These chicken enchiladas made with a delicious tomatillo salsa verde sauce are a fantastic recipe to serve a hungry crowd. This traditional Mexican dish is made with white corn tortillas, salsa verde, chicken breast, and queso fresco. In under an hour, you can prepare a delicious meal that will be a hit at any family dinner.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Chicken enchiladas are a tasty and satisfying dish that brings the flavors of Mexico right to your kitchen. Made with soft corn tortillas filled with juicy shredded chicken, cheese, and onions, these enchiladas are smothered in a rich enchilada sauce and baked to perfection. Whether cooking for your family or hosting a dinner with friends, chicken enchiladas are guaranteed to be a hit.

Enchiladas are perfect for summer gatherings, potlucks, and family reunions. This recipe is ideal for both beginners and experienced cooks, with simple ingredients and easy steps to create a delicious homemade meal.

Here’s everything you need to know, from ingredients to helpful tips.

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Rotisserie chicken works great too!
Garlic adds rich flavor. If you follow my recipes, you know garlic is essential in most of my dishes. Like my Roasted Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, so delicious!
Onion: White or yellow onion.
Salt: Essential for seasoning.
Tortillas: White or yellow corn tortillas. Flour tortillas aren’t the traditional choice, and they will change the texture of the dish. But hey, you’re the boss in your kitchen, so feel free to go with whatever feels right for you!

To Make the Salsa Verde (Green Enchilada Sauce):

It’s made from tomatillos, garlic, onion, jalapeño pepper, and serrano.

Note: I used garlic, and serranos, from the boiled chicken and ½ cup of the water.

Garnish:

Queso Fresco: Crumbly, slightly tangy cheese. This cheese adds a nice texture and flavor contrast.

Sour Cream:

Watch a one-minute video on how I make it!

How to make Chicken Enchiladas

The first step is to prepare the chicken.

To do this will use a method called poach. Poaching chicken breasts is a simple and healthy way to cook chicken. The result is tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken that can be used in a variety of dishes, including chicken enchiladas.

In a large pot, add the chicken breasts, garlic cloves, serranos, Anaheim pepper, salt, and black pepper. Pour enough water into the pot to completely cover the chicken breasts. I am using 4 cups of water to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked (about 20–25 minutes).
After cooking the chicken in the pot, carefully remove it and set it aside. Keep the garlic and serranos separated to prepare the enchilada sauce, and reserve some cooking water. Next, shred the chicken.

Once your chicken is cooked, you can shred it using one of these two methods:

1. Using Two Forks ( take a look at the video above):

Place the cooked chicken on a plate or cutting board.
Use two forks to pull the chicken apart into shreds.
Repeat with each chicken breast.

2. Using a Stand Mixer:
Add the cooked chicken breasts to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Attach the paddle and lock the tilt head if your mixer has one.
Turn the mixer on low, and in about 15 seconds, your chicken will be shredded.
That’s it! Choose the method that works best for you. For the chicken to be extra moist, add a little bit of the liquid from the pan to the chicken and toss to combine.

Of course, you could easily buy a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket or roast a chicken yourself. I have this herb-roasted chicken; however, this will slightly alter the authentic flavor of the enchiladas, but they will still be delicious.

How to prepare the Green Enchilada Sauce:

Peel the tomatillos and cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membrane from the bottom to the top of each half.
In a pot, add the tomatillos and jalapeno pepper. Pour in some water and simmer over high heat for about 10 minutes until they are soft.

Meanwhile, roast the poblano peppers until the skins are charred.

Place them in a closed container to sweat. Once cooled, peel off the skins and remove the seeds and stems. If you prefer, you can also roast the tomatillos and jalapeno peppers.

In a blender, add the tomatillos, roasted poblano peppers, serranos, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Pour in the chicken broth and blend until smooth.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until it is smoking. Quickly add the tomatillo sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to bubble. Add the chicken bouillon and stir well. Adjust seasoning as needed. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes more.

Assemble the Enchiladas:

Dip each tortilla into the green enchilada sauce to coat both sides.

Place a portion of shredded chicken in the center of each tortilla and roll it up.

Arrange the rolled tortillas seam-side down on a serving dish.

Pour the remaining green enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Garnish with cheese and sour cream. The enchiladas are ready to eat.

If you would like to go the extra step and bake place them in a baking dish instead.

Optional Baking Step:

1. If you prefer a baked finish, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Place the sauced enchiladas in a baking dish.
3. Optional: Sprinkle with shredded cheese for an extra gooey finish.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20–25 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.

Serve and Enjoy:
Serve the enchiladas hot, garnished with extra queso fresco, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Tips

Roasting Peppers: Roasting the poblano peppers adds a deep, smoky flavor to the sauce. You can do this directly over a gas flame or under the broiler.
Tomatillos: Remove the husks and rinse the sticky residue off the tomatillos before using them.
Spice Level: Serranos can be quite spicy. If you prefer a milder sauce, use fewer serranos or substitute with jalapeños.
Make Ahead: You can prepare the enchilada sauce and shredded chicken a day in advance. This makes assembly quick and easy on the day you plan to serve them.
Serving Suggestions: These enchiladas are great with a side of Mexican rice, refried beans, or a fresh green salad.

I hope you enjoy making and eating these Chicken Enchiladas Verdes as much as I do. They’re a hit in my house, and I’m sure they will be in yours too! Let me know how they turn out!

Below you will find a convenient printable recipe card. ↓
Give this recipe a try, and then leave a comment below to let me know how it turns out. I hope that your family enjoys it as much as we do!

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Tell me what you think of this recipe, and if you have any questions, don’t forget to get in touch with me. I’m always happy to hear from YOU.

Until the next one…

Easy Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)