Fiesta Enchiladas, Deconstructed!

• Posted on 17 February 2023
• By Skyler Spartan
• 0

I think a lot of us can agree that dips are some of the best snacks. This Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip gives you the best flavors of enchiladas without all the work! This dip is zesty, creamy, and comes together in less than an hour. Make this dip the main attraction, or serve it as a side. Either way, you’re in for a treat! 

Though this dip is Tex-Mex, it’s mild enough for anyone to enjoy. Serve it at your next football party, work potluck, or for a fun snack. 

You can make this dip in the oven, but it takes on a whole new flavor when grilled on the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro. This is game day food done BBQ style! This Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip is sure to be a total crowd-pleaser. People won’t be able to get enough of it! 

The Ingredients

There’s nothing better than recipes that come together in one trip to the store. You don’t need anything fancy to make great grub! Here’s what you need to add to your shopping cart. 

• Whole chicken-You can cook a whole chicken from the freezer, or you can do like we did for this recipe and purchase a rotisserie chicken. This easy shortcut saves you even more prep time. De-bone the chicken and get rid of any gristle you don’t want in your dip. 

• Cream cheese and sour cream-Every dip needs a creamy base. Cream cheese is one of the best ingredients out there! It gives the dip richness and tones down some of the spices. We smoked our cream cheese, but more on that shortly. We also add a little sour cream to give the Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip a hint of tanginess and thin it out. 

• JB's Spice Blends Fiesta Grande-This tasty rub complements the natural flavors of chicken without overpowering it. It contains a secret blend of herbs that will knock your socks off! Use it on fried, grilled, or baked chicken for a nice, full bodies southwest flavor.

• Enchilada sauce-You can’t have Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip without a fantastic sauce. For this recipe, we used red sauce. It gave this dish a gorgeous color and well-rounded flavor. 

• Green chilies-Chilies add a pop of color to the dip. Green chilies are mild, but they still make the dip taste like authentic enchiladas, which is the goal here, after all. 

• Cheese-Two kinds of cheese give the dip that “goo” factor we all know and love. We like to use freshly shredded cheese when we can because it melts evenly and tastes better. This step doesn’t take long but makes a huge difference! 

The Smoker Setup

• Pellet grill/smoker-We used a Camp Chef Woodwind Pro for this cook. This pit is incredible because you can use it to grill or smoke. The Woodwind Pro has many excellent features, like a double walled lid, individual temperature and smoke control, a separate smoke box so you can add even more of that traditional offset flavor by burning actual wood chunks, and updated legs and casters for easier mobility. 

• We stoked the pit with BBQr's Delight Pecan Pellets and B&B Charcoal Hickory Chunks. This combination put some really nice smoke flavor into the dip. We use these pellets often with great results! BBQr's Delight is an excellent brand without any oils or fillers and is used by top quality manufacturers in their pellet grills. 

The Process for Making Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip

Here’s a quick overview of how you can pull this delicious dip together. 

• Fire up the grill-We stoked the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro with BBQr's Delight Pecan Pellets and B&B Hickory Chunks, setting it up to run at 250℉ to first smoke our cream cheese.  The unique thing about the Woodwind Pro is that you can still get an amazing smoke while running at a higher temp thanks to it's industry-leading smoke box feature, only found on this grill.  This way, when we turn it up for the dip, we can get a really good smoke flavor while doing a faster cook on the whole batch.

• Prep the cream cheese and chicken-Put your cream cheese on the grill once you're running at 250°F for about half an hour. Now is the perfect time to shred your chicken to keep the dip looking homogenous.

• Grill adjustment-Pull your cream cheese and move the Woodwind Pro temp up to 350°F so it can come up to temp while your prepping your dip. 

• Mix the dip-Place your shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl and add your smoked cream cheese, a cup of sour cream, JB's Spice Blends Fiesta Grande Rub(don't be afraid to get some pretty good coverage), enchilada sauce, green chilies, and about a cup of each of your cheeses, shredded cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. Now get in there and use your hands to mix the ingredients until smooth. Don't be afraid of it, you'll be biting it, not the other way around ;)

• Transfer and cook-Time to transfer your dip to a Lodge cast iron skillet. After you get it evened out in the skillet, you'll be topping it with a little more Fiesta Grande Rub and the rest of the shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Set the skillet on the Woodwind Pro and cooked it for 40-45 minutes until the cheese was melted and gooey. 

• Serve-This dip will be piping hot, so you'll want to give it a few minutes to let it cool for a bit before digging in. 

The Results

This dip is creamy, rich, and perfectly zesty. It’s a mild dip anyone can enjoy, but it still has authentic Tex-Mex flair. If you like chicken enchiladas, you’ll adore this Southwest-style dip! 

Serving Suggestions for Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada Dip

Serve this delicious dip with tortilla chips, jalapenos, pita chips, sour cream, or crackers. 

Storing Leftovers

If you have leftovers, you can store them for up to 4 days in the fridge. Because this dip contains dairy, we don’t recommend freezing it as the texture would be different when thawed. 

Equipment and Tools

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro, BBQr's Delight Pellets, B&B Smoking Chunks, Mamba BBQ Gloves, Napoleon mixing bowls, Cooling Rack, disposable cutting boards, Lodge cast iron skillet.