Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

New Year's Eve, which we spent at my parents' house in Las Cruces because we stayed through the new year this year, which we've never done before and which felt like the right call. We drove back January 2nd with a cooler full of tamales and frozen chile and the particular fullness of a holiday that went the way it needed to go — not perfectly, not without weight, but the way a full family at a full table goes when there has been loss and they're still there.

I watched the ball drop on my parents' television and my father fell asleep before midnight, which is how he ends every New Year's Eve and which I find more comforting than I can explain. My mother stayed up. Lisa stayed up. Marisol was asleep in the guest room with Alejandro. The four of us — me, Gloria, Lisa, Patricia — sat in the living room and watched the television and when midnight came we said happy new year and hugged each other and my mother said, quietly, "2017 is enough. Let it go." So we let it go.

I made red chile beef tamales one more time the morning of the 2nd, just a small batch before we left, using the leftover masa and filling. The kitchen was just me and Gloria, the house quiet for once. She stood at the counter spreading masa and said, without looking at me, "You're a good son." I said, "You made me that way." She said, "Don't be sentimental, it ruins the masa." I laughed. She laughed. We finished the batch. It was the best morning of the year. It was the last morning of the year. It was the same thing.

Back in Denver now. Thirty-eight years old. The season ahead is the only thing I know how to build toward. Recruiting starts next week. Spring practice is twelve weeks away. I am, as my father would say, ready to get back to work.

That last small batch of tamales with Gloria used up every bit of masa and filling we had, and when we got back to Denver I found myself standing in my own kitchen still wanting to cook something that felt like that morning — unhurried, a little reverent, meant for the people you love. Enchiladas are what I landed on. They’re what Gloria would make on the nights after the tamales were gone, when the house was quieter but still full, and this honey lime version has the kind of brightness that feels right for turning a page into a new year.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
8 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Cook the filling base. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in diced green chiles and remove from heat.
Build the filling. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture with shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack, and 1/2 cup cheddar. Stir until cream cheese is fully incorporated. Season with cumin and salt.
Make the honey lime sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the green enchilada sauce, honey, and fresh lime juice until smooth.
Assemble enchiladas. Spread a thin layer of honey lime sauce across the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling down the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup cheddar.
Bake. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 8–10 minutes more, until cheese is melted and edges are bubbling.
Finish and serve. Let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green onions. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas — The Recipe That Waits When the Tamales Are Gone