Green Chicken Enchiladas
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Salsa verde, green chiles, leftover rotisserie chicken and Monterey Jack cheese make for the best weeknight enchiladas ever!
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When I think of bomb Mexican food, I think of my favorite Mexican joint in LA.
Tacos Por Favor, also known as TPF. It’s located in a very tiny strip mall on the corner of Olympic Blvd and Bundy Drive, conveniently located next to a Coffee Bean.
So whenever I stop by this TPF, I order two things: a California burrito and green chicken enchiladas. I never deviate from this order. Never, ever, ever.
But now that we’ve moved to Chicago, I have had no choice but to come up with a TPF replacement.
And that’s these weeknight green chicken enchiladas.
It’s super simple and easy to assemble, and you get to repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken. Plus, when you combine the salsa verde, green chiles and Monterey Jack cheese, you’ll simply want to bathe in all of its glory.
So if you don’t have a TPF near you, you can now have your green chicken enchilada fix anytime, anywhere.
Oh, and the leftovers taste even better the next day.
tips and tricks for success
- Soften the tortillas. Warm the tortillas first so they are easier to roll. Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 30 seconds. You can also fry the tortillas, in batches, in a little bit of oil (about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil) until crispy but pliable.
- Do not overstuff. Size matters! Overstuffing may sound like a good idea since the filling is the best part, but this can result in ripped tortilla and overspill.
- Avoid a soggy bottom. Nobody likes soggy enchiladas! Be sure to pour the sauce on top, adding the filled enchiladas to the pan first.
what to serve with enchiladas
Tools For This Recipe
9 x 13 baking dish
Green Chicken Enchiladas: Frequently Asked Questions
Both green enchilada sauce and salsa verde are made with tomatillos and green chilies but green enchilada sauce is cooked and typically served hot while salsa verde uses raw ingredients and is served cold (or at room temperature).
We love this IP rotisserie chicken and this 6-ingredient lemon herb rotisserie chicken.
Absolutely! You can use corn or flour, it really just depends on personal preference. Corn tortillas are traditionally used for enchiladas as they maintain their structure a little more (less cracking and tearing when rolled) but either option will work great here.
Sweet potato, mushrooms, zucchini and cauliflower are all great options.
We love Monterey Jack but Cheddar, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack and Mexican blend can also be used.
Add your filled enchiladas to the bottom of the pan first, then pour the sauce on top to prevent them from soaking too much sauce (hence, soggy enchiladas).
Yes! Enchiladas is a great dish to make ahead of time and assembled the night before, letting it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to baking.
Green Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 4 cups coarsely shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups salsa verde, divided
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano and cumin until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in green chiles.
- In a large bowl, combine green chile mixture, chicken, 1/3 cup salsa verde and cilantro. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/2-3/4 cups of the chicken mixture in the center. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Top with remaining salsa verde and remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 35-40 minutes.
- Serve immediately, topped with dollops of sour cream.
Did you make this recipe?
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That was Damn Delicious! I made the enchiladas ahead of time so I could pop it in the oven after a cold, wet, fun day at the pumpkin patch. It hit the spot and helped warm me up. Will definitely be making them again. Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m such a ditz – I didn’t read the directions correctly and mixed ALL three cups of cheese into the chicken/enchilada filling mixture, leaving none for the topping! This resulted in very cheesy, very full enchiladas. I then poured an additional cup of cheese and quite a bit of salsa verde on top of the enchiladas after rolling them and placing in the 9×13 pan (only seven would barely fit due to my mistake).
This all being said, they were SO GOOD! My boyfriend warned me that he probably couldn’t finish one enchilada and ended up going back for seconds and eating two! I’m definitely making this again but will probably use a lot less cheese in the enchilada mixture next time, lol. Thanks for the delicious, easy recipe.
I have made these a couple of times now and they are the “bomb”, according to everyone I’ve made them for so far. I don’t eat meat, so I have to depend on my family and friends. I am going to use the same recipe tonight with shrimp, I’m sure they will be great too. My son cannot get enough of these, he loves it when I make them.
I tweaked this or that but at the end of the day, this recipe is incredibly delish and helpful. I don’t do Mexican at home, aside from fajitas and Taco Tuesday. Well, I do now! My peeps loved it! Thanks for sharing.
This recipe is a keeper! I accidentally read the recipe incorrectly the first time I made it and added sour cream to the chicken mixture instead of cheese. It turned out great and I make it this way every time now.
Do you drain green chiles from can? Or pour in liquid and green chiles?
This recipe was sooooo delicious!! I used corn tortillas. I also didn’t cook the full 40 minutes. Next time I make this I will cook at 350 for 40 minutes. It was bomb!! Thank you for sharing
I just poured true green chills, juice and all into the mixture. Turned out perfectly!
Delicious and have made this several times. Thank you.
Have made this many timess now. Always great!
Has anyone cracked the code on the best way to freeze these puppies? I just made fresh salsa verde, but I’m the only one in my household that likes salsa verde and enchiladas, so I was thinking of freezing individual portions. Not sure if I should bake the whole thing and then freeze, or if I should freeze individual unbaked portions? I’ll definitely need to include the sauce because it’s already made.
The best way I’ve found is to place in a disposable baking dish, cover with foil and then place into a freezer bag. Seems to be fine even after a month or so. I put them in uncooked and then thaw them in the fridge overnight before cooking!
I made this last night. I had to use dried cilantro because I didn’t have fresh, and I used my shredded Mexican blend cheese that needed used up. My husband LOVED it…. he even asked if we could have it for lunch today. In 30 years I don’t think that has EVER happened!!
These were awesome! And I am very picky about my Green chicken enchiladas! Easy recipe!
These were awesome! I added a squeeze of 1 lime to the mixture, I thought it needed some acid. Next time I would add a little more salsa verde to the inside to avoid it drying out and more salsa verde to the top.
I made this for my family just after the Christmas and everyone loved it. My husband even went back for seconds. I had the dish put together in no time and the flavors were amazing.
Oh. My. God. This was one of the best dinners I’ve ever made. My husband is Mexican and his mom was born and raised there. Everytime I make Mexican food, he’s got a comment about how it’s not the way his mom made it, or its not really authentic. This recipe? He said it was just like something his mom would have made and he went back for more – twice! This will definetly be a regular meal at our house!!! I froze the leftover meat mixture and just got it out for dinner tonight. I think I’ll make a double batch next time, so I have lots to freeze for quick dinners during the week.
Wow I just made this for dinner and felt compelled to let everyone know this recipe is AMAZING! My husband and I were beside ourselves, it’s so delicious – especially the crispy edges! I followed the recipe to a T, except I only used one can of diced chiles and added avocado on top. I will definitely be making these again! Bravo!
We tried this recipe with our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Absolutely delicious! We are going to make it our holiday tradition.
Can i use shredded beef instead?
Yes.
But forgot to add that it was just the right blend that made it so fabulous!
That was what reminded me of authentic Mexican cuisine…simple with just the right blend.
Thanks again!
Not knowing what I was doing I adjusted the recipe using 1/2 pound of shredded chicken and turned it into Dinner for 2 x 2.
I’ve been cooking a lot since March and I’ve been making dinner for me + dinner for my Aunt.
Perfect to share between us (and we each get two meals!)
Thank youj!
Everyone absolutely loved these! I’ve made many enchilada recepies, trying to find one that everyone in my family loved. I found it! Everyone raved about it! I’ll be making this quick and delicious recipe over and over again.