These Pumpkin Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are cozy, comforting and packed full of flavor. The enchiladas are loaded with chicken, black beans and green chilis. It’s all smothered in a creamy, spicy pumpkin sour cream sauce. This comforting dish is perfect for throwing in the oven on a cold fall or winter weeknight.
I truly know how basic this sounds, but I just love figuring out all the different delicious things you can make with pumpkin once fall comes around. You can put a pumpkin spin on almost anything, savory or sweet. It can go in chili, soups, strews, pastas, tacos… or cookies, breads, cupcakes, pies… you name it, there’s a pumpkin version. And I just DON’T HATE IT OKAY?!
Naturally, this was bound to lead me to pumpkin enchiladas sooner rather than later. Enchiladas are one of my favorite foods to eat and make. And there are so many possible variations you can do with them. And let me just say, I think pumpkin and enchiladas were made to go together. The mild, subtly sweet, earthy flavor of pumpkin is the perfect flavor foil to the bold, savory and slightly smoky spices that typically go in Mexican or Tex-Mex enchiladas.
My version of Pumpkin Enchiladas is made with a creamy, spicy pumpkin sour cream sauce. It’s sort of a riff on classic sour cream chicken enchiladas. But these are also loaded up with other fillings I love including black beans, corn and green chilis, making these enchiladas super hearty and a little more nutritional too.
But really, the star is the sauce. It’s creamy and smooth, made with real pumpkin and a healthy heap of sour cream. All the spices for this dish — we’re talking chili powder, cumin, coriander and paprika (really, can you name a better combo?) — get mixed right into this sauce. And did I mention that it’s made right in your food processor? Doesn’t get any easier than that. Keep scrolling for the rest of the steps to make this simple, yummy, fall comfort food staple.
Easy Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce…
The first step for this recipe is to go ahead and whip up the pumpkin sour cream sauce that brings this whole dish to life. All that requires is adding all the ingredients to your food processor and pulsing until everything is smooth. Those include:
- Pumpkin: a whole can of pumpkin purée goes into this sauce. Make sure you use pure pumpkin, and not a can of pumpkin pie filling by mistake, which is super sweet.
- Sour Cream: a full cup of tangy sour cream is added to the sauce to make it super creamy, and also to brighten up and balance out some of the flavors.
- Spices: including the classic staples, Chili Powder, Cumin, Coriander and Paprika, along with some aromatics like garlic and onion powder. I also love to use a little ground turmeric, because it’s a superfood with a ton of nutritional benefits, plus it plays up the color of the sauce. I also like to throw in a pinch of nutmeg, for that hint of fall spice, along with some cayenne pepper to kick the heat up a notch. You can play around with those spices, or leave some of them out if you prefer!
- Half & Half: the final touch for the sauce, which helps achieve the perfect smooth and creamy texture.
Once it’s all creamy and combined, you can taste it to adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.
Next, spread about a half a cup of the sauce on to the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set the rest of the sauce aside for now as you prep your enchilada filling, which includes chicken, veggies and black beans.
Hearty Enchilada filling…
Start by warming up some vegetable oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken. You can use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs for this recipe. I recommend dicing up your chicken into about 1-inch pieces before cooking. Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt and pepper and keep cooking the chicken for about 5 minutes until it cooks through. Then remove from the skillet and set aside.
Next, throw in some diced onion and a diced up jalapeño to the skillet (along with another splash of oil if need be). Remove the seeds if you don’t want to add any extra heat. Once those get soft and fragrant, throw a can of drained black beans, a can of drained corn, and a can of green chilis. Sauté it all up for a few minutes until everything is heated through.
Then remove the skillet from the heat. Add in the cooked chicken and another half cup of the sauce and toss to combine. Then it’s time to assemble!
Quick and simple assembly…
To finish making these enchiladas, you’ll need about 10-14 tortillas, and a big pile of freshly shredded cheese. I like to use a combo of sharp cheddar and jack cheese, but you can use whatever you like. Pepper Jack, Mozzarella or even all Cheddar would work great in this recipe as well.
My fiancé is a huge fan of flour tortillas. So I always use them when I’m making enchiladas and other Tex-mex dishes. But you can definitely use corn tortillas, or whole wheat, if you prefer. If using corn tortillas, I recommend warming them up for a few seconds in the microwave before you start to fill. This will help them become a little more pliable and not break in half when you try to roll them up.
Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of filling (about 2 tablespoons) and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll it up, and then place in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat this process until your entire baking dish is filled. For me, I usually get 2 rows of about 6 enchiladas each.
To finish assembly, spread the rest of the enchilada sauce (or as much of it as you would like) all over the top of the filled tortillas. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the sauce into every nook and cranny. I like really saucey enchiladas, so usually end up using most of it, but it’s totally up to you.
Finally, don’t forget to sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese all over the enchiladas.
Bake them in a 350F oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
You can serve these enchiladas up with your favorite toppings. I like to opt for fresh chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños and dollop of sour cream.
Freezing and storing enchiladas…
These enchiladas can be kept in the fridge in air-tight food storage containers for up to several days as leftovers. These leftover will also keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, just let them thaw out completely and then reheat in the microwave or in a 350F oven.
You can also meal prep these enchiladas and freeze the whole batch. One option is to fully assemble and bake the enchiladas. Then once they’ve cooled completely, double wrap the whole baking dish in plastic and foil and put in the freezer, or portion the enchiladas into individual food storage containers and freeze that way. To reheat, just thaw out the enchiladas and then reheat in the microwave or in a 350F oven.
The other option is to fully assemble the enchiladas and then double wrap and freeze them before you bake them. Once you’re ready to make them, let the enchiladas cool completely and then bake for 40 minutes in a 350F oven.
Let me know if you give these Pumpkin Enchiladas a try! I love to hear from you in the comments, or tag me on instagram @eat.think.live and let me see your creation! Plus, you can check out the rest of my recipes HERE.
Pumpkin Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce
- 1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Coriander
- 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Cup Half & Half
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
For the Enchiladas
- 4 Tsp Vegetable Oil Divided
- 2 Cups Diced Chicken
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 1 Yellow Onion Diced
- 1 Jalapeño Diced (and seeded if desired)
- 1 15oz. can Corn Drained
- 1 15 oz. can Black Beans Drained
- 1 7 oz. can Diced Green Chilis
- 1 1/2 Cups Cheddar and/or Jack Cheese Shredded
- About 12 Tortillas
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños, sour cream
Instructions
To Make the Sauce:
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse until totally smooth and combined. You may have to stop once or twice and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
To Make the Enchiladas:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil if desired.
- Heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Splash the remaining vegetable oil in the skillet and add the onion and jalapeño. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Add the corn, black beans and green chilis to the skillet, along with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the chicken back in along with about 1/2 cup worth of the pumpkin sauce. Toss to combine everything.
- Build the enchiladas. Start by spreading about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Then, fill a tortilla with a spoonful of sauce and a sprinkle of cheese, roll up tightly, and lay in the dish seam side down. Repeat until the baking dish is full – should be anywhere between 10 and 14 tortillas.
- Pour the rest of the sauce* over the enchiladas and use a rubber spatula to spread out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Bake enchiladas for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve enchiladas with chopped fresh cilantro on top, along with pickled jalapeños and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
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