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After I made this homemade green enchilada sauce from scratch, I knew I needed to whip up an easy, healthy and simple green enchiladas verdes recipe. Because who doesn’t love saucy, tangy, green chicken enchiladas? I know I do!
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Green enchiladas, also known as enchiladas verdes, are made with a roasted tomatillo sauce, shredded chicken, corn tortillas and lots of cheese. This green chicken enchilada recipe uses my easy green enchilada sauce but you can easily make this verde chicken enchiladas recipe with canned sauce if you’re pressed for time.
This recipe is a favorite in my house! Follow the recipe below and you’ll soon see why!
Tips Before You Make This Recipe
- Make the green enchilada sauce from scratch. Seriously! It’s not that much work but the roasted taste is delicious.
- Get all your ingredients and equipment ready before you start. It’ll save you a whole bunch of time to prep the chicken while the sauce is in the oven.
- Cleanup as you go. If you have time between making the sauce and the chicken, clean up as you go! I love cooking but hate ending up with a messy kitchen. Cleaning up as I go by washing every dish I use and wiping down the counters has been life changing for keeping my kitchen clean and tidy.
- Salt the water you’ll be using to cook your chicken to add a bit of flavor from the get go.
- The smaller and thinner your chicken breasts, the quicker they’ll cook. Use a meat thermometer like this one to double check that they’re cooked all the way through. You’ll be looking for the thickest part of the meat to be at 165 degrees fahrenheit.
- To save time when shredding your chicken, put it all in a mixer and use the paddle attachment to shred it. It’s super easy!
- When you’re rolling up your enchiladas make sure you use warm corn tortillas. You don’t want cold tortillas, otherwise they won’t roll properly and will break apart.
Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
- Homemade verde enchilada sauce. Get my easy recipe here.
- Shredded chicken breast. Super easy to make. Cook and prep the chicken while the verde enchilada sauce is cooking in the oven. Multitasking is your friend here!
- Corn tortillas. Super yummy, and the superior tortilla in my humble opinion. You can sub in flour tortillas if you prefer though!
- Lots and lots of cheese. Top the enchiladas with shredded. You’ll stick them under the broiler at the end to get a cheesy, bubbly, melted top.
- Optional toppings: cilantro, sour cream and avocado. Add whatever you want on top of your cooked green chicken enchiladas to make them extra creamy.
How to Make Green Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- Put the enchilada sauce ingredients in the oven.
- While the veggies are roasting in the oven, set some water to boil in a large pot or ducth oven, like this one.
- Bring the water to a boil, add salt and your chicken breasts.
- Make sure the chicken cooks all the way through, and use a meat thermometer to easily check.
- Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, let rest for a few minutes.
- Once the chicken has rested, put it in a stand mixer and mix on low or stir with the paddle attachment. Give it a minute or two for all the chicken to shred.
- Set the chicken aside.
- Once the enchilada sauce ingredients are roasted, toss them in a blender and pulse until mixed thoroughly.
- Take 1 cup of enchilada sauce and mix it with your shredded chicken. Set aside.
- Spread ½ cup of the green sauce on a 9 by 13 baking pan. This is the one I use.
- Warm up your tortillas.
- Start forming the enchiladas by placing some of the shredded chicken in the middle of the tortillas. Roll each tortilla and place in the baking pan.
- Repeat with all your tortillas, or until the baking pan is full.
- Drizzle the remaining green sauce on top of the rolled enchiladas.
- Top with shredded cheese, ensuring that you cover the whole pan.
- Stick the pan in the oven under the broiler. Eyeball it, and only take it out of the oven when the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
- Serve and enjoy!
Green Chicken Enchiladas (Easy Simple Enchiladas Verdes)
This easy shredded chicken green enchiladas come together fairly quickly for a simple weeknight meal full of authentic MExican flavors!
Ingredients
Green Enchilada Sauce
- 10 tomatillos
- 1 poblano pepper deseeded, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 anaheim pepper deseeded, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 small white onion cut in half
- 7 garlic cloves peeled
- 4 sprigs of oregano use fresh, not dried
- 1 tbsp canola oil any other oil will do as well
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/3 bunch cilantro
Everything Else
- 10 corn tortillas
- 6 cups water
- 1 tsp kosher salt to salt the cooking water
- 1 lb chicken breast, shredded
- 10 corn tortillas
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Green Enchilada Sauce
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a large cookie sheet or baking tray with parchment paper.
- Rinse all the veggies
- Cut the top of the stem off the poblano and anaheim pepper. Cut in half lengthwise (from root to tip) and take out the seeds. Cut in half again, to end up with 4 pieces of each. Set aside.
- Cut the ends off a small white onion, then cut in half. Set aside.
- Peel 7 cloves of garlic. Set aside.
- Take husks off tomatillos if you haven't already. Set aside.
- Add all veggies to the parchment lined baking sheet, add 4 sprigs of oregano.
- Drizzle the veggies with oil, and sprinkle with about 1 tsp of kosher salt.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Once 30 minutes are up, use tongs to put everything in a blender.
- Add 1/4 tsp cumin, and 1/3 cup cilantro to blender and pulse until everything comes together, about 10 seconds.
- Taste the sauce and add 1/2 tsp kosher salt if it needs more salt.
Green Chicken Enchiladas
- While the veggies are roasting in the oven, set 6 cups of water to boil in a large pot or ducth oven over high heat.
- Once the water boils, add salt and chicken breasts. Depending on the thickness of the breasts it'll take 5-15 minutes.
- Make sure the chicken cooks all the way through, and use a meat thermometer to easily check. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be at least 165°F.
- Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, let rest for a few minutes.
- Once the chicken has rested, put it in a stand mixer and mix on low or stir with the paddle attachment. Mix until the chicken is shredded, it'll take a few minutes.
- Take 1 cup of enchilada sauce and mix it with your shredded chicken. Set aside
- Spread ½ cup of the green sauce on a 9 by 13 baking pan.
- Warm up your tortillas.
- Start forming the enchiladas by placing some of the shredded chicken in the middle of the tortillas. Roll each tortilla and place in the baking pan.
- Repeat with all your tortillas, or until the baking pan is full.
- Drizzle the remaining green sauce on top of the rolled enchiladas.
- Top with shredded cheese, ensuring that you cover the whole pan.
- Stick the pan in the oven under the broiler. Eyeball it, and only take it out of the oven when the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
What to Serve with Enchiladas
One of the best things about chicken enchiladas verdes is that you can serve them by themselves and they make a pretty complete meal on their own. If you’re looking for sides though, you can make this cilantro lime rice and/or refried black beans to go along with the enchiladas
Alternatively, serve topped with avocado and/or sour cream to make them extra creamy!
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More Mexican Recipes You Might Like
1. Spicy Black Bean Soup 
2. Ranchero Shrimp 
3. Watermelon Agua Fresca
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