Best Green Chicken Enchiladas
Cheesy and gooey these are the BEST green enchiladas. Did I mention they are also super quick and easy?
Mom’s green enchiladas are always a big hit! They’re loaded with seasoned shredded chicken, sour cream, LOTS of cheese, and topped with a green chile sauce. Consider pairing these with Refried Beans, Roasted Salsa Verde, or Favorite Beef Tacos.
Mom’s Famous Green Enchiladas
This is a yummy recipe in my “I need to share these Mexican inspired recipes on the blog because people keep asking for them” series.
I have so many delicious Mexican recipes in my repertoire, but for now, let’s talk enchiladas. While I absolutely adore red enchiladas, these green chile enchiladas have a special place in my heart. My mom would make these all of the time, and we always devoured them!
They’re still a hit at our house, especially with my husband.
How to Make Green Enchiladas
To start, you’ll need about a pound of seasoned shredded chicken. Rotisserie is a great option if you’re in a time crunch. If you’ve got some extra time, I highly recommend using a slow cooker or pressure cookie (hi Instant Pot!) to make your own. I’ve noted my recipe for the chicken down below, make sure to check it out!
For the filling you need THREE simple ingredients: chicken, cheese and sour cream. Again, shredded chicken is best.
As far as the cheese goes, I prefer using a blend of cheddar and monterey jack. Now, I know people can be picky when it comes to sour cream, but I promise it’s delicious in this recipe and absolutely necessary. It makes the enchiladas extra creamy inside. You can use regular or light.
Fill tortillas with chicken, cheese, and sour cream mixture. Roll ’em up and place them in a deep baking dish.
Top with green enchilada sauce (Hatch is my favorite). Sprinkle with cheese and sliced green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes or until the top gets a little crispy.
Let the enchiladas rest for 8 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with some freshly chopped cilantro for a little extra zing.
Serve these green enchiladas up with a side of rice and beans or chips and guac! They’ll disappear in no time!
P.S. this is a great recipe to MAKE AHEAD and bake several hours later, or even the next day! It’s also a great dish to bring to neighbors or those in need of a comforting meal 🙂
Recipe FAQ
What to serve with it? Enchiladas go great with any mexican food! Try pairing it with our flavorful spanish rice, our mexican black beans, quick and easy mexican pizzas, instant pot salsa chicken, or our chicken enchilada soup
How do you thicken green enchilada sauce? You can add a simple roux made of flour/cornstarch and vegetable oil. Then on the stove warm the enchilada sauce and gradually mix in the roux. This will thicken it without changing the taste.
Best cut of chicken for green enchilada? You should definitely try to use chicken breasts, but if need be you can use chicken thighs. The trick to excellent chicken in chicken enchiladas is to use pre-seasoned chicken, rather than just seasoning it in the enchilada.
Can you use corn tortillas? Corn tortillas are more traditional and won’t get as soggy, but flour tortillas I would say are more kid-friendly.
Could you use salsa verde/tomatillo salsa instead of green enchilada sauce? Enchilada sauce is typically cooked whereas salsa verde is raw in the fact that it is just blended ingredients like tomatillos and jalapenos etc. If you like the flavor better than go for it and use green salsa! You may want to thicken it, it just depends on what salsa you choose to use.
Storing Info
How to make ahead? You can make and roll the enchiladas ahead of time and keep tightly wrapped with foil in the fridge for 2 days before baking.
STORE the enchiladas in the fridge in an airtight container until you are ready to REHEAT them in the microwave. If you would like to you can reheat them in the oven if it’s like an entire pan of enchiladas.
If you would like to double the recipe and FREEZE a batch ahead of time it’s super simple. Make them in a freezer safe and probably a disposable pan and then cover with the lid and make sure that it is airtight before placing it in the freezer.
Freeze for up to 3 months and then bake as normal, probably adding an additional 5-10 minutes.
How long do they last? Green enchiladas can last in the fridge for about a week. Just keep an eye out for your tortillas looking too soggy. We can’t promise that the flavor will be the best after 4 days.
Mom's Green Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 7-8 soft flour tortillas - soft taco size
- 3/4 cup sour cream - regular or light
- 3 cup shredded chicken - a little more or less won't hurt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar and monterey jack blend
For the Topping
- 1 (15 oz) can green chile enchilada sauce
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and monterey jack blend
- 1/3 cup green onion - diced
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a deep 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray, set aside.
- Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of sour cream into the center of each tortilla, top about 1/3 cup of chicken, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up (you don't need to tuck the ends) and place seam down into the baking dish.
- Top with enchilada sauce, cheese and green onion. Wrap tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the top gets crispy.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 8 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- For the chicken: 4 medium boneless skinless chicken thighs + 1 large chicken breast. In the bowl of a slow cooker or Instant Pot, saute 1/4 c. diced yellow onion and 2 cloves minced garlic. Add chicken, 1/2 c. chicken broth, 2 tbsp. diced green chiles, 1 tsp. kosher sea salt, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander, 1/4 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. crushed dried chipotle chiles. If using a traditional slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. If using the Instant Pot, use the manual mode and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Shred with two forks and toss in about 3 tbsp. of the liquid.
hey girl -these look so yummy!
Wow! These look amazing!!
Does the chicken recipe below make the appropriate amount of chicken for these enchiladas?
Thanks!
Yes 🙂
This sounds wonderful! But please note that the instructions mention extra ingredients that you do not list under “ingredients”. It makes it confusing when one wants to quickly pickup the ingredients at the store and then have them all ready on the counter before starting.
Hi Lori! That’s actually part of the notes section. If you don’t want to use rotisserie or boiled/shredded chicken, you can use the recipe given at the bottom. It’s totally optional though 🙂
Looks great! If you want to make the chicken with the spices listed in the Notes section and you don’t have a Crock pot or Instant pot, how do you recommend cooking the chicken? I usually steam chicken breasts for a recipe like this but I’d like to use the spices, too.
Creamy & so tasty!! We will be making these again! My family loved them!
This dinner was the star of our cinco de mayo this week. Really loved it and it was so easy.
Amazing and packed with the best flavor!