Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Hand Pies
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Hand Pies - similar to your favorite enchiladas suizas or enchiladas verdes. Cream cheese is blended with chicken, green chiles and shredded cheese to create a creamy filling. Wrapped in flaky pastry crust, they form the perfect hand held bite!
You may have seen my recent recipe for Taco Hand Pies. Well, they were a huge success, but I actually had these Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Hand Pies in mind when I set out to create a pie. I love enchiladas, but I'm not a huge fan of all the steps that go into them - frying, dipping, filling, rolling, saucing, etc. (That's why I love my Enchilada Casserole!)
So I condensed it down to a filling that captures the essence of green chile chicken enchiladas. It's creamy, cheesy, bright and flavorful. Diced green chiles are magnificent little vegetables that really need to be used more often! They punch up the flavor without making it spicy-hot.
Let's talk pie crust for a minute. If you're a pie crust wiz, by all means make your own. I use store-bought pie crust in this recipe for two reasons:
Number 1: it's convenient. Sooo much easier to just roll out, cut and bake. It cuts down on prep time by at least 15 minutes.
Number 2: I haven't mastered the perfect from-scratch pie crust yet. I grew up watching my dad make his famous oil-based crust (versus using butter or shortening), but mine never turns out like his. I will have to keep practicing, but until then I rely on pre-made dough, which tastes pretty great in my opinion.
Whatever route you choose, I hope you enjoy these green chile chicken enchilada pies. My husband declared them better than the beef and bean taco pies. I'd love to hear which is your favorite!
~ Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Hand Pies ~
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Hand Pies
Your favorite enchiladas in portable form! Flaky pie crust is filled with cream cheese, chicken, green chiles and more cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (4.5oz) chopped green chiles, undrained
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 2 small breasts, 4oz each)
- 1 cup (4oz) shredded cheese (Monterey, cheddar or colby)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 package double crust pie (or 2 homemade pie crusts)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Made these but the filling might yield 13, however I only got 8 from the 2 rolls of pie crust and that was stretching it for the last two. I will add more green chile next time. I used the 505 Hatch Green Chile in a jar. Was very tasty. Will try other recipes.
I bet these would be great with corn & black beans! Definitely going to try these.
Do these reheat well, say perhaps the next day? Would love to do them as an appetizer for thanksgiving but be able to make them the night before.
Yes we enjoy them reheated as well. Just pop in the oven until warmed!
I used puff pastry and they were awesome! My husband can’t stop raving about them! Thank you ☺️
Thanks for letting me know! My husband is crazy about them too 🙂
This recipe makes 13?
Hi Martha, it depends on the size you make them, but that's how many I got. They were approximately 5 inch circles. I think I used an empty 28oz can of tomatoes as my cutter.
Do these freeze well?
Hi Cindy, I haven't tried freezing these ones (they never last long enough). I *think* they would be fine, but can't say for sure. If you try, please let us know the results!
These sound delicious. I haven't tried them yet, but when I do, I think i'll use some roasted and chopped poblano chili's in the filling ( just cause I love their flavor).
Ooh great idea, I love poblanos too!
I made these. They were great. I didn't have the cream cheese so left it out, still great tasting. I've always wanted to make enpanadas, but never thought about using pie dough. Like you I use the roll out dough, so easy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! Glad you liked them!
This recipe looks so delicious! Thank you for mentioning green chile! We would love to send you a free box of our Hatch Green Chile as a thank you. If you're interested, please send me an email with your heat preference and address.
I hear Hatch Green Chiles are the best! Emailing now 🙂
I use store bought most of the time too - I am not fond of making my own pastry although I can do it successfully. 🙂 I guess that is where the word lazy comes in for me. lol Your hand pies look delicious!
I am a big one for having some store bought pastry in the freezer. Do love to make my own, but for a quick and easy pie, its perfect. Love the look of your hand pies.
Rebekah, I am with you about the shop-bought pie-crust. I haven't mastered my own yet and with a full time job, it's a downright devious proposition to make and then not enjoy it after the effort. Coming back to the recipe, I love this idea. By the way, when you say green chillies, which chillies are you using? Cheers!
These look so flaky and delicious!! Green chili and chicken make a great hand-pie combination.
I have a wonderful recipe for homemade pie crust. It been passed down for generations and hasn't failed me yet. I'll never use store bought crusts again. http://reneenicoleskitchen.com/pie-crust-perfection/
Thanks for the recipe, Renee! I'll give it a try. It would be so great to have homemade dough in the freezer for when pie cravings hit!
A friend of mine made these for me once, they're so delicious. Now that I have the recipe, I'll be making them myself! Thanks for sharing!
Yep, yep - delicious indeed and super easy! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I am such a big Mexican food fan. I love what is inside these empanadas.
Thanks! I think Mexican food might be considered a universal love language 🙂