Green Enchiladas are such a delicious dinner option. Made with simple ingredients and full of flavor, your family will love this recipe. Even better, these green chicken enchiladas can be made ahead of time and frozen!
Our family is always on the hunt for new dinner recipes that everyone can get on board with. Truth be told, it is a win when four out of the five of us love it. These Green Enchiladas are an even bigger win because they can be made the night before. They can even go straight from the freezer to the oven!
How to Make Green Enchiladas
The steps to this recipe are really simple. And with a few tips, these enchiladas will come together easily and become a regular in your house. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of measurements. You also can watch the video for this recipe there.
- Sauté onions and garlic. The addition of these to the recipe ups the flavor.
- Make the filling. Add the softened onion and garlic to shredded cooked chicken, drained diced tomatoes, green chiles, shredded cheese, and cumin.
- Soften the tortillas. In the pan you sautéed the onions in, heat up the green enchilada sauce. Dip the corn tortillas in the sauce.
- Fill the tortillas. Once a tortilla has been dipped in sauce, add 1/3 cup of filling to it and roll it. Place it seam-side down in the casserole dish.
- Top the tortillas and bake. Top the tortillas with the remaining sauce (there may not be a lot), and the rest of the shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
Corn vs. Flour Tortillas
You will notice that in my Sour Cream Enchiladas, I opted to use flour tortillas instead of corn. This eliminates the need to dip the tortillas to soften them. You could absolutely do that here too.
With these green chicken enchiladas, I decided to go with corn tortillas for a more authentic taste and texture. I loved the results, but I always encourage you to do what works best for you in your own kitchen.
If you use flour tortillas, simply fill them, and then top everything with the green enchilada sauce. Add the cheese to the top and bake.
Shredding Cheese
There aren’t a ton of ingredients to this recipe. Because of that, you want to focus on making sure the ones you are using are high quality. Shredding your own cheese will definitely kick this recipe up a notch.
While buying pre-shredded cheese may seem like the most convenient option, in my opinion, it’s not worth it. Cheese that is shredded from the block both melts and tastes better. In recipes like this, it can actually make a difference in whether or not your family just likes it or loves it.
Green Chiles
This recipe calls for green chiles. Our family chose to go with mild green chiles, but if your family likes spice, I encourage you to pick spicy. Additionally, you can buy green enchilada sauce in either mild or spicy. This is another opportunity to bring the heat up a level.
Cooking Chicken
These green chili chicken enchiladas call for cooked chicken. You could use a rotisserie chicken or keep frozen chicken on hand for times like this. Otherwise, follow these simple steps to make shredded chicken.
- Add raw chicken breasts to a saucepan and cover with water. You will need about 2/3 pound of chicken.
- Bring the water to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
- Using an instant read thermometer, remove the chicken when it reaches 165 degrees at the thickest point.
- Allow to cool slightly and then using two forks or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, shred the chicken.
I like to give the chicken an additional rough chop for this recipe after shredding it.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat in the oven or microwave until heated through. Always use your best discretion when reheating and eating leftovers.
Making Ahead
You can make these green chili enchiladas the night before and then just throw them in the oven when you get home from work. Make sure that you cover the enchiladas and refrigerate them overnight.
When you are ready to make them, uncover them and put them in the preheated oven. Since they are coming from the cold refrigerator, they will need a few extra minutes. Keep an eye on them after 20 minutes and remove them when the edges turn golden brown.
Freezing Enchiladas
This enchilada recipe is freezer-friendly! Use the below tips to help them turn out perfectly.
- Make the enchiladas in a disposable pan so they can go right from the freezer to the hot oven without risking the casserole dish shattering.
- To freeze, wrap the enchiladas in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep them well preserved. Freeze for up to three months.
- Remove all the wrapping before baking.
- Bake the frozen enchiladas at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
- Alternatively, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed in the recipe card below.
What To Serve With Green Enchiladas
Looking for other sides to serve with green enchiladas? Here are some of our favorites:
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Spanish Rice is a lot like the Mexican rice you get in Mexican restaurants in the U.S. Easy to make and os delicious.
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans can be served as is or blended into refried beans.
- Blender Salsa and tortilla chips
If you make this green chicken enchilada recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Green Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded (226 grams)
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast meat (about 2/3 pound before cooking)
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes drained (411 grams)
- 4 ounces diced green chiles drained (113 grams before draining)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 20 ounces green enchilada sauce (566 grams)
- 12 ten inch corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves
- In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese, the cooked shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cumin, green chiles, and sautéed onion and garlic.8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, 2 cups cooked chicken breast meat, 15 ounces diced tomatoes, 4 ounces diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons cumin
- In the same pan you sautéed the onion in, heat the enchilada sauce. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat.20 ounces green enchilada sauce
- Pour a 1/4 cup of the warm enchilada sauce mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Dip the tortillas in the warm enchilada sauce. Fill with 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all of the tortillas are rolled.12 ten inch corn tortillas
- Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese.8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to boil at the edges.
Tracey Brookshire says
You can put the cold pan in the cold oven without any worry. If you would like to freeze and bake. Those disposable pans are poison. Aluminum is terrible for your body.
Hi Tracey! There hasn’t been any evidence that sustains the hypothesis that aluminum is harmful for your body. As for putting a frozen pan in a hot oven, I guarantee you you are running the risk of it cracking. I know this because in my early days of learning to cook it absolutely happened to me. Clean up is a real pain on that one. If you are concerned about the aluminum, I would suggest instead you freeze it in a ceramic baking dish and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Elizabeth says
I loved this delicious recipe but didn’t know what the green topping was….. chopped green onions?
The garnish in the photos is chopped cilantro.