This creamy and delicious green enchilada recipe (Enchiladas Verde) is sure to become your new favorite! Made with tender chicken and a zesty green enchilada sauce, it’s easily vegetarian-adaptable. Video.
After years of perfecting these green enchiladas, first at our restaurant and then in my catering business, I have to say this is hands down one of my favorite enchilada recipes of all time.
The secret is in the sauce: The green enchilada sauce is heavenly- made with poblano chili peppers, fresh tomatillos, onion, garlic, and Mexican spices – it’s creamy without any dairy!
The filling is adaptable! Made with corn, melty cheese, and your choice of tender chicken (or black beans) it can easily be vegetarian or vegan.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Their FLAVOR! The Green Enchilada Sauce is so delicious! Paired with the smokey, spicy, sweet flavors from the filling, they complement each other nicely- I love the combination!
- They can be made ahead! Or make it in stages -make the filling one day, make the Green Enchilada Sauce on another, and assemble the day of. And this is the perfect meal to freeze!
- They are adaptable! Make some with chicken or keep them vegetarian with black beans and corn! Make them vegan with vegan cheese.
- Great for repurposing chicken. Use leftover rotisserie chicken or roast chicken, or turkey, baked chicken or Instant Pot shredded chicken, Grilled chicken or smoked chicken. All you need is two cups of cooked chicken- breast or thighs.
Green Enchilada Recipe ingredients
- Chicken or Blackbeans– use cooked chicken breast, thighs, or one can of black beans.
- Poblano chili peppers – fresh poblanos give the best color and flavor!
- Tomatillos – fresh tomatillos add a beautiful zesty bright flavor.
- Onion and Garlic– add savory depth.
- Mexican Spices–
- Cheese– queso fresco, Monterey Jack cheese or pepper jack cheese
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Corn tortillas– or flour tortillas or a blend of both.
How to Make Green Enchiladas (instructions)
Step 1: Make the Green enchilada Sauce
Make the sauce: Roast or grill the poblanos peppers. It’s very easy to roast poblanos directly on a gas flame. Get them black on all sides turning with tongs (the blackened skin will all be removed).
Tip: If you don’t have a gas burner, you can roast in your oven or place on a hot grill. You can also just dice them and simply saute them in a little oil until tender to save time.)
After they are blackened, wrap them in foil for 5 minutes so they continue steaming. Rinse under cool water, rubbing the skins off with your fingers.
Blend up the green enchilada sauce ingredients in a blender- it gets creamy without any dairy! Use half of the poblanos in the sauce and save half for the filling.
Step 2: Make the Enchilada Filling.
Dice up the remaining roasted poblanos finely for the enchilada filling. Chop or shred the cooked chicken. (See notes for a vegetarian version with blackbeans!)
Cut the fresh corn off the cob.
In a pan, saute onion, fresh corn, garlic, and spices, then add the diced poblano chiles and the chicken (or sub a can of drained black beans.) Mix in a little of the green enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with a good amount of cilantro.
Step 3: Assemeble the Green Enchiladas
Warm the corn tortillas so they are pliable ( in the oven, grill over a gas flame, or in the microwave.) Stack them up, wrap them in a towel, and have everything near you to begin filling the tortillas.
Place a little green enchilada sauce in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture and a little cheese, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the tortillas.
Place seam side down in the sauce.
You may have more filling than you need for 8 enchiladas, so either spoon the remaining filling along the edges of the casserole dish, or make a few more enchiladas in another smaller dish, or save the filling and use later in tacos or quesadillas.
Lather with the remaining green enchilada sauce and a little more cheese.
Step 4: Bake!
Bake the enchiladas uncovered in a 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melty.
Garnish with fresh cilantro, a dollop of sour cream (or avocado) and hot sauce.
Chef’s Tips
- You can also bake these in individual baking dishes – great for mixed households with both vegetarians and meat eaters. We often do this when it’s just the two of us, and I fill them especially full.
- These can easily be made plant-based with black beans and vegan cheese.
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enchiladas Verde can also be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer, baked, or unbaked. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.
Green Enchiladas Serving Suggestions
Serve with any of the following:
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Cilantro Lime Rice (Mexican Rice)
- Mexican Pinto Beans
- Cucumber Salad
- Mexican Papaya Salad
More favorite enchilada recipes
On the homefront: we are halfway through our wedding catering season. Brian and I are still talking (mostly) – although we do seem to retreat into our own corners of the house often. As you know, because I’m sure I’ve said this a hundred times before – working together has its challenges.
As I sit here and write this quiet morning, he sits across from me on the couch, deeply involved in his reading, each in our own world. Yet my feet gently rest on his calf, and somehow it is enough. Our quiet mornings together are so healing, washing away the grit of the previous day.
Here, before the “busyness” of the day, I feel most deeply myself, most deeply connected, present and awake. My practice continues to be, how to carry this with me throughout the rest of the day. It is always a challenge. Sometimes I literally feel like two different people, this me, and “crazy, stressed” out me. I’m sure many of you can relate…
Ok. I hope you enjoy this chicken enchilada recipe and have a beautiful weekend!
xoxo
You may also like:
- Roasted Enchilada Sauce
- White Chicken Enchiladas (or Cauliflower!)
- 5 Minute Enchilada Sauce
- Farmers Market Veggie Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans
- Enchilada Casserole with Sweet Potato, Corn and Black beans
- Roasted Butternut Enchiladas with Mole Sauce
- Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Watch how to Make Green Enchiladas
Green Enchiladas (Enchiladas Verde)
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Main, vegetarian main,
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
This creamy, delicious green enchilada recipe (Enchiladas Verde) is sure to become your new favorite! Made with tender chicken and a zesty green enchilada sauce. Vegetarian-adaptable. Video
Ingredients
- 3 large poblano chiles, divided –save half for the Enchilada Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 corn on the cob, shucked and kernels removed (or use 1 cup frozen )
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast or thighs – either grilled chicken, smoked chicken, baked chicken breast, shredded chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken, or sub 1 can black beans (drained) for vegetarians.
