These chicken enchiladas with green sauce require only 10 minutes of prep and make the perfect comfort food any night of the week. This flavor-packed dish features garlic-infused chicken wrapped in soft tortillas and topped with melted cheese and the best green chile sauce.
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Cheesy, seasoned chicken topped with a spicy, flavorful sauce. What's not to love? If you're looking for comfort food, this green enchilada recipe is the perfect solution.
Save time by prepping the chicken ahead of time in your instant pot (or stove top), and these enchiladas will come together even quicker.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make from scratch - or use store-bought shortcuts!
- Hands-off with just 15 minutes of actual cooking
- Easy to prep ahead: make the chicken and the green sauce ahead of time and just assemble and cook when it's dinner time
- Loaded with flavor - especially if you use homemade ingredients
- Adjust to your palate when making it from scratch - make it more or less spicy, and include or omit any ingredients you don't enjoy
- Freezer friendly, so make a batch and enjoy whenever cravings strike!
What you need to make them
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Corn tortillas: Flour tortillas do not work as well and will end up soggy
- Chicken: Homemade shredded chicken is best and most flavorful, but you can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time
- Green enchilada sauce: homemade is best, but store-bought works as well. If using store-bought sauce, I like the salsa verde one from Trade Joe's.
- Shredded cheese: you can use any cheese so long as it melts well. I love Tex-Mex cheese blend for this type of recipes.
- Fresh cilantro: this herb helps bring out the traditional Mexican flavor. However, if you don't like it, just skip it.
How to make them
- Mix shredded chicken with half of the enchilada sauce in a bowl
- Add in 1 cup of shredded cheese
- Mix in the fresh cilantro until everything is well combined
- To make the enchiladas, place a corn tortilla on a plate and add some of the chicken mixture in the middle before folding it
- Place the enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish and repeat this process until all the enchiladas are made
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the folded tortillas and try to spread it out as evenly as possible
- Sprinkle on the remaining cheese
- Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden
Tips & tricks
- Make sure your tortillas are soft before filling them (not straight from the fridge) or they won't fold as well. If they're a bit hard, pop them in the oven for a few minutes first.
- Don't overfill: if you stuff the corn tortillas with too much filling, they'll be difficult to fold
- If the enchiladas brown too much, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil
- If the enchiladas are not browning you may need to raise the temperature
- Serve the enchiladas with a side of sour cream, fresh lime wedges, and a sprinkling of cilantro
Storing, freezing & reheating
Storing: Let the enchiladas cool down completely, then store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
Freezing: Theese enchiladas freeze really well. Let them cool completely and then place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: the enchiladas can be made the day before. To reheat them, bake them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and they're heated through.
Make ahead: You can make these enchiladas the day before. Reheat in the oven covered with aluminum foil for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted again.
Prep ahead: If making this in advance, the best way is to roll up the enchiladas and place them in the baking dish, and then wait to pour over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until just before serving.
More quick & easy Mexican dishes
Looking for more quick & easy Mexican-inspired dishes to try?
- Black Bean Tacos with Feta Cheese & Pico de Gallo
- Easy Homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa
- Mexican Potatoes with Lime & Cilantro
- Mexican Chicken Marinade
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
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Recipe
Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce
Print RateServings: 4
Calories: 907kcal
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cooking chicken 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
Shredded Chicken
- 1 whole chicken
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 cups water
Chicken Enchildas with Green Sauce
- 2 cups shredded chicken homemade or rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups green enchilada sauce divided
- 2.5 cups shredded cheese divided
- 8 medium-sized corn tortillas
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro optional, or use more/less
Instructions
Shredded Chicken (Stove Top)
- Place a whole chicken in a large pot and add chopped garlic, salt and water. Boil 45 minutes or more until chicken is cooked through and meat falls off the bone.1 whole chicken, ½ tablespoon salt, 4 garlic cloves, 4 cups water
- Set chicken aside to cool slightly, then pick the meat off the bones and shred the chicken breasts using two forks. Save the liquid to use as chicken broth.
Shredded Chicken (Instant Pot)
- Place a whole chicken in the Instant Pot and add chopped garlic, salt and water. Close the lid and set to cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes (about 6 minutes per pound of chicken). Make sure "Keep Warm" is turned off.1 whole chicken, ½ tablespoon salt, 4 garlic cloves, 4 cups water
- When the pressure cooking cycle is over, leave to release pressure naturally for 15 minutes. After this you can use the quick release valve to release the last of the pressure.
- Set chicken aside to cool slightly, then pick the meat off the bones and shred the chicken breasts using two forks. Save the liquid to use as chicken broth.
Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃) and bring out a large oven safe dish.
- Place shredded chicken in a large bowl and add half of the enchilada sauce,1 cup of shredded cheese (for 4 servings) and all of the fresh cilantro. Mix well.2 cups shredded chicken, 2 cups green enchilada sauce, 2.5 cups shredded cheese, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Make the enchiladas one at a time by placing a corn tortilla on a plate and adding 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken mixture in the middle. Fold into an enchilada and place seam down in the oven-safe dish. Repeat until you have made all the enchiladas.8 medium-sized corn tortillas
- Pour over the remaining green sauce as evenly as possible, then sprinkle over the remaining cheese.2 cups green enchilada sauce, 2.5 cups shredded cheese
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 350℉ (175℃) for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.
Notes
- Make sure your tortillas are soft before filling them (not straight from the fridge) or they won't fold as well. If they're a bit hard, pop them in the oven for a few minutes first.
- Don't overfill: if you stuff the corn tortillas with too much filling, they'll be difficult to fold
- If the enchiladas brown too much, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil
- If the enchiladas are not browning you may need to raise the temperature
- Storing: Let the enchiladas cool down completely, then store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freezing: Theese enchiladas freeze really well. Let them cool completely and then place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: the enchiladas can be made the day before. To reheat them, bake them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and they're heated through.
- Make ahead: You can make these enchiladas the day before. Reheat in the oven covered with aluminum foil for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted again.
- Prep ahead: If making this in advance, the best way is to roll up the enchiladas and place them in the baking dish, and then pour over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 907kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 74g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 251mg | Sodium: 3458mg | Potassium: 705mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1705IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 452mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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