Easy Enchiladas Verdes (Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas)

This is an easy Enchiladas Verdes recipe that you are destined to fall in love with. Enchiladas Verdes is a combination of chicken, a ready-made salsa verde, and a shredded Mexican cheese blend which is then wrapped in flour tortillas and baked. After 30 minutes, these green chicken enchiladas are topped with crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro.

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This enchiladas verdes recipe is an adaptation of one of my families all-time favorite Chicken Enchiladas recipe. Since we could eat Mexican almost every day of the week, it was time to make a new version to add to our menus. These chicken enchiladas were a hit! The salsa verde adds a unique chili taste that you don’t find in the standard picante salsa recipes.

What Makes This Enchilada Recipe Special

• Simple Ingredients. The green enchilada sauce, the shredded chicken, and the shredded cheese blends are all store-bought (ready to use) ingredients.
• Can Be Made Ahead of Time. The enchiladas verdes can be assembled up to a day ahead of time, covered and refrigerated. When ready to eat, bake the enchiladas for 35 to 40 minutes or until warm. The additional cooking time is because they are colder after being refrigerated.
  Family-Friendly.
• Easy. The ready made ingredients, small amount of herbs and seasonings, and the straight-forward assembly steps make this dish super easy.
• Salsa Verde. This tomatillo salsa is a tasty green sauce that makes our verde enchiladas extra delicious. This mild Salsa Verde is one of my favorites. I love this Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde  which is a medium spice roasted green sauce.
  • Tomatillos are small round , tart peppers that have a slight citrus taste. They have a papery covering that when peeled yields these small bright green gems. Tomatillos are primarily  in used in Mexican food and are not an ingredient to be overlooked.

How To Make The Best Enchiladas In Green Sauce

1. Ready the shredded chicken. If you have refrigerated or frozen shredded chicken you are all set. Make sure to defrost your chicken either overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave. For making shredded chicken, check out the tips below.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the garlic in oil until just fragrant. Then stir in the chicken, herbs and spices until you have this incredibly flavorful filling for the enchiladas verdes. Once again, I suggest adding in some mushroom powder. If you've tried some of my other recipes with mushroom powder, you will know how much umami this adds to a recipe.
3. Next, combine the jar of salsa verde with the sour cream. Spread about one-half cup of this creamy green sauce mixture over the bottom of the casserole dish. This will give the tortillas a tasty coating.
4. To assemble the enchiladas verdes, lay the tortillas on a clean work surface. Down the middle of each tortilla, spoon a portion of the chicken enchilada mixture and the shredded cheese. Roll up the enchilada and place it seem side down in the baking dish.
5.  Spoon the remaining green sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees until the top gets beautifully golden brown and that delicious cheese starts to bubble. Let the dish sit for about 5 minutes outside the oven to make cutting and serving easier.
7. Sprinkle with some crumble cotija cheese and fresh cilantro, if you prefer, on top of the enchiladas verdes before serving. We also love to serve additional sour cream alongside.

Tip: You can use flour or corn tortillas. If you prefer gluten-free enchiladas, use corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are great tasting and tend to make a sturdier enchilada. If you prefer the softer flour tortillas, they will work too.

How To Make Shredded Chicken

1. Purchase a rotisserie chicken at your grocery store. Rotisserie chickens typically weigh between 2-½ to 3 pounds.  Remove the skin and bones. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart into smaller pieces. You will get about 3 cups of shredded chicken from your rotisserie chicken.
   • You will have about 1 cup leftover chicken to use in another dish. Store the leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 6 months. Leftover shredded or cubed chicken is fabulous in soups, sandwiches and tacos! You may also want to try another of my family favorites, our Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas.
2. If you have an Instant Pot, you can make Instant Pot Whole Chicken, shred the chicken and you will have shredded chicken ready for the Enchiladas Verdes. How about that for easy homemade shredded chicken!
3. You can use cooked chicken breasts if you prefer white meat only. You will need about two-thirds (.67) of a pound of breasts to make 2 cups shredded chicken.

Handy Conversion Chart For Chicken Servings and Sizes

Post updated on November 10, 2020 with better descriptions and instructions. No changes to the recipe. Originally posted on February 29, 2020.

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5 from 2 votes

Easy Enchiladas Verdes (Green Chicken Enchiladas)

An easy version of Enchiladas Verdes with chicken, a ready-made salsa verde, sour cream, cheese and cilantro is outstandingly delicious. Salsa verde is a delicious green tomatillo salsa made with garlic, onion and peppers.

Prep Time :10 minutes

Cook Time :30 minutes

Total Time :40 minutes

Servings 5

Ingredients

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground mushroom powder optional
• 1-½ cups salsa verde
• ¾ cup sour cream more for serving, if desired
• 10 taco-size (6-inch diameter) flour or corn tortillas see tips
• 1-¼ cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend or a Mexican cheese blend
• ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese optional
• Fresh cilantro optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spray a 13-by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, and mushroom powder (if using); cook, stirring, until combined and warmed though. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the salsa verde and sour cream until well blended. (Some tiny bits of sour cream may still be visible which is okay.) Spread about ½ cup salsa verde mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish until just covered. Set remaining sauce aside.
• Place a tortilla on a plate (or clean work surface). Spoon a slightly heaping 3 tbsp chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with 2 tbsp shredded cheese. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, and cheese.
• Spread the reserved sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cotija cheese.
• Serve garnished with cilantro, if using, and sour cream on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1313mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1032IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 408mg | Iron: 4mg