Green chiles and cheese? Yes, please.
We all know Jennifer Garner as an actor, but what you may not know is that she’s also an extremely capable home cook with an unfussy, real-life approach that’s genuinely charming to watch. In the latest episode of her lighthearted social media series, Pretend Cooking Show, she brings her mom, Pat, into the kitchen to make the chicken enchiladas she grew up eating. Pat shows the camera a lovingly worn handwritten recipe card, and they move through the steps with an easy flow—a good-natured eye roll here, a question there and a brief back-and-forth over the amount of green chiles they should use. (Spoiler: Pat wins.)
Nothing about the clip is staged or performative; it feels like the kind of weekday cooking that happens because someone simply said, “We should make that again.” It’s straightforward and makes me want to try these enchiladas, ASAP!
What is Jennifer Garner’s chicken enchilada recipe?
The recipe is a familiar dish: chicken and green chiles wrapped in tortillas, covered with cheese and baked until they soften into one deliciously comforting meal.
It’s worth noting that they only use half the cheese listed in the recipe, but Jen later floats the idea of tucking more cheese inside the enchiladas for a “big cheese pull.” Pat answers with a quick, hilariously deadpan “No,” which settles things: The cheese stays on top. Jen does quietly hold back some of the sour cream, though.
Ingredients
- 12 flour tortillas
- 2 cups cooked chicken (Jennifer and Pat poached theirs, then shredded it by hand)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cans green chiles
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 pounds Monterey Jack cheese (Jennifer and Pat use half and suggest buying it shredded for ease)
- 1 cup sour cream
Directions
Step 1: Poach the chicken
Place three boneless, skinless breasts in a pot and add just enough cold water to cover. Season them with onion, salt, peppercorns and any other basic “brothy things” you like. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the largest part of the breasts. Shred the chicken once it’s poached.
Step 2: Saute the aromatics
Heat the oven to 350°. Saute the onion and celery in butter until they’re tender, then add the shredded chicken.
Step 3: Make the sauce
In a bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, green chiles and sour cream. Spread a thin layer of the sauce into a buttered or oiled casserole dish.
Step 4: Assemble the enchiladas
Fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture, rolling them and placing them seam-side down in the dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the tortillas, then top them with cheese.
Step 5: Bake and serve
Bake the enchiladas for 30 minutes or until they’re browned. Serve them warm.
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