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If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner, enchiladas verdes are the answer! These flavorful green enchiladas are filled with tender chicken, smothered in a roasted tomatillo salsa verde, and topped with lots of cheese.
Enchiladas are one of my favorite Mexican recipes. I grew up eating cheese enchiladas (my Mom’s specialty) and chicken enchiladas, and I just can’t get enough. They’re a great way to incorporate tons of flavor but are still easy to throw together on busy weeknights.
When most people think of enchiladas, it usually involves a rich red sauce with a savory filling, but these enchiladas verdes are a nice break from the norm.
They feature a bright and tangy salsa verde made with roasted tomatillos, jalapeño peppers, onions, and garlic for a delicious layer of char, tang, and slightly sweet flavor. The filling is just a simple shredded chicken recipe that pairs well with the sauce, and, of course, you can’t forget a hearty helping of shredded cheese.
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It’s simple and flavorful. The star of this recipe is definitely the salsa verde. It uses simple and minimal ingredients and is ready in only 20 minutes.
- You can prep everything ahead of time. You can make dinnertime even easier by prepping the salsa and fillings the night before. Just assemble and bake the next day for a quick and easy dinner!
What Are Enchiladas Verdes?
Enchiladas verdes are a traditional Mexican dish featuring a rich and tangy roasted salsa verde and juicy shredded chicken rolled up in warm corn tortillas. They’re a warm and comforting meal that’s great for weeknight dinners.
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatillos: This is the main ingredient in the salsa verde recipe. They’re bright and tangy, but when roasted, they have a slightly sweet and smoky flavor, especially when charred.
- Jalapeños: These peppers add flavor and a bit of spice. To make it spicy, leave the seeds in or keep it mild and use bell peppers or Anaheim peppers instead.
- Onion and garlic: Adds an extra layer of flavor, bringing out a hint of sweetness.
- Cilantro and lime juice: Add brightness and acidity to the salsa verde. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can easily leave it out or use parsley instead.
- Broth: Chicken broth helps thin out the salsa verde to make it the perfect consistency for the enchiladas. You can use vegetable broth or water instead.
- Shredded chicken: Juicy and flavorful shredded chicken is all you need for this filling. You can whip up my quick homemade shredded chicken recipe or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Shredded cheese: Adds creaminess and is sprinkled on top of the enchiladas. I like to use a Mexican-blend shredded cheese, but feel free to use a more traditional Mexican cheese like Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese.
- Corn tortillas: Enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas. They have a great flavor and can keep their shape with the fillings and sauce, especially when made the traditional way (which is lightly fried in oil). If you want a more Americanized version, you can absolutely use flour tortillas. It’s totally up to personal preference.
- Toppings: I love to top my enchiladas verdes with thinly sliced red onions, some crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and a little drizzle of Mexican crema.
How to Make Enchiladas Verdes
Make the salsa verde by roasting the tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic under a broiler until charred, then adding everything to a blender with onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt, then blending until completely smooth.
Assemble the enchiladas by spooning some of the salsa verde onto the bottom of a large baking dish. Spoon some shredded chicken into each tortilla, then roll it up and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Pour the remaining salsa verde on top.
Top with shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350ºF until the cheese has melted and the sauce starts to bubble.
Garnish with thinly sliced red onions, crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro, and a drizzle of Mexican crema before serving.
Recipe Tips
- To make these using the more authentic and traditional Mexican method: Shallow fry corn tortillas in a little oil for about 5-10 seconds per side to help them become pliable and prevent them from becoming too soggy. Drain off any excess oil, then dip each fried tortilla into the warm salsa verde. Place the smothered tortilla on a plate, add the filling, and roll it up. Top with any remaining sauce and a sprinkle of queso fresco or cotija cheese.
- Make ahead. You can make the salsa verde and shredded chicken filling ahead of time and assemble it when you’re ready to eat.
- Change up the filling. Enchiladas verdes are usually made with a simple shredded chicken filling, but feel free to kick it up a notch and mix in a dollop of sour cream, more shredded cheese, chopped onions, or even corn for extra flavor.
- It’s all about the salsa. The star of this dish is definitely the salsa verde recipe, which is why I recommend making it from scratch. You can use your favorite store-bought salsa verde if you’re short on time.
- Make it vegetarian. Use the filling from my black bean quesadillas to make this a delicious vegetarian recipe.
- Use flour tortillas. Enchiladas are usually made with corn tortillas, but you can easily swap them for flour tortillas if you prefer. It’s all personal preference!
Serving Suggestions
Round out your enchiladas verdes with tried and true sides like:
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
- To store, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, let them cool completely in the fridge. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also wrap the enchiladas completely in aluminum foil and freeze them.
- To reheat, heat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warm and steamy. You can also place them in the oven at 350℉ for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
More Mexican Recipes
If you tried this Enchiladas Verdes Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
For the salsa verde
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed (and seeded, if desired)
- ½ medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup cilantro (stems and leaves)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
For the enchiladas
- 12 corn or flour tortillas
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded cheese
For serving
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Mexican crema
Instructions
- Make the salsa verde. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic to a large baking sheet. Roast directly under the broiler for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the tomatillos and peppers are charred.
