Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas
This green chile chicken enchilada recipe is incredibly delicious and a family favorite! Use our homemade salsa verde or your favorite green enchilada sauce from the store. These creamy, cheesy chicken enchiladas are a guaranteed hit. The recipe is also incredibly flexible, which is a major reason so many people love it. You can use my Homemade Salsa Verde for the best flavor, or save time with your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce. We’ve included several options to simplify the cooking process, such as using a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own. For those who truly want to have a from-scratch version, we even provide recipes for homemade Flour Tortillas and Corn Tortillas. No matter which options you choose, these will blow you away! Key Ingredients Chicken: My recipe call for cooked chicken. You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook it using one of these simple recipes: Poached Chicken (15 minutes), Stovetop Shredded Chicken (1 hour), or Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (4 – 6 hours). Green Enchilada Sauce: I love this Roasted Salsa Verde made with tomatillos, chile peppers, onion, and garlic. It works beautifully in this recipe. I’ve also used store-bought enchilada sauce and particularly love the green chile sauce from Hatch, Las Palmas, and Frontera. For red enchiladas, see our Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce (made with dried chiles) or this Easy Enchilada Sauce (made with chili powder). Tortillas: Use flour or corn tortillas in these enchiladas. Corn is more traditional, but if you love flour tortillas, feel free to use them! If you’d like to make your own, try our recipes for Easy Flour Tortillas or Homemade Corn Tortillas. Garlic: I always add extra garlic to my sauce and love the kick. Sour Cream: This makes our sauce super creamy and delicious. It also tones the spice level if you are more sensitive to spicy food. Cheese: I add cheese to the filling and use it to top our enchiladas. It bakes to be so melty! Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, or super melty Oaxaca cheese are great options. Chicken: My recipe call for cooked chicken. You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook it using one of these simple recipes: Poached Chicken (15 minutes), Stovetop Shredded Chicken (1 hour), or Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (4 – 6 hours). Green Enchilada Sauce: I love this Roasted Salsa Verde made with tomatillos, chile peppers, onion, and garlic. It works beautifully in this recipe. I’ve also used store-bought enchilada sauce and particularly love the green chile sauce from Hatch, Las Palmas, and Frontera. For red enchiladas, see our Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce (made with dried chiles) or this Easy Enchilada Sauce (made with chili powder). Tortillas: Use flour or corn tortillas in these enchiladas. Corn is more traditional, but if you love flour tortillas, feel free to use them! If you’d like to make your own, try our recipes for Easy Flour Tortillas or Homemade Corn Tortillas. Garlic: I always add extra garlic to my sauce and love the kick. Sour Cream: This makes our sauce super creamy and delicious. It also tones the spice level if you are more sensitive to spicy food. Cheese: I add cheese to the filling and use it to top our enchiladas. It bakes to be so melty! Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, or super melty Oaxaca cheese are great options. Find the full recipe with measurements below. My Tips for Making the Best Chicken Enchiladas Tip 1: Make the sauce extra creamy. I love turning plain enchilada sauce into a creamy sauce. To do this, quickly sauté a little garlic in oil in a skillet, then pour in your sauce. When it’s bubbling, stir in sour cream and fresh cilantro. Delicious! Tip 2: Add chicken AND cheese to the sauce. For the best chicken enchiladas, I love adding my chicken to the warm sauce as well as a good handful of cheese. This way, they are easy to roll later on, and turn out super cheesy in the middle. By the way, this step makes truly delicious chicken. I could stop here and eat the whole skillet! Tip 3: Place them seam-side down. To roll your enchiladas, add a spoonful of the chicken and creamy green sauce to the tortillas and roll them up. Then, place them seam-side down in your baking dish to keep them in place. I bake them in the oven until they’re heated and the cheese has melted (just under 30 minutes). Easy! My Favorite Sides for Enchiladas These enchiladas work really well all by themselves, but you can always add something on the side. Classic Tex-Mex sides, such as Mexican Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, Refried Beans, or these Creamy Black Beans, are perfect. And a bowl of Pico de Gallo and Tortilla Chips is always a good idea. My son loves guac, so he usually requests a bowl of Homemade Guacamole, too. More Recipes with Salsa Verde Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Our Favorite Chicken Nachos Green Chile Chicken Quesadillas Crispy Pork Carnitas (served with Salsa Verde on top) Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Our Favorite Chicken Nachos Green Chile Chicken Quesadillas Crispy Pork Carnitas (served with Salsa Verde on top) Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins TOTAL 40 mins PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins TOTAL 40 mins These salsa verde chicken enchiladas are easy and incredibly delicious. You can use store-bought green chile enchilada sauce or salsa verde for this recipe. I like the options from Hatch, Las Palmas, and Frontera. Or, to make it from scratch, try this Roasted Salsa Verde made with tomatillos, green chile peppers, and garlic (it’s amazing). 