These green chicken enchiladas are cheesy, creamy, and stuffed with tender chicken and green chiles, all baked under a layer of green enchilada sauce. This green chicken enchiladas recipe makes 10 enchiladas, enough to serve five, and it's ready in about 90 minutes.
This is the casserole I make for potlucks and busy family dinners, and it's a great one to drop off for a new parent or a friend who's under the weather.
I make these with my homemade green enchilada sauce, made with roasted tomatillos and poblanos, but a good canned sauce works too when you're short on time. Serve them with salsa ranchera on the side!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but chicken breast works just as well. To shave about 20 minutes off the recipe, use shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: One batch of my homemade green enchilada sauce makes a quart, which is just right for one pan, so use all of it. If you're buying it, you'll need about 28 ounces. Store-bought sauce comes in mild, medium, and hot, so pick the heat level you like. Bottled salsa verde also works in a pinch. Red enchilada sauce works in this recipe too; just don't call them green enchiladas!
- Green Chiles: Canned, drained, diced green chiles add mild chile flavor without much heat.
- Cheese: Use shredded Mexican cheese, cheddar cheese, or Monterey Jack.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese gives the filling its creamy texture. If you don't have any, a cup of sour cream can be substituted.
- Tortillas: I use corn tortillas, which are traditional for enchiladas.
- Oil: Frying the tortillas in oil before filling them gives the enchiladas structure and keeps them from falling apart in the sauce.
- Garlic: If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use a few teaspoons of garlic powder instead.
- Onion: ½ of a medium onion, yellow or white.
Optional Enchilada Ingredients
- Cumin Powder: If you like the flavor of cumin, mix 1 teaspoon into the filling.
- Corn Kernels: Corn can be added to the filling. I prefer frozen corn kernels to canned corn because I like their texture better.
- Black Beans: Canned black beans, drained and rinsed, can also be added to the filling.
- Scallions: Mix chopped scallions into the filling, or sprinkle some on the enchiladas before serving them.
- Black Olives: If you love black olives, sprinkle sliced olives over the cheese before baking the enchiladas for the final 15 minutes.
How to Make Green Chicken Enchiladas
Step 1: Add chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, 2 bay leaves, and 4 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through; then remove from broth and cool.
Step 2: Sauté chopped onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add shredded or chopped chicken and brown for 5 more minutes. Season with 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 3 crushed garlic cloves, and cook for 1 more minute, then transfer to a medium bowl.
Step 3: Add softened, cubed cream cheese, diced green chiles, 2 cups shredded cheese, and 1 cup enchilada sauce. Stir until the cream cheese melts into the mixture.
Step 4: Fry corn tortillas in hot oil for 10 seconds on each side, then drain on paper towels. Add more oil, if needed. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, then pour ½ cup of enchilada sauce into it to coat the bottom.
Step 5: Fill each tortilla with about ⅓ cup of the chicken filling. Fold the tortilla over the filling and place the enchiladas seam-side down in the prepared pan.
Step 6: Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then cover the pan with foil and seal. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Remove the pan of enchiladas from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Rest enchiladas for 15 minutes. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, salsa, creamy guacamole, and sour cream.
What to Serve with Green Chicken Enchiladas
I like to serve this green chicken enchiladas recipe with Mexican rice (or Instant Pot Mexican rice) and Mexican black beans or chorizo beans. For something fresh and tangy, add sliced avocado, spicy Mexican pickled carrots, or a bowl of tomatillo green chili salsa.
Make Ahead and Freezing
To make ahead: Assemble the enchiladas, pour the sauce over them, cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the covered baking time, then top with cheese and finish as usual.
To freeze: Assemble the enchiladas in a freezer-safe foil pan, but hold off on the cheese topping. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. Frying the tortillas first really helps them hold up in the freezer. I like to split the recipe between two smaller pans, one for dinner and one for later.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave, or cover the pan with foil and warm it in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
The difference is the sauce. Green enchilada sauce is made with tomatillos and green chiles, so it's tangy and bright. Red enchilada sauce is made with dried red chiles and has a deeper, earthier flavor. The filling can be the same for both.
The heat depends almost entirely on the sauce. Made with a mild sauce, they're mild and family-friendly. If you prefer your enchiladas spicy, choose a hotter sauce.
Yes. Cut all the ingredients in half and bake the enchiladas in an 8x8-inch baking dish. Bake covered for about 25 minutes, then add the cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Pro Tips
- Instead of frying the tortillas in oil, dip them in enchilada sauce. Although this reduces the calories, the tortilla texture will be a bit mushier.
- Some people prefer to use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas to make enchiladas. If you decide to use flour tortillas, you don't need to fry them.
- For variety, you can use pulled pork, pressure cooker carnitas, or diced carne asada to make various types of enchiladas.
- To make vegetarian enchiladas, replace the chicken with roasted vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, corn, and black beans.
- After cooking the chicken, don't discard the chicken broth. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer and divide it into 2-cup portions in quart-size freezer bags. Freeze until needed.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, 2 bay leaves, and 4 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through; then remove from broth and cool.
- Sauté chopped onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add shredded or chopped chicken and brown for 5 more minutes. Season with 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 3 crushed garlic cloves, and cook for 1 more minute, then transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add softened, cubed cream cheese, diced green chiles, 2 cups shredded cheese, and 1 cup enchilada sauce. Stir until the cream cheese melts into the mixture.
- Fry corn tortillas in hot oil for 10 seconds on each side, then drain on paper towels. Add more oil, if needed. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, then pour ½ cup of enchilada sauce into it to coat the bottom.
- Fill each tortilla with about ⅓ cup of the chicken filling. Fold the tortilla over the filling and place the enchiladas seam-side down in the prepared pan.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then cover the pan with foil and seal. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan of enchiladas from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Rest for 15 minutes, then serve with chopped fresh cilantro, salsa, creamy guacamole, and sour cream.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Instead of frying the tortillas in oil, dip them in enchilada sauce. Although this reduces the calories, the tortilla texture will be a bit mushier.
- Some people prefer to use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas to make enchiladas. If you decide to use flour tortillas, you don't need to fry them.
- For variety, you can use pulled pork, pressure cooker carnitas, or diced carne asada to make various types of enchiladas.
- To make vegetarian enchiladas, replace the chicken with roasted vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, corn, and black beans.
- After cooking the chicken, don't discard the chicken broth. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer and divide it into 2-cup portions in quart-size freezer bags. Freeze until needed.
Connie says
Looks delicious! I can't wait to try them. I hope they turn out as pretty as yours, Hilda.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Connie! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!