Green Chile Enchiladas Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for details.
Looking for an easy recipe for busy weeknights? Your answer is these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas! It’s an easy, family-friendly recipe that is quick to make and super tasty. With just a few simple steps, you can bust out a, cheesy, flavor-packed batch that will have everyone asking for seconds!
With years of planning meals around busy family schedules, I’ve learned how to build recipes that are fast, balanced, and still taste good! These Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas come together in a few easy steps and with help from the grocery store along the way. Using canned chiles and premade salsa verde, you can cut out making your own complicated sauce and setting off the smoke detector from burning peppers. These are fast, flavorful, and a reader favorite.
You Will Love This Green Chile Enchiladas Recipe
Flour tortillas are filled with a flavorful mixture of shredded chicken, diced green chiles, melty cheese, and creamy sour cream. Topped with a layer of spicy salsa verde and even more cheese, these chicken enchiladas are bubbling with flavor and spice. It’s a meal the whole family will love, and it’s a great way to use up leftover chicken!
Full amounts and instructions are listed on the recipe card.
Green Chile Enchiladas Ingredients
- Prepared salsa verde or green enchilada sauce- use your favorite variety. The green sauce is what makes these “green chicken enchiladas”.
- Shredded chicken- You can use pre-shredded chicken from the grocery store or shred your own cooked chicken breasts.
- Shredded cheese- I use the Mexican blend but feel free to use Monterey jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, or a blend of all.
- Taco seasoning- You can use homemade taco seasoning or a packet of the prepared stuff. This adds a ton of flavor and seasoning to the filling.
- Chopped green chiles- For extra spice and flavor.
- Sour cream- This will help bind the filling and make it creamy.
- Flour or corn tortillas- Use whatever brand you like best! My personal preference is flour tortillas for this recipe because they don’t crack like corn tortillas.
Equipment You’ll need
- 13×9″ baking dish
How to Make Green Chile Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 400° and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Pour 1/2 cup of salsa verde on the bottom of a 13×9″ casserole dish. Swirl the pan around or use a spoon to lightly coat the bottom of the pan with the salsa. Set aside
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, taco seasoning, green chiles, and sour cream. Mix until everything is evenly blended.
4. Fill the center of each tortilla with the shredded chile chicken mixture. Roll the filled tortillas into tubes and place seam side down into the prepared baking dish.
5. Continue filling and rolling the remaining tortillas and place them all seam side down in the baking dish.
6. Pour 1 cup of the salsa verde over the top of the tortillas.
7. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
8. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbly.
9. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and let them sit for 5-10 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Tips for Making this Green Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
- Spray the bottom of your baking dish or add a little green sauce to prevent sticking.
- Don’t overfill the tortillas to keep the filling in place.
- Use low-sodium taco seasoning with rotisserie or pre-shredded chicken to avoid excess salt.
- Drain the green chiles to prevent a runny filling.
- Let the enchiladas rest for a few minutes before serving to help the filling set.
- To avoid mushy flour tortillas, limit the amount of salsa verde or enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish.
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Recipe Variations
- You can use 4-6 ounces of room temperature cream cheese in place of sour cream in this recipe.
- Omit the green chiles to make the enchiladas more mild.
- Use shredded chicken thighs, or swap out the chicken for shredded pork or beef.
- Add extra chili powder, garlic, and onion to the filling to make these extra spicy.
- Use your favorite gluten-free tortillas in place of the flour tortillas.
- Either a salsa verde or enchilada sauce will work for this recipe.
Hint: Traditional medium-heat salsa makes a great substitute for enchilada sauce and salsa verde as well.
How to Serve Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
I love plating up two enchiladas per person and topping them with sour cream, diced avocado, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Serve alongside some seasoned Mexican rice, a refried beans or seasoned black beans, and refreshing pico de gallo.
Storing Green Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce
These enchiladas taste just as amazing the following day and are freezer-friendly too! Consider doubling the recipe – bake one for tonight’s dinner and freeze the other for an easy weeknight meal option when you need it the next time.
Storing Leftovers
Allow your enchiladas to cool completely before transferring leftovers to an airtight container. Once transferred, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat leftovers you have stored in the fridge, you can simply microwave your enchiladas or re-bake in the oven at 350° until warmed through.
Freezing and Baking
Chicken enchiladas make a fantastic freezer meal! To do this, prepare a 13×9 foil or freezer safe baking dish by pouring 1/2 cup of salsa verde on the bottom. Prepare the chicken and green chile filling as stated in the recipe and fill and roll the tortillas. Place the rolled tortillas in the baking dish and top with 1 cup of salsa verde. Do not top with cheese at this point.
Wrap the pan in plastic twice and then with a layer of aluminum foil. This will prevent freezer burn. Pop the enchiladas into the freezer, and freeze for up to a month.
When you’re ready to bake, remove the frozen enchiladas from the freezer and set them on the counter while you preheat the oven to 350°. They won’t need to be thawed.
Remove any plastic wrap and top the baking dish with a fresh sheet of foil.
Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes.
Remove the enchiladas from the oven and remove the foil. Turn the oven temperature up to 400°.
Top the enchiladas with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and finish baking the enchiladas at 400° for 25-30 minutes until the cheese has browned and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve with your favorite toppings like sour cream, guacamole, and salsa!
Green Chile Enchiladas Recipe FAQs
These are two different recipes, but the ingredients are very similar. Salsa verde is usually based in roasted veggiesu002du002dlike tomatillos, chiles, and jalapenosu002du002dand then blended. It’s fresher than enchilada sauce and tends to have a bit more texture.
A green chile enchilada sauce can have the same ingredients as salsa verde, but in some recipes, it is simmered to reduce the liquid and thicken the sauce. Often, a form of dairy or cornstarch is added for thickening and to make the sauce more creamy. Enchilada sauce also tends to be pureed a lot smoother than a salsa verde.
Yes! I actually prefer using flour tortillas over corn tortillas for these enchiladas.
Flour tortillas crisp up around the edges beautifully and they don’t crack as easily as corn tortillas dou002du002dso your filling stays perfectly in place!
The flour tortillas will hold up just as well as corn tortillas in the freezer too if you plan on making a freezer meal out of these enchiladas.
Pairings
I love serving these chile and chicken enchiladas with the recipes below:
Similar Recipes You’ll Love
Save This Recipe
Just enter your email below and we will send this recipe right to your inbox, plus we will send more yummy recipes and ideas.
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of prepared salsa verde
- 2 cups (10 oz) of cooked, shredded chicken
- 3 cups (10 oz) of your favorite shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 1/4 cup of homemade taco seasoning or 1 packet (1 oz) of prepared taco seasoning
- 1 can (7oz) of chopped green chiles, drained
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 8-9 6″ flour or corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Pour 1/2 cup of salsa verde on the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish. Swirl the pan around or use a spoon to lightly coat the bottom of the pan with the salsa. Set aside
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, taco seasoning, green chiles, and sour cream. Mix until everything is evenly blended.
- Fill each tortilla with 3 tablespoons of the shredded chicken mixture. Roll the filled tortillas into tubes and place them seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Continue filling and rolling the tortillas and place them all seam side down in the baking dish.
- Pour 1 cup of the salsa verde over the top of the tortillas. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Place the baking dish into a 400° oven and bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbly.
- Remove the enchiladas from the oven and let them sit 5-10 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
