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Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas are a family-friendly weeknight dinner that comes together in no time, but tastes like you worked on it all day! You’ll love this saucy, cheesy recipe, made with simple store-bought ingredients.
A Super-Easy Chicken Dinner with Tons of Flavor!
When you want to spice up your menu, you can’t go wrong with Tex-Mex favorites like salsa verde chicken enchiladas! This recipe is loaded with tangy tomatillo salsa, seasoned with a blend of earthy spices, and loaded with melted cheese. Each bite is like a party in your mouth!
But, the thing I truly love about this recipe, in addition to how tasty it is, is the convenience of it. Do you ever pick up a rotisserie chicken and think, “Um, what should I do with this?” Not anymore. Do this, my friend. Do this.
All you have to do is grab that chicken and some jars of salsa verde, and dinner is practically done! While enchiladas are typically thought of as a time-consuming home-cooked meal, this version is so quick to prepare and only takes a short time to bake. The whole process takes about half an hour – I kid you not.
The result? A casserole of warm, fragrant corn tortillas, filled with cheesy chicken, in a healthy sauce that’s guaranteed to have you coming back for more.
What You’ll Need
Okay, so let’s talk ingredients for this recipe! It doesn’t take much to make an amazing batch of salsa verde chicken enchiladas, and it doesn’t take much time, either! That’s especially true when you use rotisserie chicken, like I do. Here’s the scoop:
- Chicken: Debone a small rotisserie chicken, and discard the skin as well. Shred the chicken lightly with two forks.
- Olive Oil: A small amount of oil adds richness to the filling and helps keep it moist.
- Spices: The spices I use for this recipe are cumin, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. The rest of the spiciness comes from the salsa. Easy!
- Salt and Pepper
- Salsa Verde: You’ll need a generous amount of salsa verde – for spreading in the bottom of the baking dish, blending into the filling, and spreading on top of the enchiladas.
- Cheese: I like to use shredded Mexican blend cheese. You could also use provolone, mozzarella, Colby Jack, or whatever you like!
- Tortillas: Six-inch corn tortillas work beautifully in this recipe.
Is Salsa Verde the Same as Enchilada Sauce?
Salsa verde, also known as tomatillo salsa, is not the same as enchilada sauce. Salsa verde is raw, or at least very lightly cooked, and not quite as smooth as green enchilada sauce. You may also find that salsa verde is tangier than enchilada sauce, depending on the brand.
Let’s Make Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas!
To make these enchiladas, you’ll only have to do a couple of steps: making the filling, rolling the enchiladas up, and then baking with sauce and cheese. Easy peasy!
- Make the Filling. First off, preheat your oven to 350°F. Next, get a large mixing bowl, and mix together the chicken, olive oil, salt, spices, one cup of the salsa verde, and one cup of cheese. Set this mixture aside.
- Prepare the Tortillas. To make the tortillas softer and easier to roll, wrap the whole stack of tortillas loosely in a damp paper towel, and microwave it for 30 seconds. Flip the stack, and microwave for another 30 seconds.
- Roll the Enchiladas and Place Them in Your Baking Dish. Start the layering process by spreading a cup of your salsa evenly in the bottom of a baking dish. Next, spoon about half a cup of the filling mixture into a tortilla. Roll it up, and place it seam-side-down into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, until the dish is full.
- Top the Enchiladas and Bake. To finish the enchiladas, pour the last cup of salsa over the top, and then sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese. Bake the enchiladas for about 20 minutes. When the cheese is melted and bubbling, the enchiladas are done!
- Enjoy! Serve immediately, with additional toppings as desired.
Tips for Success
So there you have it! An easy weeknight recipe, full of flavor, made with pre-cooked chicken and prepared tomatillo salsa. And to make it even easier, here are my top tips and tricks to make a mean batch of enchiladas!
- Chicken Substitute: If you don’t want to use rotisserie chicken, you can substitute shredded cooked chicken breast or thighs, or shredded pork roast, or even shredded beef! Whatever you like!
- Tortilla Tip #1: If you want to add an extra layer of flavor and don’t mind the extra step, you can lightly fry the tortillas in a small amount of oil instead of microwaving them. Fry and fill one at a time.
- Tortilla Tip #2: Corn tortillas are my go-to for this recipe, but if you prefer flour tortillas, you can definitely use those! The enchiladas may be a little softer and stickier with flour tortillas.
Yummy Ideas for Serving
To serve, I like to make one or more of these easy dishes. They really round out the meal, adding great textural and flavor contrast, and extra nutrition as well!
- Cowboy Caviar: This healthy side dish is perfect for any Mexican or Tex-Mex meal. Cowboy Caviar is made with a blend of corn, beans, tomatoes, lime, avocado, and all kinds of other goodies. Yum!
- Mexican Rice: You can’t go wrong with a side of rice, especially this easy Mexican rice made in the Instant Pot. It’s made from scratch with tomato puree, spices, and a little jalapeno for spice!
- Toppings: There are so many toppings that go beautifully with this recipe: chopped cilantro, chopped onion, sour cream, avocado, lime wedges, or just some freshly made Avocado Salsa.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Enchiladas
- To refrigerate leftover enchiladas, place them in an airtight container, or cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
To reheat, place the enchiladas in an ovenproof dish and cover well with foil. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Can I Freeze Enchiladas?
- Yes, you can! To freeze, cool down the enchiladas, and then place them in an airtight container. You could also freeze the entire baking dish, wrapped well in two layers of plastic wrap and one of foil.
- They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. (They may take longer to reheat if previously frozen.)
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 pound rotisserie chicken,, shredded, skin and bones removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups salsa verde,, divided
- 3 cups Mexican blend cheese,, divided
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked and shredded chicken, olive oil, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, 1 cup of the salsa verde, and one cup of cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Wrap the stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds. Flip the stack, and microwave for another 30 seconds. This will make the tortillas more pliable and easy to roll.
- Pour 1 cup of salsa in the bottom of a 13×9 inch casserole dish, and evenly coat the bottom.
- Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken mixture, and roll tightly, setting them seam side down in the casserole dish. Continue until the baking dish is full.
- Pour the remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly on top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Serve immediately, with additional toppings.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Just looking at this is making my mouth water! I love enchiladas, and these look on point.
Oh my goodness these look amazing and I cannot wait to make them for my family!
This needs to be added to our weeknight dinner rotation!
So flavorful. This is one of our family’s favorite meals.
The perfect dinner! Yum!!!
I love casserole dinner. This is a new flavor for my family and I would like to try it!
These are so delicious! The salsa verde makes them so flavorful!