Chicken Enchiladas Verde

At a glance

What stands out: Loaded with chicken and Monterey Jack cheese, you’ll love these straightforward and rich chicken enchiladas verde. This Mexican favorite is so straightforward to mix; 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

Straightforward From-scratch Chicken Enchiladas

A family favorite. With tender shredded chicken, lots of melty cheese, soft tortillas, and a straightforward verde (green) sauce, these chicken enchiladas are one of our most popular meals. Serve the enchiladas with from-scratch 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.

Speedy and straightforward. 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. We've made the recipe straightforward with a purchased jar of salsa verde and precooked chicken.

Can be made ahead. This casserole is reliable for a speedy 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 refrigerator, and bake it when you get home in the afternoon.

What goes in

• 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. We like to buy a family pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs and cook them all up in our Instant Pot so we always have shredded chicken on hand in the freezer. Another option is to make a big batch of slow cooker salsa verde chicken. Freeze it in 3 cup increments so you have it all ready to go when you want to make enchiladas.
• 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 ounce 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 we're 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, we 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. (we use them to make baked chicken taquitos, too.)
• Fresh Cilantro: Some of the chopped cilantro goes into the filling but save some to garnish the enchiladas.

How it comes together

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 tasty!

Serve. We 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!

Straightforward 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 our recipe to make lighter taco meat (or simply make our 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 straightforward to find by other southwestern-style foods. Try our from-scratch enchilada sauce recipe; it’s straightforward to mix with pantry ingredients.
• Looking for more Tex-Mex main dishes? Try our chicken enchilada skillet, walking taco casserole, or Mexican lasagna.

Make-Ahead Ideas

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.

Keeping leftovers

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 our Meal Plan #8 or Meal Plan #57. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week.

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• Yield: 4
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 35 minutes
• Total: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde, divided
• ¼ medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (see note)
• 16 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (about 4 cups)
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas (more if needed)
• sour cream for topping, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Lightly spray a 9 × 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup salsa verde on bottom of pan.
3. In small frying pan, sauté onions with small amount of olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. 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.
5. Wrap tortillas in paper towels and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds so that they are softened and easier to work with.
6. 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.
7. Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray (so the cheese doesn't stick to it) and cover the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes.
8. Sprinkle the chicken enchiladas with remaining cilantro, and let them cool for a few minutes. Serve with sour cream, or any other toppings you prefer.

Notes

Shredded chicken: Make straightforward shredded chicken in your Instant Pot, or slow cooker salsa verde chicken. Rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or leftover chicken can be used, too.

Tortillas: we prefer flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas because they’re easier to roll. Corn tortillas tend to crack unless you lightly sauté them in oil first.

Sauce variations: Substitute from-scratch salsa verde if you’d like. A can of red enchilada sauce can be substituted, or from-scratch 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.