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces crumbled queso fresco cheese (or use shredded Mexican cheese blend or vegan cheese)
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 8 x 6-inch corn/flour tortillas, toasted or grilled
Green Enchilada Sauce:
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, washed and quartered (leave raw!)
- 1 cup diced white onion or two shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2–1 jalapeno (optional)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tsp of sugar
- —–
- 1/2 cup cilantro- chopped
Garnishes: fresh cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce
Instructions
- Char all sides of the 3 poblano chilis over a gas burner or roast them in an oven. Once nicely charred, or tender, wrap in foil or paper bag and let steam for 10 minutes until softened.
- Make the filling: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat and add the onion. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes until tender, turn the heat down to medium and add garlic. Saute 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the corn, turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking 5 more minutes. Add diced chicken or black beans and season with salt, pepper and spices, sautéing until warmed through. Turn heat off.
- Remove poblano chilies from the foil and rinse under running water, rubbing the charred skin off with your fingers. Remove seeds and stem. Dice the chilies and add half to the filling, reserving the other half for the Green Enchilada Sauce. Add the cilantro to the filling and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F
- Make the Green Enchilada Sauce: To a blender, add the remaining roasted poblano, raw tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeno, water, coriander, salt, pepper, olive oil, lime juice and sugar. Yes, the tomatillos are raw here! Blend until smooth. Pour into a medium pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 5-6 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in chopped cilantro. Mix 1/4 cup of this Green sauce to the filling.
- Toast the tortillas over a stovetop gas burner using tongs, or toast in the oven or over a grill, or in a microwave. You just want to warm up them so they become pliable, to prevent breaking while rolling. Wrap in a towel.
- Assemble enchiladas: In a large 9 x 13 greased baking dish, pour just enough Verde sauce to lightly coat the bottom. On a warm tortilla, place 2 -3 tablespoons cheese in a line down the center. Top with a ⅓ cup of filling. Roll tightly, placing it seam side down in the baking dish right on top of the sauce. Continue assembling the enchiladas until the baking dish is full. You should have 8 enchiladas.
- Surround the sides any remaining filling (Or save the filling for quesadillas or tacos!) Smother the tops with the remaining poblano sauce, sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melty.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and hot sauce.
Notes
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the fridge. This can be made ahead and frozen.
Instead of charring the poblanos, you can dice them and saute them in a little oil- no peeling required.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one chicken enchilada
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 577.7 mg
- Fat: 15.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
- Fiber: 4.3 g
- Protein: 24.4 g
- Cholesterol: 64.4 mg
LOVE THIS! One of my most favorite recipes from the whole feastathome site. It takes me hours to make it. It is not hard, just takes a long time. But it is so worth the time. I use the tortillas from Costco that have to be cooked prior to rolling… and I add some more veggies. Somehow I always end up with extra sauce. When I make it, I make a lot and freeze it. I have used grilled chicken and shredded. I like the shredded better.
Appreciate this helpful review Silvia. Such a good idea to make and freeze! Really happy you enjoy this one!
This is one of my favorite recipes to treat my clients to. I’m making this for a new client of mine and I’m doing a tortilla soup as a starter, so thinking to use flour tortillas instead which is what I traditionally do. If I did corn tortillas, do you have a brand you recommend that is the 6-inch size? I usually only find them in 4 inches.
Hi Andrea, I usually opt for organic tortillas – either Rudys, or Tortilla factory. They may have 5-6 inch versions.
First time trying your enchilada recipe. It was so good. You speak my food language.🙂
Thank you for this recipe.
Aww thanks Eileen, so glad you gave it a try!
That was a lot of work for a meh outcome. The sauce looked great before baking, but any creamy appearance disappeared while baking and the result was a mushy mess. It didn’t even look appetizing. The enchiladas fell apart completely.
I am sorry to hear this Casylvia, what type of tortillas did you use? Also did you bake covered or uncovered? Just trying to figure out what may have happend. 🙂
Amazing! I made it today and froze it. Any directions on what I should do differently when baking from frozen? Thank you!
Hi Raquel, thaw completely overnight in the fridge, then let it come to room temp before baking.
Good use of tomatillos and corn! I used the Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe from here and it came out well. We ended up with extra filling so we just made extra enchiladas, no complaints there!
Glad you gave it a try Elisabeth!
Would there be a good substitute for corn? We cannot have. Thank you.
Here are a few ideas for substitutes-cauliflower, beans, quinoa, or rice?
I made a plant-based version of this for my in-home meal prep clients and they LOVED it soooo much! I had a sampling myself and they were thee best enchiladas I have ever had. Hands down! Thank you for the inspo!
Awesome Drea!
I love this recipe. I do not have access to fresh tomatillos and have to use tinned, but it still tastes amazing and well worth the effort. My husband has decided to go veggo, and you are literally saving my sanity.
Oh good Anne, so glad we can help!
Is it possible to make recipes printer friendly please?
Are you seeing the print button in the recipe card?
SO, SO Good! Made ours as written with black beans. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed!
Hi, first recipe I’ve cooked from your site. Good one! But the layout of your recipe, ingredients and then two sets of instructions, sauce,filling, was very cumbersome. Gonna print it out and make again, with less goop on my iPad for sure!
Hi there, just use the jump to the recipe button on the top of the page. Also, just a heads up, using Safari on an I pad, is challenging, I’d use chrome or another browser.