when southern met mexican

I love my Southern Living magazine, but my favorite part is the food (of course). When I saw these chicken and collard greens enchiladas in my newest issue, I knew they would appear on the Stevenson family table very, very soon.

I know collard greens in enchiladas sounds kind of crazy, but would I lead you astray? I think not.

We were very, very pleased with this. It was, of course, delicious the first night, but it also made wonderful leftovers. The flavor was delicious. B thought it could use more chicken, but I actually preferred it as-is.
 
The nutrition wasn't wildly terrific (lots of high-fat dairy), but we made some modifications, such as using skim milk instead of whole. I certainly couldn't tell a difference, and the enchiladas didn't seem to be lacking anything. 

It occurred to me as I was eating the leftovers that this would be a phenomenal way to use up leftover turkey at Thanksgiving, instead of chicken. You can also sub kale, mustard greens, or turnip greens instead of the traditional collards, but what can I say? I'm a southern girl; I like my collard greens.

Put this on your dinner rotation, or take it to grieving, ailing, or new-parent friends. We promise, they'll thank you.
 
xoxo,
E

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chicken and collard greens enchiladas

ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
16 oz. fresh chopped collard greens
1/2 cup diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced (I used 3)
4 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeños, roughly chopped
2 (8-ounce) pouches green chile enchilada sauce
1/2 cup light sour cream
16 (6-inch) corn tortillas

directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add collards, onion, and minced garlic, stirring to cook until desired tenderness, 10-15 mins.
Stir in cream cheese, milk, sugar, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add chicken and jalapeños.
Whisk together enchilada sauce and sour cream in a small bowl. 
Spoon 1 cup (or so) sauce over the bottom of the baking dish
Microwave tortillas in a damp paper towel to soften.
Add about 1/3 cup collard greens mixture to each tortilla.
Roll up, and face seam side down in the baking dish.
Top with remaining sauce mixture and remaining shredded cheese.
Bake until light brown and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.

nutrition:
With our substitutions, and our stretching it out to make 8 servings with the addition of some tortillas, this isn't wildly terrible, at roughly 320 calories per two enchiladas. It's very filling, with nearly 90 percent of your day's vitamin A goal.

Recipe adapted from Southern Living.