Enchiladas Verdes! Shredded chicken wrapped in warm corn tortillas coated in homemade enchilada sauce made with charred tomatillos, poblano pepper, serrano chiles, and onion then baked until the cheese is melted. You are going to love this recipe!
My family loves this Enchiladas Verdes recipe.
Well, my family minus Armando who can’t eat dairy and happens to be in Hungary for the next month, so let me clarify by saying, my family members living in the house at the moment, love these enchiladas.
This enchiladas recipe is on the list of things I make when Armando goes out of town. This list consists of things he either can’t or won’t eat. Would you like to know the other recipes on the list?
Pancakes (for dinner), American tacos (hardshell tacos filled with ground beef and shredded cheese), Cereal and toast (not really a recipe), and waffles (for dinner). Clearly we eat a lot of breakfast foods for dinner when he is away.
If Armando could eat things like sour cream and cheese he would love these chicken enchiladas too. They are bathed in a tart salsa verde, full of tender shredded chicken breast, and are a cozy, comforting meal that just makes you feel good.
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What You Need To Make Enchiladas Verdes
This is what you’ll need to make homemade enchilada sauce and the enchiladas. If you’d like to use store-bought sauce that’ll work too.
*This recipe has spicy ingredients in it, but with all the chicken and cheese and tortillas it is not spicy at all, so don’t be afraid to follow as written.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken or any cooked and shredded chicken
- Tomatillos. New to tomatillos? Check out our post on all things tomatillos.
- White onion. Use half of the onion for the salsa and the other half, thinly sliced, for garnish.
- Serrano chiles or jalapeños. Remove the seeds if you’d like things less spicy.
- Garlic. Whole cloves peeled, for the salsa.
- Cilantro for the salsa and sprinkling over the top.
- Salt and pepper. I always use Morton kosher salt unless otherwise specified.
- Poblano pepper also sometimes labeled Pasilla pepper.
- Arbol chili powder or a milder chili powder like guajillo, ancho, or whichever you have in your cupboard.
- Corn tortillas. Please do not use flour tortillas. They will fall apart and become a mushy mess.
- Vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Mexican crema or sour cream.
- Queso fresco or your favorite cheese, Monterey Jack, queso Oaxaca, or mozzarella would work.
How To Make This Enchiladas Verdes Recipe
This isn’t what I’d call an easy recipe, but so worth the extra few steps.
A quick note on making ahead: These enchiladas are best eaten right away. I don’t recommend freezing them. If you want to get a head start on prep, the salsa can be made up to 3 days in advance.
step one
Char the veggies for the salsa. Char the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serranos in a dry cast iron skillet or comal over high heat until lightly blackened on all sides. Turn them frequently, this should take about 15 minutes.
step two
Char the poblano. Char the poblano pepper over the open flame of your gas stove, turning frequently until the skin is blackened on all sides. Place in a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
When cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin with your fingers or a damp paper towel. Remove the core and seeds and rinse under running water.
*If you don’t have a gas stove you can also place the poblano under the broiler or on a grill to char the skin. If you do the broiler, place it as close to the heat as possible.
step three
Blend. Combine the charred vegetables, cilantro, teaspoon of salt, arbol chili powder, and 1/2 cup of water in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour sauce into a large bowl. Be careful blending hot ingredients.
* This makes an awesome salsa all on its own. Make a double batch and serve the extra alongside the enchiladas or have for later in the week to use as a dip or for tacos, rice bowls, eggs, lots of different things.
** To make the sauce creamier (more Enchilada Suizas style) add 1/2 cup of the crema to the blender with the other sauce ingredients and blend.
step four
Fry tortillas. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. While you wait for the oil to heat, preheat oven to 350°F.
Test to see if the oil is ready by dipping one side of a tortilla in the oil, bubbles should immediately cover the tortilla. If not, give it a few more minutes to heat up.
