These pumpkin enchiladas are flour tortillas stuffed with chicken and coated in a savory sauce. The velvety pumpkin sauce is very unique and elevates the enchiladas into a fancy meal without any extra effort!

You probably didn’t know that you can use a can of pumpkin puree to make an amazing delicious homemade enchilada sauce! This dish always gets rave reviews.

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce Recipe | Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas | Pumpkin Sauce | Chicken Enchiladas | Best Chicken Enchiladas

Pumpkin isn't just for dessert! These chicken enchiladas are made with a velvety pumpkin sauce that's totally savory and an unexpected way to elevate enchiladas into a dish fit for company.

Every Sunday night my extended family gathers for dinner – the adults chat while the kids play hard and everyone starts off the new week on the right foot. My mom and I take turns planning the menus for the meals; we are feeding a wide variety of palates so it’s not always easy to come up with something that will appeal to everyone! Over the years we’ve created a number of dinners that the family will happily eat and this recipe for pumpkin enchiladas is one of our favorites.

Pumpkin isn't just for dessert! These chicken enchiladas are made with a velvety pumpkin sauce that's totally savory and an unexpected way to elevate enchiladas into a dish fit for company. #ChooseSmart Ad

How do you make pumpkin enchiladas?

This time of the year there are so many tempting pumpkin treats out there. I’m doing my part to spread the pumpkin love with sweet and savory options including chocolate pumpkin cheesecake muffins and don’t worry, I’ve got more to come! That being said, the savory side of pumpkin often gets overlooked. While pumpkin does have some naturally sweet undertones, when you pair it with decidedly savory flavors like chili powder and garlic it turns into a totally different experience.

Many enchilada sauces are made with tomatoes or dried chiles which are flavorful, but don’t provide much in the way of texture – if anything most enchilada sauces are on the watery side. This enchilada sauce uses pumpkin puree as a base which creates a smooth, velvety and creamy sauce – you may never want to make regular old enchiladas again!

Pumpkin isn't just for dessert! These chicken enchiladas are made with a velvety pumpkin sauce that's totally savory and an unexpected way to elevate enchiladas into a dish fit for company.

Let’s talk about the recipe – the first step is to make the pumpkin sauce. The sauce is essentially pumpkin puree that’s heavily seasoned and blended with water to get to just the right consistency. After the sauce is made it’s time to roll some enchiladas!

You can use your choice of tortillas – I prefer flour but I’ve made this before with corn tortillas and that also works just fine. The tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and laid in the pan. The pumpkin sauce goes over the top with some cheese and the whole thing gets baked until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas are warmed through.

Pumpkin isn't just for dessert! These chicken enchiladas are made with a velvety pumpkin sauce that's totally savory and an unexpected way to elevate enchiladas into a dish fit for company.

I added some sliced olives, chopped tomatoes and cilantro on top for a fresh flavor to complement the richness of the sauce. These enchiladas are great as is or for a complete meal make up some mexican rice and cantina beans. I’ve written this recipe to serve 4 people, but it can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd. You can also make a big batch and freeze some for another day – the enchiladas should be frozen separately from the sauce for best results.

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More Mexican food recipes

5 from 6 votes

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

AuthorSara Welch
Pumpkin isn't just for dessert! These chicken enchiladas are made with a velvety pumpkin sauce that's totally savory and an unexpected way to elevate enchiladas into a dish fit for company. #ChooseSmart Ad
These pumpkin enchiladas are flour tortillas stuffed with chicken and coated in a savory sauce. The velvety pumpkin sauce is very unique and elevates the enchiladas into a fancy meal without any extra effort!
Time
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Mexican
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tortillas I prefer flour but corn works fine too, 6 inch size
  • 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato seeded and diced
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a blender, puree pumpkin, chili powder onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt and kosher salt with 2 cups of water until smooth.
  • Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish, spread to coat evenly.
  • Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Spoon the chicken onto half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Sprinkle the tortillas evenly with 1 cup of cheese. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish.
  • Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese cheese. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Arrange the tomatoes, olives and cilantro on top and serve.

Notes

Freeze It: The sauce and enchiladas can be frozen separately for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw the enchilada sauce and pour it over the frozen enchiladas. Bake according to recipe directions and add an additional 5-7 minutes to the cook time.

Nutrition

Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 2134mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 18130IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 542mg | Iron: 4.8mg

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChooseSmart #CollectiveBias

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great recipe outcome! Thank you for sharing this, and we’ll be making it again.
    The difference in taste between the sauce before and after cooking was surprisingly different. Before cooking the sauce was bitter and sour, but after cooking it was earthy, nutty, sweet, and excellent. The house smelled amazing!

    We modified two elements:
    –Added some chicken stock to the puree so it thinned out and was spreadable/pourable. I don’t know if we just got a dense can of pumpkin, but it was like ricotta rather than an enchilada sauce, so we added 1/2c. of chicken stock.
    –We tossed the cilantro, olives, tomatoes, and lime (plus a pinch of salt) together for the topping so each person could add what they wanted of it.

  2. I’ve been meaning to try Instacart! My mom used to make chicken enchiladas when I was kid. It’s definitely a family favorite. Love the addition of pumpkin… perfect for fall! 🙂

  3. I just love this fall twist on chicken enchiladas! 🙂 That pumpkin sauce sounds delicious.

  4. Yes, please! Enchiladas are *always* welcome on my dinner table and yours look fabulous!

  5. What a great twist on a traditional enchilada recipe. Would never have thought to add pumpkin flavors to Mexican. Perfect for a fall meal. #client

  6. enchiladas are a favorite in my house, and I cannot wait to try them with pumpkin. what a delicious dish

  7. What?! This is awesome and really creative! I LOVE enchiladas and bet that pumpkin sauce adds a nice, deep flavour.