Review: Cholula Red and Green Chile Enchiladas

Bottom Line: Cholula’s Red and Green Chile Enchiladas frozen entrées are decent but need some extra toppings to make them a meal and kick up the heat.

Cholula has put out a line of frozen meals, and I previously reviewed two of their bowls (you can read that here). I noticed that they added two types of enchiladas—red chile and green chile—so I decided to give them a try. Below is the rather lengthy description of each from the package:

Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas: Featuring a Cholula-inspired red chile sauce crafted with a blend of traditional chile peppers including arbol and piquin chiles, and Mexican-inspired spices, this frozen dinner includes two yellow corn tortilla enchiladas, hand-rolled and filled with a savory cheese sauce, Cheddar and Monterey cheeses, and poblano chiles. Served over white rice, black beans, and vegetables, it’s all tied together with a red chile Cholula sauce and savory cheese blend.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas: Featuring a Cholula-inspired green chile sauce crafted with a blend of traditional chile peppers including tomatillos, green jalapeño, and poblano peppers, and Mexican-inspired spices, this frozen dinner includes two hand-rolled enchiladas with seasoned white meat chicken and cheeses, served atop a bowl of yellow rice, black beans, corn, and bell peppers.

The red chile enchiladas were the first ones I tried, and they proved to be a decent frozen entrée. They have good taste, with the red chile sauce delivering some earthiness and a bit of tang along with a little kick of heat. The chicken offers some chew, but it doesn’t really stand out. The tortillas get somewhat mushy, though they still have good flavor. Since the enchiladas are on top of the rice and beans, you get some of that in each bite, adding texture along with the occasional sweet pop from corn. The heat was a little above Mild on my scale and delivered some tingle, but it doesn’t set your mouth on fire. They are not quite as flavor-packed as the description above would suggest, so I added some shredded cheese, diced onions and peppers, and cilantro, and that kicked things up nicely.

As for the green chile enchiladas, the sauce has a notable tang—likely from the tomatillos—and maybe just a bit of a kick. The chicken seems more plentiful, though that may have just been the luck of the pick. The tortillas were on the tough side this time, though parts turned crispy, which was good. This bowl did not seem to have as much rice and beans, but that was fine because the enchiladas were big enough. The heat for these was approaching Mild on my scale but did not go beyond that. I made the same additions as with the red enchiladas, and that turned the bowl into more of a meal while also adding some heat.

I bought each of these at Target for $5.49, which is on the high side for a frozen entrée like this. I found the other bowls on sale for under four bucks, and if I see the enchiladas at that price, I would get them again to have around as a quick meal. These are definitely not restaurant quality—as you would expect—but they’re decent enough if the price is right.

Nutrition Info:

Red Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients: Cooked rice (water, long grain rice), water, yellow corn tortilla (whole grain corn, water, gum blend (guar gum, cellulose gum), preservatives [fumaric acid, calcium propionate, potassium sorbate], phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, lime), corn, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto {color]], corn and potato starch [as anti-caking], natamycin [a mold inhibitor]), monterey jack (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], corn and potato starch [as anti-caking], natamycin [a mold inhibitor]), tomato paste, onion, black beans (water, black beans, salt), green bell pepper, red bell pepper, contains less than 2% of: hot sauce (water, peppers [arbol, piquin], salt, vinegar, garlic powder, spices, xanthan gum), milk (milk, vitamin d3), green onion, poblano chile peppers, salted butter (pasteurized cream, salt), chicken base (chicken meat including chicken juices, salt, maltodextrin, chicken fat, sugar, whey [milk], natural flavoring, turmeric [color]), modified corn starch, soybean oil, bread crumbs (enriched bleached wheat flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], dextrose, salt, yeast), salt, spices (including paprika), chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, garlic powder), garlic, cheddar cheese flavor (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], whey [milk], buttermilk solids, salt, sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of lactic acid, fd&c yellow 5, fd&c yellow 6), flavoring (hydrolyzed corn gluten, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, yeast extract, soybean oil), heavy cream (milk), sugar, xanthan gum, guajillo chiles, sodium phosphates, onion powder, garlic powder, soy lecithin, cayenne pepper.

Serving Size: 1 Container
Calories: 330
Fat: 14g (7g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 11g
Carbs: 41g
Sodium: 1020mg

Green Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients: cooked rice (water, long grain rice), tomatillo (tomatillo, citric acid), seasoned white meat chicken (chicken breast with rib meat, water, lemon juice concentrate, vinegar, salt), water, yellow corn tortilla (whole grain corn, water, gum blend [guar gum, cellulose gum], preservatives [fumaric acid, calcium propionate, potassium sorbate], phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, lime), black beans (water, black beans, salt), corn, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, milk (milk, vitamin d3), contains less than 2% of: cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto color), corn and potato starch (as anti-caking), natamycin (a mold inhibitor), monterey jack (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), green pepper sauce (water, peppers [jalapeño, poblano], salt, sugar, acetic acid, garlic powder, jalapeño powder, xanthan gum, green bell pepper, onion powder, spices), chicken base (chicken meat including chicken juices, salt, maltodextrin, chicken fat, sugar, whey, natural flavoring, turmeric [color]), salted butter (pasteurized cream, salt), modified corn starch, canola oil, garlic, poblano peppers, cilantro, salt, soybean oil, spices (including turmeric [color]), cheddar cheese flavor (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes]), whey (milk), buttermilk solids, salt, sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of: lactic acid, fd&c yellow 5, fd&c yellow 6, heavy cream (milk), lime juice (water, lime juice concentrate, lime oil), yeast extract (yeast extract, salt), green jalapeño peppers, sugar, dehydrated garlic, sodium phosphates (sodium hexametaphosphate, trisodium phosphate), cayenne pepper, chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, garlic powder), dehydrated soy sauce (soy sauce [wheat, soybeans, salt], maltodextrin, salt), soy lecithin, xanthan gum.

Serving Size: 1 Container
Calories: 320
Fat: 12g (4g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 14g
Carbs: 38g
Sodium: 1160mg