Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Loaded with chicken and Monterey Jack cheese, you’ll love these easy and delicious chicken enchiladas verde. This Mexican favorite is so easy to make; the sauce is simply a jar of salsa verde.
How long it takes: just under an hour
Equipment you’ll need: large baking dish (9 x 13 inches), small skillet
Servings: 4
Easy Homemade Chicken Enchiladas
A family favorite. With tender shredded chicken, lots of melty cheese, soft tortillas, and an easy verde (green) sauce, these chicken enchiladas are one of my most popular meals. Serve the enchiladas with homemade refried beans, Mexican rice, plenty of tortilla chips, and a big bowlful of salsa, and you’ve got yourself a feast comparable to any Mexican restaurant.
Quick and easy. You can have this dinner on the table in about an hour. Half of that time is hands off while the enchiladas bake in the oven. I’ve made the recipe super easy with a purchased jar of salsa verde and precooked chicken.
Can be made ahead. This casserole is perfect for a quick dinner when you’re tired after a long day at work. In fact, if you have a more leisurely morning, you can easily assemble it, put it in the fridge, and bake it when you get home in the afternoon.
Ingredient Notes
- Cooked Shredded Chicken: The recipe calls for three cups of cooked shredded chicken. Deli rotisserie chicken is fine or leftover chicken (or turkey) works great. I like to buy a family pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs and cook them all up in my Instant Pot so I always have shredded chicken on hand in the freezer.
- Jar of Salsa Verde: This green salsa is made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes. It’s usually not as spicy as red enchilada sauce. Buy a 16 oz. jar or make your own salsa verde.
- Monterey Jack Cheese: Shred your own cheese for the most meltiness (that’s probably not a word but I’m going with it). You can substitute other types of cheese if you like.
- Onion: Any type of onion is fine: white, yellow, sweet, or red.
- Flour Tortillas: Instead of traditional corn tortillas, I use 8 inch flour tortillas. This is a matter of personal preference. Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas that are fried briefly in oil. The oil prevents the tortilla from disintegrating in the casserole. Flour tortillas hold their shape better without frying.
- Fresh Cilantro: Some of the chopped cilantro goes into the filling but save some to garnish the enchiladas.
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Make the filling. Sauté the onions in a small skillet until they soften. If you’d like to increase the veggie content, you can also sauté spinach, bell peppers, or add corn or black beans. Mix the veggies with the shredded chicken, and part of the sauce and cheese.
Fill the tortillas. Roll the filling in the tortillas. Line them up in a baking dish, drizzle with sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake. Put the dish of enchiladas into a preheated oven and bake them until the filling is warm and the cheese is melted. So yummy!
Serve. I like to serve chicken enchiladas verde with a dab of sour cream and additional cilantro. Chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, pickled red onions, or diced avocado are great, too. Serve the enchiladas with baked tortilla chips and pico de gallo. A frozen sangria slushie or a cranberry margarita will make it seem like a party!
More About Salsa Verde
Salsa verde is a chunky sauce made with tomatillos, hot peppers and onions. It can be either fresh or canned, and is sometimes called green enchilada sauce. Perhaps you’re wondering about the difference between salsa verde and enchilada sauce. Enchilada sauce is a smooth tomato-based red sauce flavored with chili powder and other seasonings.
How hot is it? Generally, salsa verde is pretty mild; red enchilada sauce is usually more spicy. However, the heat level can depend on the brand and type of sauce you choose. Homemade sauces can vary widely as well, depending on what kind of peppers were used. I’ve had green sauces that were smokin’ hot.
Easy Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian. Substitute fajita-style vegetables (grilled onions and bell peppers) for the chicken. Add a can of black beans to the filling.
- Swap out the chicken. Instead of chicken, substitute slow cooker pork taco meat or use my recipe to make healthy taco meat (or simply make my beef enchiladas!).
- Use enchilada sauce. If you’re not a fan of salsa verde, simply use the same amount of red enchilada sauce. It often comes in a can and is easy to find by other southwestern-style foods. Try my homemade enchilada sauce recipe; it’s easy to make with pantry ingredients.
Make chicken enchiladas a day ahead and refrigerate before baking. Bake as directed, adding five to 10 minutes to the baking time.
You could also make a double batch and freeze half of the enchiladas to bake at a later date. See the section below.
Refrigerate/freeze: Leftover baked enchiladas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. They can be frozen for up to three months.
Reheat: To reheat, microwave individual portions until warmed through. For larger amounts, cover with foil and reheat in the oven.
To reheat frozen uncooked enchiladas: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed, adding five to ten minutes to baking time. Alternatively, don’t thaw the enchiladas. Take them out of the freezer while the oven preheats. Leaving the foil on, bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are completely heated.
Free Meal Plans
Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #8 or Meal Plan #57. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week. We add a new meal plan weekly.
South of the Border Favorites
Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz. jar) salsa verde, divided
- ¼ medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (see note)
- 16 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 flour tortillas, more if needed
- sour cream for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9 × 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup salsa verde on bottom of pan.2 cups (16 oz. jar) salsa verde, divided
- In small frying pan, sauté onions with small amount of olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.¼ medium yellow onion, chopped
- In large bowl, mix shredded chicken with ⅔ cup salsa verde, 1 ½ cups cheese, scant ¼ cup cilantro, sautéed onions, and salt and pepper to taste.3 cups shredded cooked chicken, 16 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided, ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided, salt and pepper to taste
- Wrap tortillas in two paper towels and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds so that they are soft and easier to work with.8 flour tortillas, more if needed
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture into a tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you are out of filling. Drizzle enchiladas with remaining salsa verde (about ⅓ cup) and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray and use that to cover the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for five more minutes.
- Sprinkle with remaining cilantro, let stand for a few minutes and serve, topped with sour cream, if desired.
Notes
- Shredded chicken: Make easy shredded chicken in your Instant Pot. Rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or leftover chicken can be used, too.
- Sauce variations: Substitute homemade salsa verde if you’d like. A can of red enchilada sauce can be substituted, or homemade enchilada sauce.
- Vegetarian: Instead of chicken, fill the enchiladas with fajita-style vegetables (grilled peppers and onions), and a can of black beans, rinsed and drained.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
saving this right away!! I will be making this soon! it looks soo soo soo good!
Saving this to make for the bf! love Mexican food!
I usually like to eat dinner around 7, so I’ll expect these on my table then. YUM.
this is one of my most favorite dishes. love that you can use chicken, beef, pork or just beans and whichever salsa you want…need to make this soon!
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who is tempted to throw spinach into everything! I would have done the same thing with the onions for my hubs, too. It looks like this is a definite must-try!