Green Chicken Enchiladas
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Green chicken enchiladas are made with salsa verde, green chiles, leftover rotisserie chicken + Monterey Jack cheese! The best weeknight meal!
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Why you’ll love green chicken enchiladas
- Super simple recipe. These green enchiladas are incredibly easy to assemble with a killer salsa verde sauce that’s bright and slightly tangy (a fun twist on traditional red enchiladas). You can also make this ahead of time, assembling the night prior for the easiest weeknight meal (great for entertaining company too!).
- Repurposes leftovers. This is a great recipe to repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken, a time-saving shortcut while adding pre-seasoned juicy meat right into your enchiladas.
- Leftovers are even better. If you are graced with any leftovers, the leftovers taste even better the very next day, reheating so easily.
- Meal prep magic. You can whip up a double batch to store leftovers and freeze for later. They also make for wonderful meal train meals for new parents, those recovering from surgery, or new neighbors moving in.
Key Ingredients
- Tortillas: 8-inch flour or corn tortillas
- Filling: shredded rotisserie chicken, green chiles, and salsa verde
- Aromatics: onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin
- Cheese: shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Toppings: sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves
How to make green chicken enchiladas
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the onion until translucent and tender in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Then stir in the garlic, oregano, and cumin until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the green chiles.
- Mix the filling. Combine the green chiles and onion mixture, leftover rotisserie chicken, salsa verde, cilantro, cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the enchiladas. Lay a tortilla on a flat, clean surface, and spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling in the center. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling.
- Transfer to a baking dish. Place the rolled tortilla seam-side down into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, repeating with the remaining tortilla and filling.
- Top and bake. Top the enchiladas with salsa verde and sprinkle with cheese in an even layer. Bake at 375°F until the cheese melts and bubbles, about 35-40 minutes.
- Serve. Serve warm with desired toppings and garnishes.
Make-ahead, freezing, and storage
Prep
To make ahead, cover the enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, let the enchiladas sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake as directed.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
Freeze before baking
Cover the enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after baking
Let the enchiladas cool completely; cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until heated through.
what to serve with enchiladas
Tools For This Recipe
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).
Yes! I use this IP rotisserie chicken and this 6-ingredient lemon herb rotisserie chicken interchangeably.
Absolutely! You can use corn or flour, it really just depends on personal preference. Flour 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 excellent options.
I prefer 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 assemble the night before, letting it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to baking.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Green Chicken Enchiladas
Video
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 cast iron 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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- Use the right cheese. Use melting cheeses such as Monterey Jack, Oaxaca, or Chihuahua.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made it. It looks delicious. I’ll let you know.
This was delicious! Usually I prefer red enchiladas but this has completely changed my mind. Literally amazing and super easy.
Thanks. It was perfect. I forgot the cilantro. Loved the recipe. Loved the flavors. Easy and to the point. Much appreciated for an easy Sunday dinner.
This is a family favorite and so easy to make! My adult sons always request it when they come for dinner.
I add canned pineapple tidbits (drained and patted dry-ish with a paper towel) and frozen mango chunks (thawed, chopped into smaller chunks and patted dry.)
One of my top fav Mexican dishes!! Tastes better than a restaurant!
This is a new go-to for us! It should be baked covered with a lid or foil (learned the hard way), but everyone loves this dinner. I serve it with rice & beans and a green.
This was delicious. I added corn as well and I really found this easy to make
These are insanely delicious and oh so easy to make! My husband said “these are unreal…..tastes better than a restaurant” and my kids said “oh my goodness, these are delicious!” They all asked me to make these often. I love this recipe!!!
My parents and siblings said the same thing when I made this!
Easy and Incredible, every time that I’ve made it
Loved these green enchiladas! I had about 3/4C. of cooked rice leftover and used it as part of the 4C. shredded chicken. I’ll be making these at least once a week, trying different combo of veggies, along with chicken. Thanks!
This was very good, used rotisserie chicken. Served with pickled jalapeños and sour cream.
So tasty! With rotisserie chicken it’s quite easy to make.
Your recipe sounds delicious, and I’m planning to make it in the next few days. Did you toast the tortillas before filling? The tortillas in the pictures look as if you did.
Maybe I did something wrong but 4 cups of chicken were way more than I needed to fill the enchiladas.
Also, mine were pretty crispy on the bottom which I didn’t care for. I’ll probably add some of the chile verde sauce to the bottom next time. Other than that they were delicious.
Did you use a clear glass casserole dish? Mine were also crispy on the bottom … so I think that either I cooked them too long or it was my choice of clear casserole dish. The pics show her using a white one.
This was INCREDIBLE!! I made a few modifications. I blistered Anaheim peppers instead of using canned. I threw some chicken ina pot with bullion a taco seasoning and a bit of Rotel for flavor. Other than that I kept everything the same. Best enchiladas ever! I’ll be making a batch to freeze and see how they turn out as well:)
Better than the restaurant! Absolutely loved these, they were perfect!
can these be made the night before?
I would say yes. If you cooked them the night before and reheated them in the oven that taste as delicious as the day you cooked them. We had leftovers reheated and they tasted as good.
Thanks for that recipe. It was delicious. I toned down the chili as we’re British. Lollol
Excellent! Made exactly as written. 🙂
These were absolutely delicious! I used only half the chicken and half the green chili mixture (only used 1 can of green chili’s, personal preference). Froze other half to make these again. Glad I found this recipe.