Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo (or Chicken Enchiladas Verdes) are YUM and perfect for weeknights.
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Busy moms need to stick together.
That’s why I’m going to show you how to make this dish quicker, EASIER, and not as messy.
So delicious and loaded with flavor.
Table of Contents
How to Make Salsa Verde
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos.
- Rinse and place in a stock pot along with serranos, onion, and garlic.
- Once boiled, add the ingredients along with salt and cilantro.
- Blend until smooth.
Want to make this recipe even faster? Who doesn’t!!
Use a bottle of pre-made salsa verde and skip this step.
Or make the salsa verde ahead of time.
Here, we’re making Chicken Salsa Verde Enchiladas, but you might also like Enchiladas Rojas Chicken Mole Enchiladas, Entomatadas.
How to Make the Enchiladas
- Fry the tortillas individually.
Some people will skip this step to reduce the number of calories.
Instead, they warm up the tortillas on a griddle or in the microwave and proceed with the recipe.
With this method, the tortillas tend to fall apart easily.
Frying the tortillas will help the salsa STICK to the tortillas, and the enchiladas will keep their SHAPE longer.
- Drain excess oil on a paper towel.
- Place on a casserole dish.
- Add shredded chicken – leftover chicken and rotisserie chicken works great here!
- Roll up tortilla.
We’re making EASY enchiladas. Traditionally, the tortilla is dipped in the sauce then rolled up.
As soon as the sauce hits the tortilla, the enchiladas need to be eaten right away.
OR, the tortillas will get SOGGY, and the enchiladas lose their shape.
By doing it this way, you can even do it in advance. Heat and serve. YAY!
Vegetarian Alternative:
Instead of using chicken, use queso fresco or refried beans for the filling.
- Place seam side down in a large baking dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Heat in the oven.
At this point, you can even make taquitos – like Ground Beef Taquitos or Potato Taquitos.
That’s more work and a whole other dish. We’re keeping it easy today.
You can also cover the enchiladas with the salsa verde before placing in the oven.
While the chicken is warming up in the oven, heat oil in a saucepan.
Stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
You’ll see the sauce begin to thicken slightly.
Pro Tip:
If you’re not plating right away, I find it easier to keep the baking dish in a warm oven. Then pour the hot sauce AFTER as you are serving.
- Add the enchiladas to a plate.
- Drizzle with plenty of sauce.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Is green enchilada sauce the same as salsa verde?
Salsa Verde is not cooked in oil. Green enchilada sauce is cooked in oil, then added to the dish.
Can salsa verde be substituted for green enchilada sauce?
Yes. Simply heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot and add salsa verde. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then use as normal.
Why are my enchiladas soggy?
Frying the tortillas and waiting until the very last minute to add the sauce will help prevent soggy enchiladas.
- Top with crema mexicana, diced onion, chopped cilantro, and queso fresco.
- You can also use Cotija Cheese to add some saltiness.
What to Serve With It:
Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo (or Green Chicken Enchiladas) are incredibly delicious and a lot easier to make than you think. Perfect for busy weeknights!
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
For the Salsa:
- 2 lbs tomatillos (about 16 tomatillos)
- 4 serrano peppers (stem removed)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ onion rough chopped
- 4 cups water (enough to cover the tomatillos)
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Enchiladas:
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 12 corn tortillas
For the Toppings:
- crema mexicana as desired
- crumbled queso fresco (or cotija)
- diced raw onion as desired
- chopped cilantro as desired
Instructions
For the Salsa:
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse.
- Place the tomatillos, garlic, serranos, and onion in a stockpot.
- If looking to make a milder sauce, remove the seeds from the chile peppers.
- Pour water into the stock pot.
- Enough to cover the tomatillos.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Simmer for 7-10 minutes.
- Discard water.
- Remove the ingredients from the stock pot and into the blender.
- Add salt and cilantro to the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Heat up oil in the same stock pot used to cook the salsa.
- Pour in the salsa verde and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir occasionally.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the Enchiladas:
- Heat up oil in a frying pan.
- Fry the tortillas. 1 minute on each side.
- Place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat with all the tortillas.
- To assemble, place a tortilla in a baking dish and using your best judgement add about 2 tbsps shredded chicken.
- Roll up the tortilla.
- Make sure the seam side is down.
- Repeat until with the remaining tortillas.
- Heat up oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cover the tortillas with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
- Pour a generous amount of the salsa verde on the plate.
- Add the chicken enchiladas to a plate.
- Pour more sauce on top.
- Add the desired toppings – crema mexicana, queso fresco, cilantro, and onion.
- Serve and eat right away!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.
This recipe was really good and easy to make. My kids love it!
That’s great! Loved hearing that your kids loved it.
These sound delicious! So just to be clear, I can make everything ahead of time and just wait to put it together. I’m making these for my visiting family and don’t want to be in the kitchen too long.
Yes. I do that all the time. Make the sauce and cook the chicken ahead of time. You can even assemble the tamales in the baking dish without the sauce. Then when ready, pour the sauce over the enchiladas verdes. Bake and serve.
Thank you so much! My mouth is watering 😁
I love enchiladas verdes. They are so good!
Great recipe! My family loved it, I wouldn’t change a thing!
That’s great to hear. This Enchiladas Verde recipe is a family favorite.
Will only 8 tomatillos work?
Look at the size of the tomatillos. If they are small, get more. Like 10 to 12.
Turned out amazingly! I didn’t bake the enchiladas, I just rolled them up as described and served immediately with the sauce poured on top at the last minute.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
So delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. We love this dish at my house. 🙂
These are my favorite enchiladas – so much flavor!
Thank you. These are some of my favorite kinds too.
This was the first time making enchiladas for me and this recipe was amazing.
That makes me so happy to hear. Glad you enjoyed!
This Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo will be our new favorite! Yum!
I know you’ll love this recipe. Happy Eating!
This was so good, the fam loved it last night.
Awesome! Glad your family liked it.
These enchiladas were delicious! The salsa verde was super easy and so flavorful.
Yay! I’m glad you liked it.
I love that these enchiladas are with a verde sauce. Definitely making this for dinner tonight. Can’t wait!
You’ll love these Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo, so yummy and delicious!
Wow! I love this Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo, looks so yummy!:) I can’t wait to try it. Thanks!:)
Yes, very yummy. Hope you try it. 🙂