Enchiladas Verdes

Enchiladas Verdes are so full of flavor made with chicken, cheese, and a delicious salsa verde sauce. It’s a wonderful weekend dinner but you can also prepare several parts of it ahead of time and quickly put it together during the week.

There’s nothing quite like soft tortillas stuffed with a cheesy, flavorful filling and slathered in homemade sauce. I am such a sucker for enchiladas because this combination of tortillas, meat, cheese, and sauce baked to a warm perfection is always so delicious and comforting.

Chicken enchiladas are amazing when it’s in the traditional red enchilada sauce, or like these chicken enchiladas in a tomatillo based salsa verde sauce.

Just like with the classic chicken enchiladas, enchiladas verdes are easy to prep ahead of time. You can always make the tomatillo sauce a day or two before and keep in in the refrigerator, in a glass jar with a lid. Take the prep a step further and make the chicken filling and the sauce ahead of time. You can still store the sauce in the glass jar and store the cooked chicken separately, in the refrigerator, in another food storage container.

What Is In Enchiladas Verdes?

There are four simple aspects to this recipe: homemade salsa verde sauce, chicken, cheese, and tortillas!

Allow about an hour to make the tomatillo sauce and shredded chicken, or make both a day or two in advance and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.

• Chicken – Personally, I prefer dark, thigh chicken meat because it’s juicier and much more flavorful than white meat. Feel free to use chicken breast if you prefer.
  
  Keep in mind that it typically takes a little longer to cook breast meat, especially if the pieces are extra thick. You can fillet the meat to reduce the cooking time or slice it into tenders as well.
  
• Tortillas – Use corn or flour, whichever you prefer. While corn tortillas are traditional, flour tortillas are softer and hold together better. For enchiladas, you are looking for about 8-inch tortillas. Note that flour tortillas will often be larger than corn tortillas but you can always just use more of the smaller ones. 8-inch flour tortillas are usually labeled “soft taco.”
  
• Shredded cheese – Not only do fresh blocks of cheese have a bolder flavor, but they melt smoother as well! Since pre-bagged shreds contain a preservative to prevent clumping, the cheese often has a waxy texture and doesn’t end up melting properly. For best flavor, you will want to use both, Pepper Jack cheese and Monterrey Jack cheese.
  
• Tomatillo sauce – It’s easy to make this right at home, and the flavor is so much fresher than anything from the store. Just oven-roast tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos, then blend them with herbs, spices, and a splash of lime juice.

Add some toppings!

Red onions, avocado, and cilantro add extra texture and flavor, while crumbled Cotija cheese gives it a little punch of saltiness.

Or spoon on some Mexican crema, which is similar to sour cream but not as tangy and a lot thinner. Regular sour cream will work just fine too!

How To Make Enchiladas Verdes

MAKE THE TOMATILLO SAUCE

Prep the vegetables. First, remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash them thoroughly. Cut them in half with the jalapenos, and quarter the onion. 

Roast. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray. Lay the vegetables on the tray, cut side up, and bake until they are tender and darkened around the edges. Toss the whole garlic cloves on the pan around the halfway point.

Blend with the other ingredients. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender and pulse until combined and smooth.

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ASSEMBLE THE ENCHILADAS

Cook and shred the chicken. Add some of the green sauce to a greased baking dish and place the chicken thighs on top. Cover with more sauce, bake until cooked through, then shred.

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Fill the tortillas. Line the center of each tortilla with shredded cheese, then divide the shredded chicken between each one.

Add to baking dish. Spread some of the green sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, then roll up each tortilla and place it seam-side down in the dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce evenly over the top.

BAKE AND SERVE

Don’t forget the cheese! Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the green chicken enchiladas before placing the pan in the oven.

Bake until bubbly. Check to make sure the filling is hot all the way through and the cheese has completely melted. You can also turn on the broiler for the last minute or two for some extra color if you’d like.

Finish with toppings. Add your favorites right over the finished dish or serve them on the side so everyone can choose what they want.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Wear gloves when working with chili peppers! Peppers contain oils that irritate the skin and even if you wash your hands thoroughly after, it can still have irritants on it. So protect your hands when cutting the jalapenos.
• Try grilling the veggies for tomatillo sauce. This will save you some time and add a nice smoky flavor to the dish as well.
• Want to make it creamy enchiladas verdes? Mix about ½ cup of sour cream into the tomatillo sauce.
• Use the stems. Since the cilantro is being blended into a sauce, there’s no need to remove the leaves first. Just toss the whole stems in the food processor to save time and add more flavor.
• Need a faster way to shred chicken? Instead of using two forks, toss the cooked chicken into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Run it for about 30 seconds or until all of the meat has been evenly shredded.
• Make it more filling. Try adding some sautéed vegetables to the chicken, like onions, bell peppers, spinach, or mushrooms. You could even mix in some black, white, or refried beans if you’d like!

What to Serve with Enchiladas Verdes

Although enchiladas are a very filling recipes on its own, you can’t go wrong with some Spanish rice, beans, or even a side salad.

My Mexican Street Corn Salad could also make a great addition since the sweet flavors and crunchy texture will contrast with the heat of the main dish.

Storage and Reheating

You can store this dish right in the same casserole pan that you used to bake it. Cover the pan air-tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate. If you wish, transfer leftovers into a separate food storage container with a lid. Refrigerate and use within 3-5 days.

Reheat individual portions of enchiladas verdes in the microwave or warm the entire dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350°F.

Freezing:

Enchiladas Verdes freeze great, just make sure not to add any cream or sour cream before freezing. If you plan to freeze enchiladas after they are baked or want to bake them from frozen, use an aluminum baking pan.

Make sure to freeze cooled enchiladas or before baking them and wrap the pan air-tight. I like to wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap first and then in aluminum foil. (Make sure to take off plastic wrap before baking or reheating.)

Follow additional freezing, thawing, and baking instructions in this post if you want to turn these into a freezer meal.

SIMILAR RECIPES TO TRY:

If you enjoy these green chicken enchiladas, I have plenty of other enchiladas recipes for you to try! Some use beef, turkey, or seafood, there are even a couple of vegetarian options.

If you haven’t tried Shrimp Enchiladas yet, you’re missing out!

My Crock Pot Salsa Chicken works great for enchiladas as well. You can make a big batch whenever you have time, then portion it out and freeze it for future meals. It’s delicious in tacos, quesadillas, and sandwiches too.

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