You might want to make two pans of these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas … just saying. They’re really, really tasty and they freeze so easily, too (a fully cooked pan). This is my quicker-fix take on a Tex-Mex classic – the Green Chile Chicken Enchilada. A nod to my forthcoming cookbook, Homemade-ish (out in July, and available for pre-order now), this recipe exemplifies the simple, no fuss type of cooking I employ on most busy weeknights.
Do I wish I had the time to roast a chicken and build a sauce completely from scratch? Of course – I love to cook. But most days, I simply don’t have the time. So, recipes like this one are born from the marriage of my love of cooking and my need to make easy, delicious recipes that don’t take too long.
Is it some authentic recipe? Nope! But it is the tastiest enchilada recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas I’ve ever made, and I think you’ll love them too.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Frequently Asked Questions
What are enchiladas?
Enchiladas are a Mexican dish in which a corn tortilla is stuffed with a filling (usually cheese, beans, meats, etc.) and rolled up before being baked with a savoy sauce. Enchilads sauces come in a variety of colors, from green and red to moles and white sauces, or “salsas blancas.”
What kind of tortillas do you use when making enchiladas?
While they’re traditionally made with corn tortillas, enchiladas really are great with whatever tortillas you like. You should use whatever kind you like! But for these, I reach for the larger flour tortillas that are used for burritos. They make for a dramatic presentation and they fill a 9-by-13-inch baking dish perfectly.
How to do you reheat enchiladas?
I like to leave the pan of leftovers on the counter to bring things up to room temp first. Then, cover with foil and warm in a 325 degree oven just until bubbling again.
What should I serve with enchiladas?
These are pretty rich and decadent (all enchiladas tend to be). So, I like to serve them with cold sliced fruit. Instead of a crunchy green salad – which would also be great – I like the sweetness of some sliced melon or stone fruits alongside such a rich and savory dish like these enchiladas.
What is the green chile in enchiladas?
From serranos and jalapenos to poblanos, Hatch and Anaheims, there are a variety of beautiful green chiles used in green chile chicken enchilada recipes. Sometimes for this recipe, I will broil 2 to 3 poblanos, peel off the charred skin, and cut them into “rajas,” or strips. I’ll add these to the enchiladas, along with the creamy chicken filling, and it’s so delicious. Here, the green chiles are coming in the form of both fresh jalapenos, and the green chiles that are used in whatever brand of salsa verde you opt for.
What you’ll need to make these green chile chicken enchiladas
Enchiladas are almost always going to fall into the “labor of love” category of cooking. They have this is common with lasagna, no? It’s a process no matter how you shake it. But in this recipe (which is, incidentally, my family’s favorite) I’ve tried to shave off some of the prep minutes for you. So, rather than cook chicken ourselves, we’ll take some help from the store and grab a rotisserie chicken instead. You can use almost any flavor they’ve got available, and you’ll be golden here.
But that said, if you’d prefer to cook the chicken yourself, you could season and cook a mix of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs in a large skillet until done, allow them to cool, and then shred them up all the same.
Another notable homemade-ish shortcut we’re employing here is the use of jarred salsa verde. This stuff is so good, and it really adds tremendous flavor to our creamy sauce. It takes care of the tomatillos, onion, garlic, chile, spices, and herbs all in one jar. But that said – we will add fresh garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and cilantro to the sauce – because you have to include some fresh components to really make the dish work.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas INGREDIENTS
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 15-ounce can fire-roasted corn, drained (frozen also works, and fresh corn when in season)
- ½ large red onion, sliced
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 16-ounce jar salsa verde (mild or medium, your choice!)
- 1 jalapeno, sliced seeds removed
- 1 garlic clove
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- 2 limes
- 2 to 3 cups cilantro
- 8 burrito size flour tortillas
- Cooking oil, for frying
- 3 cups shredded Mexican style cheese blend
- 2/3 to 1 cup crumbled cotija or queso fresco
How to make these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
First, to make these green chile chicken enchiladas, you need to pull all of the meat off your chicken – get it nice and shreddy (not a word). That will be combined with some chopped onion and some corn (either canned, fresh, or frozen) and tossed with the easy creamy green sauce. The sauce comes together in a blender and is anchored by a big jar of salsa verde. A quick (like, 10 seconds) fry of the tortillas is technically an optional step, but really makes these things taste amazing.