Once the oil is hot enough, add a tortilla one at a time into the oil and fry briefly, about 15 seconds a side. Lay tortillas in a stack on a baking sheet as you fry them. Frying the tortilla fortifies them and keeps them from getting too soggy and breaking down when covered in the sauce. It also prevents them from cracking when you roll them.
step five
Dip and fill. Before you begin assembling the enchiladas, spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Take each tortilla and dip both sides into the enchilada sauce. Lay on a baking sheet or plate and fill with 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture. Roll up to enclose the chicken and lay in the baking dish seam side down. 12 enchiladas will fit in the pan, you just need to squeeze them in there.
Pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and cover with foil.
step six
Bake. Bake enchiladas at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, take off the foil and top with crumbled queso fresco. Return to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and soft and starting to brown.
step seven
Serve. Drizzle with crema and sprinkle with remaining queso fresco, chopped cilantro and thinly sliced white onion. Serve immediately while still hot.
What To Serve With The Enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas tend to be party food made to feed a crowd. Here’s how I like to round out the meal.
- Sofrito Black Beans
- Pickled Red Onions
- Slow Cooker Borracho Beans
- Cilantro-Lime Slaw
- Super Creamy Authentic Horchata
More Dinner Ideas To Try!
- Authentic Chiles Rellenos
- Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Shredded Beef Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}
- Healthy Taco Salad with Sweet Citrus Dressing
- Red Wine and Garlic Marinated London Broil
- Chicken Flautas Mexicanas
- Oven-Roasted Cochinita Pibil
¡Buen Provecho!
I hope you love these Enchiladas Verdes as much as we do! Let me know when you make them by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Enchiladas Verdes with Chicken
Enchiladas Verdes! Shredded chicken wrapped in warm corn tortillas coated in homemade enchilada sauce made with charred tomatillos, poblano pepper, serrano chiles, and onion then baked until the cheese is melted. You are going to love this recipe!
Ingredients
For the Salsa Verde
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
- 1/2 large white onion, quartered
- 2 serrano chiles, stemmed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon arbol chile powder
For the Enchiladas Verdes
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 1/4 cups crumbled queso fresco, divided
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema, plus more for serving
- 1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
For the Salsa
1. Char veggies. Heat a large cast iron skillet or comal over high heat. Add tomatillos, onion, serranos, and garlic and char, turning occasionally until the skin is blistered and blackend on all sides. The garlic will cook faster than the other vegetables so remove it when it becomes golden brown.
2. Char poblano. Place the poblano chile directly over the flame on your gas stove and char, turning ocassionally until the skin is blackened on all sides. Remove to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit, steaming, until cool enough to handle.
3. Peel poblano. Once cool enough to handle, peel the blackened skin off with your fingers or a wet paper towel. It's okay if not every last bit comes off. Cut off the stem and remove the seeds. Rinse any remaining seeds and skin under running water.
4. Blend. Combine the charred tomatillos, onion, serranos, garlic, and poblano in a blender. Add remaining salsa ingredients and blend on high until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. You should have about 3 cups of salsa.
For the Enchiladas Verdes
1. Heat oven. Heat oven to 350°F and have a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and a baking sheet ready.
2. Fry tortillas. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Check to see if oil is hot enough after a few minutes by sticking one side of a tortilla in the oil. It should be immediately covered with bubbles. If not, give it another couple of minutes. Once oil is ready fry each tortilla one at a time for about 15 seconds per side. Stack fried tortillas on the baking sheet.
3. Fill and roll. Spread 1 cup of the salsa on the bottom of the baking dish. Take each tortilla one at a time and dip both sides into the salsa. Fill with about 1/4 cup of the shredded chicken and roll the tortilla up to enclose the filling. Lay seam-side-down in the baking dish.
4. Bake. Spread any remaining salsa on top of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven, take off foil and crumble 1 cup of the queso fresco all over the top of the enchiladas. Return to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is soft and brown in some spots.
5. Serve. Drizzle crema all over the enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of queso fresco, sliced onions and cilantro and season all over with salt and pepper. Serve immediatley while still hot.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 754Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 1336mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 44g
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