- Add the roasted tomatillos, jalapeños, garlic, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a large blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- If using corn tortillas: Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.If using flour tortillas: Microwave the tortillas on a plate for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Assemble the enchiladas by pouring ½ cup of the salsa verde onto the bottom of a large 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spoon about 2 ½ tablespoons of shredded chicken onto a tortilla, roll it up and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Continue until all the tortillas have been filled. You may need to add more filling if using flour tortillas since they’re often larger.
- Pour the remaining salsa verde on top and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce starts to bubble.
- Garnish with a generous drizzle of Mexican crema, thinly sliced red onion, and freshly chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Shredded chicken: You whip up my quick homemade shredded chicken or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it at home.
- Shredded cheese: You can use a shredded Mexican-blend cheese, Monterey Jack, or a more traditional cheese like Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese.
- To make these using the more authentic and traditional Mexican method: Shallow fry corn tortillas in a little oil for about 5-10 seconds per side to help them become pliable and prevent them from becoming too soggy. Drain off any excess oil, then dip each fried tortilla into the warm salsa verde. Place the smothered tortilla on a plate, add the filling, and roll it up. Top with any remaining sauce and a sprinkle of queso fresco or cotija cheese.
- Make ahead. You can make the salsa verde and shredded chicken filling ahead of time and assemble it when you’re ready to eat.
- Spruce up the filling. Enchiladas verdes are usually made with a simple shredded chicken filling but feel free to kick it up a notch and mix in a dollop of sour cream, more shredded cheese, chopped onions, or even corn for extra flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in June 2016 and has been updated with new photos, more helpful tips, and a better overall recipe.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
This is probably a silly question, and maybe I just completely missed where you stated this but I am making these tonight… Do you cook the chicken first and then add seasoning and put in over just to warm or do you add seasoning to uncooked chicken and then cook in oven?
Hey Lexy, that’s not a silly question at all! So you want to cook the chicken first. If you follow steps 1-4 in the instructions, that tells you how to do it. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then slice your raw chicken breast into thin strips. I did this because it really cuts down on the cooking time, but if you prefer to cook your chicken breasts whole and then shred them afterwards, that’s works too. Mix the chicken breast with the oil and seasonings and bake it in the oven for 12 minutes or so. OR, if you happen to already have shredded chicken in the fridge from leftovers or from a rotisserie chicken, you can just preheat your oven to 350 degrees and skip to step 5. Does that make sense?
Isabel, your chicken enchilada sound delicious and the pictures are beautiful! I want to come back and check out your homemade salsa verde. That’s one thing I’ve never been able to make with much confidence. Can’t wait to give these a try. 🙂
Thanks so much, Kimberly! The salsa is soooo easy to make. I hope you love it!
So happy to have come across your blog. Love the recipes. ?
Thank you so much!
I’m going to try this the next time I cook for the friars and I’ll let you know.
Have you thought about doing anything inspired by the hen in a pumpkin?
Let me know how they like it!
And no, nothing with a hen in a pumpkin, haha 🙂 <3 Gordon Ramsey
I just made these,YUMMY! A great recipe,thank-you!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What size tortillas?
Hi, Michele. I used Mission Super-size Yellow Corn tortillas. Not quite sure what size they are, it doesn’t say but most corn tortillas are one size. If you’re using flour tortillas, you would use the smaller, fajita size as opposed to the burrito size. Hope that helps!
A lot of chili verde is made with pork….but then i am sure chicken is fine…just saying. If u use pork, then get a piece of shoulder and cook it with some water for a few hrs until tender. Love your recipe. Thx
Patyi, absolutely! My mom makes chile verde with pork all the time. In fact, that’s on my list of recipes to make! Thanks for the comment and all the love 🙂
Does this freeze well?
I’ve never tried freezing them myself so I’m not quite sure, but I definitely think it’s worth a shot! Here are some suggestions on how I would freeze them. Let them cool completely. Once cooled, cover them completely with aluminum foil and squeeze out as much air as possible by pinching in the sides. I would reheat them by putting them in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’re completely heated throughout. Again, I’ve never tried freezing them so let me know if you do and how it works out for you! Here’s an article that has some good info about freezing enchiladas – http://www.savvyeat.com/freeze-enchiladas/
The recipe doesn’t say how much lime juice to use. I want to try the recipe but need to know the amount of lime juice to use?
Kay, thanks for asking! I just realized I missed that in the ingredient list. I’ve updated the post so it’s in there now. I used the juice of 1/2 a lime, about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Ahhhhh these have me drooling. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. They look SO good and cheesy and yummy and holy cow, is it taco Tuesday yet!? I can’t wait to try these!
Thanks, Karly! They’re as delicious as they look! Hope you enjoy!