Fill them, roll them, line them up and bake them just until browned and crisped on top. Cover them with more sauce and cheese, and bake till bubbly and golden brown.
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the center position.
- Pull all of the light and dark meat from the chicken bones, leaving the skins behind. Pull or chop the meat and add to a large bowl, along with the corn (use as much/little corn as you like here). Dice half of the sliced onion and add that to the mixture.
- Put the remaining sliced onion in a small bowl, along with half of the jalapeno. Add the juice of one lime and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat in the lime juice, and toss occasionally while you’re prepping the enchiladas.
- In a blender, combine the cream cheese, salsa verde, the remaining jalapeno half, garlic clove, cumin, a handful of cilantro (this isn’t exact), and the juice of half a lime. Blend until smooth. Add about a cup of this creamy salsa to the bowl with the chicken and toss.
- Add oil to a depth of about ½ inch in a large, deep-sized skillet set over medium-high heat. When it’s shimmering hot, fry the tortillas, one at a time, only for about 5 seconds per side. This brings out their flavor, lightly crisps them, and will help them get nice and crunchy in the oven.
- To assemble the enchiladas, pour a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a large (at least 9 by 13) baking dish, and spread it out to lightly coat the surface. Evenly divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas, spreading it across each tortilla and then rolling them up into tubes. Arrange them in the baking dish, side by side.
- Bake for 5 minutes to crisp the tops. Carefully remove from the oven and pour the remaining sauce all over the enchiladas. Top with the shredded cheese and bake until bubbling hot and golden brown around the edges; about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Serve your green chile chicken enchiladas topped with the pickled jalapenos/onion, some crumbled cotija or queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and even more lime, if you like.
If you like the looks of this creamy green chile chicken enchiladas recipe, you might also enjoy:
Mexican Black Bean Stew with Nachos
Easiest Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Super Easy Chicken and Chorizo Enchilada Skillet
Crunchy Chorizo and Potato Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
A rotisserie chicken and some store-bought salsa verde make quicker work of this (absolutely delicious) Tex-Mex classic.
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 15-ounce can fire-roasted corn, drained (frozen also works, and fresh corn when in season)
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 16-ounce jar salsa verde (mild or medium, your choice!)
- 1 jalapeno, sliced seeds removed
- 1 garlic clove
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- 2 limes
- 2 to 3 cups cilantro
- 8 burrito size flour tortillas
- Cooking oil, for frying
- 3 cups shredded Mexican style cheese blend
- 2/3 to 1 cup crumbled cotija or queso fresco
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the center position.
- Pull all of the light and dark meat from the chicken bones, leaving the skins behind. Pull or chop the meat and add to a large bowl, along with the corn (use as much/little corn as you like here). Dice half of the sliced onion and add that to the chicken mixture.
- Put the remaining sliced onion in a small bowl, along with half of the jalapeno. Add the juice of one lime and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat in the lime juice, and toss occasionally while you’re prepping the enchiladas to lightly pickle them.
- In a blender, combine the cream cheese, salsa verde, the remaining jalapeno half, garlic clove, cumin, a handful of cilantro (this isn’t exact), and the juice of half a lime. Blend until smooth. Add about a cup of this creamy salsa to the bowl with the chicken and toss.
- Add oil to a depth of about ½ inch in a large, deep-sided skillet set over medium-high heat. When it’s shimmering hot, fry the tortillas, one at a time, only for about 5 seconds per side. This brings out their flavor, lightly crisps them, and will help them get nice and crunchy in the oven.
- To assemble the enchiladas, pour a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a large (at least 9 by 13) baking dish, and spread it out to lightly coat the surface. Evenly divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas, spreading it across each tortilla and then rolling them up into tubes. Arrange them in the baking dish, side by side.
- Bake for 5 minutes to crisp the tops. Carefully remove from the oven and pour the remaining sauce all over the crispy enchiladas. Top with the shredded cheese and bake until bubbling hot and golden brown around the edges; about 12 to 15 minutes. I like to broil them for just a minute at the end, to get things nice and golden (just keep an eye on them!).
- Serve topped with the pickled jalapeños/onion, some crumbled cotija or queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and even more lime, if you like.
