Covered in an easy Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde, these baked Mexican Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas are great for dinner and make tasty leftovers that everyone will be excited to eat. It’s one of my favorite recipes and is also gluten free!Â
Enchiladas are easily one of the most popular Mexican dishes in my house. Granted, my house consists of only the fiancé and I (and Charlie the Cat), but that’s besides the point. Though there are many variations involving the filling, the cheese, the tortillas, the toppings and the spice/heat level, the one thing that sets enchiladas apart from your regular old taco or burrito is that it’s covered, or in my case, smothered in a chili pepper sauce. If you like enchiladas with lots of sauce, these Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada won’t disappoint. Covered in an easy Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde, these Mexican baked enchiladas are great for dinner and make tasty leftovers that everyone will be excited to eat.
That is if you end up with any leftovers.
If you’ve never made your own enchiladas before, here’s what you’ll need.
- Tortillas – I used store-bought Mission yellow corn tortillas, but if you’re up for it, you can make your own using my easy 3-Ingredient Authentic Mexican Corn Tortillas recipe. You can also use store-bought flour tortillas or make your own using my Authentic Mexican Flour Tortillas (White & Whole Wheat Versions) recipe. I’ve got you covered.
- Salsa Verde – I highly recommend making your own salsa verde. It’s just so easy and versatile, once you make it, you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life. This recipe uses my easy Easy Salsa Verde recipe but if you’re not up for it, store-bought salsa verde works as well.
- Cheese – Lots of it! This recipe uses a Mexican shredded cheese blend that includes Monterrey Jack, Cheddar and other cheeses. But if you’ve only got cheddar or mozzarella in your fridge, that works, too.
Once you’ve got all your ingredients ready to go, just spoon some chicken into the each tortilla, roll them up into little tacos and place them a baking dish seam side down. Cover the tortillas with the salsa verde, top with cheese and bake!
I like to top my enchiladas with some chopped cilantro, green onions and tomatoes. Not only does it look pretty, but I’m obsessed with cilantro. 😉
I normally eat my enchiladas with a side salad and a dollop of sour cream but if it’s a special occasion, I’ll usually serve it with some refried beans and rice. Just like mom makes it.
If you’re interested in making a vegetarian version, I recommend stuffing the enchiladas with pinto or black beans, cheese and some chopped spinach. I promise you won’t even miss the meat. In fact, I grew up eating enchiladas stuffed with only cheese. That’s just how my mom made them. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized there were so many other variations that I’d never tried.
Though believe me, I’m DEFINITELYÂ not complaining. I love cheese! It’s one of those ingredients that I can’t help but eat when I’m preparing a recipe that uses it. Shredded cheese straight from the bag. It’s amazing.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
INGREDIENTS
For the chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or pre-cooked shredded chicken)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
For the enchiladas
- 2 cups Easy Salsa Verde recipe (or store bought salsa verde)
- 10 corn tortillas (soft flour tortillas can also be used)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- optional toppings: diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions for topping (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice chicken breast or thighs into thin strips.
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, olive oil, cumin, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and lime juice.
- Place seasoned chicken onto a large baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Warm corn tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them.
- In a 2-quart baking dish, begin to assemble the enchiladas. Spoon some of the baked chicken into a warm tortilla. Roll up like a taquito and place in baking dish, seam side down. Continue until all tortillas have been filled.
- Pour the salsa verde evenly on top of the enchiladas. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble.
- Serve with diced tomatoes, cilantro and green onions.
Olga says
So good ! My family loved it! Even my 3 year old ( picky eater) loved it. Thank you for this recipe.
Isabel says
Thanks, Olga! I’m so happy you and your family liked it 🙂
Joann says
I roasted two good sized chicken breasts and shredded it and mixed some of the salsa verde with it since I had so much if it. Then put a spoonful of refried beans on the tortilla then the chicken and rolled it up as directed. AWESOME!!!
Marti Lyle says
I made the sauce a day ahead and this came together quickly and tasted fantastic. I used a mixture of colby jack and cheddar and added some ground cumin and onion powder to the cheese because I did not have the Mexican cheese. Thanks for the recipe.
Isabel says
Thanks, Marti. I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂 Salsa verde is one of my favorite sauces. It’s so flavorful and easy to make!
DK says
Easy and delicious!!
Sarah Glass says
On my way to the store now to get everything i need! I can’t wait for the finished product! I’ll make sure to let you know how they are 🙂 Can i post pictures here?
Isabel says
Yay! I hope you love it. Instagram or Facebook are the best for sharing 🙂 If you tag me, I’d love to feature your photo on my story!
Kathryn Spencer says
Isabel-
These enchiladas are amazing and a favorite at my house! I use rotisserie chicken. After shredding the chicken I add a little chicken broth and then the oil and spices. They are so quick and easy and good enough for company! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Kathryn
Isabel says
Kathryn, I’m so happy to hear that you and your family love these enchiladas! 🙂 It’s one of my favorites, too. I mean, anything with salsa verde is amazing, right?! I love using rotisserie chicken, too, especially when I’m short on time. It’s a life saver.
Mayra says
Shared this one with ny daughter but I’m also going to give it a shot. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Isabel says
I hope you two love it!
Margie says
I made the green chili enchilidas with the your recipe for the salsa they were delicious that salsa was the excellent will definitely make them again..my husband loved them. Thank you so much..
Isabel says
I’m so happy you and your husband liked the recipe! Isn’t that salsa amazing?! You’re so welcome 🙂
Kaylee M says
Do you know any of the nutrition facts?
Isabel says
Hi Kaylee, I just added the calories to the nutrition facts. For more detailed nutrition info, I recommend adding the recipe to a food app like MyFitnessPal.
Linda says
Can you make these ahead and refrigerate over night?
Isabel says
Absolutely! I would suggest making the enchiladas and storing the sauce separately. When you’re ready to eat, just pout on some of the enchilada sauce. That way, the tortillas won’t get too soggy.
Cindy says
Ok,so if I already have cooked chicken,it seems I would stir need to add some seasoning,so what do you suggest? Thanks
Isabel says
Hey Cindy, great question! Since it’s already cooked, I would actually just make sure that’s it’s seasoned nicely with salt and pepper and that’s it. The salsa verde will give the dish enough flavor, so you should be good.
Lexy says
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?
Isabel says
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?
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen says
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. 🙂
Isabel says
Thanks so much, Kimberly! The salsa is soooo easy to make. I hope you love it!
Natalija Cameron says
So happy to have come across your blog. Love the recipes. ?
Isabel says
Thank you so much!
Francis Jose Orozco, OP says
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?
Isabel says
Let me know how they like it!
And no, nothing with a hen in a pumpkin, haha 🙂 <3 Gordon Ramsey
Jolene Heggelund says
I just made these,YUMMY! A great recipe,thank-you!
Isabel says
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Michele says
What size tortillas?
Isabel says
Hi, Michele. These are the exact corn tortillas I used – http://www.missionmenus.com/en/products/view/mission-super-size-yellow-corn-10ct. 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!
Patyi says
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
Isabel says
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 🙂
Tracy says
Does this freeze well?
Isabel says
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/
Kay Sauer says
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?
Isabel says
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.
Karly says
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!
Isabel says
Thanks, Karly! They’re as delicious as they look! Hope you enjoy!