4 Servings Watch Us Make the Recipe You Will Need 2 cups shredded cooked chicken 6 flour tortillas or corn tortillas, 8 inches in diameter 2 cups (16 ounces) green chile enchilada sauce or salsa verde 1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup sour cream ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for serving 1 cup shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, Oaxaca, or use a Mexican cheese blend Directions 1Prepare oven and dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish. 2Make enchilada sauce: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the green chile enchilada sauce (or salsa verde) and cook for one more minute. 3Make it creamy: Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in sour cream and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is too spicy, stir in more sour cream. 4Add the chicken: Remove 1 cup of sauce from the skillet and set aside to assemble the enchiladas later. Then, stir the shredded chicken and half the cheese into the sauce left in the skillet. 5Assemble enchiladas: Spread half of the reserved sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Roll into a cylinder. Arrange rolled tortillas seam-side down in the baking dish. Spread the remaining reserved sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 6Bake the enchiladas: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Allow the enchiladas to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing them to set up in the middle. Garnish with cilantro and serve. 1Prepare oven and dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish. 2Make enchilada sauce: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the green chile enchilada sauce (or salsa verde) and cook for one more minute. 3Make it creamy: Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in sour cream and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is too spicy, stir in more sour cream. 4Add the chicken: Remove 1 cup of sauce from the skillet and set aside to assemble the enchiladas later. Then, stir the shredded chicken and half the cheese into the sauce left in the skillet. 5Assemble enchiladas: Spread half of the reserved sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Roll into a cylinder. Arrange rolled tortillas seam-side down in the baking dish. Spread the remaining reserved sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 6Bake the enchiladas: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Allow the enchiladas to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing them to set up in the middle. Garnish with cilantro and serve. Adam and Joanne's Tips Chicken: Use leftover chicken or try one of these easy recipes to cook chicken: Poached Chicken (15 minutes), Stovetop Shredded Chicken (1 hour), or Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (4 – 6 hours). Tortillas: For these enchiladas, you can use either flour or corn tortillas. Corn tortillas have a more traditional flavor and texture, while flour tortillas are a better option if you prefer a softer result. If using corn tortillas, soften them before filling for easier rolling. To do this, lightly coat them in oil and bake at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes. Make ahead: As these enchiladas sit, they absorb more of the sauce, making them soft and soggy. I prefer these the day I make them, and I don’t recommend making them days ahead of time or freezing them. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Chicken: Use leftover chicken or try one of these easy recipes to cook chicken: Poached Chicken (15 minutes), Stovetop Shredded Chicken (1 hour), or Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (4 – 6 hours). Tortillas: For these enchiladas, you can use either flour or corn tortillas. Corn tortillas have a more traditional flavor and texture, while flour tortillas are a better option if you prefer a softer result. If using corn tortillas, soften them before filling for easier rolling. To do this, lightly coat them in oil and bake at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes. Make ahead: As these enchiladas sit, they absorb more of the sauce, making them soft and soggy. I prefer these the day I make them, and I don’t recommend making them days ahead of time or freezing them. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Calories 460 / Protein 33 g / Carbohydrate 31 g / Dietary Fiber 3 g / Total Sugars 7 g / Total Fat 23 g / Saturated Fat 11 g / Cholesterol 113 mg AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us