I won’t just make chicken enchiladas in a sour cream sauce; I’ll make a barbecue and sweet potato version.

Those two things don’t really make you think of Mexican food. Barbecue, sure. But sweet potato? Weird.

I was hesitant to make these but also intrigued by the ingredients. It sounded just strange enough that I would like it. And you know what? I did! It was a delicate balance of sweet, spicy and savory. I love barbecue chicken, and this combination with the corn tortillas and enchilada sauce was straight perfection.

Maybe I’m onto something with this weird fusion cuisine.

Pro-tip: make sure to really coat the tortillas in the sauce so they get all of that good flavor soaked in. Plus, you don’t want your top layer of tortillas to get crispy in the oven! You need good, soft tortilla layers for this to be a great layered enchilada.

Even though there are quite a few step involved in this recipe, I’m still putting it in the “easy” category because layering tortillas is so much better than actually stuffing and rolling them. Just lay out a few tortillas an then stack up your favorites: chicken & sweet potato, cheese, and more of that delicious barbecue-enchilada sauce.

Ending with a cheese layer is essential. Everybody likes an ooey, gooey, cheesy enchilada and this recipe is no different. More cheese, please!

BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Layered Enchiladas

Servings: 6-8
Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: Easy
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Sweet and tangy barbecue chicken & sweet potato baked enchiladas.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 TBS. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
9-10 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend or Colby Jack cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup barbecue sauce, enchilada sauce, and diced tomatoes. In another bowl, toss together remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and shredded chicken. Set aside.
Boil sweet potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Add chicken, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro and sweet potatoes to onion skillet. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the enchilada sauce.
Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of dish. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce. Add 3-4 corn tortillas, tearing in half if you need to. Top with chicken mixture, a layer of cheese, and more enchilada sauce.
Repeat layers one more time. End with dipped tortillas, sauce, and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until warmed through and cheese is completely melted.

Step-By-Step Instructions