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I’ve been making some version of these enchiladas for years. I always have a form of cooked chicken on hand, whether that’s leftover pan-seared chicken or rotisserie chicken, because it’s a surefire way to get dinner done quickly. And this is a great example of one of those dinners.
And having made these upwards of 30 times, I can confidently say they’re forgiving and versatile. Use whatever cooked protein you have on hand, any jar of salsa verde, any melty cheese. Don’t like cilantro? Just leave it out. These are forgiving and can be made totally your own.
Reader Review
My family of 5 loved these enchiladas so much! So easy, love the kale addition (my kids didn’t even notice!). Definitely passing this recipe on to friends and family.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a handful of notes that will help make this recipe a success. The full list of ingredients, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Salsa verde: If you have the time and desire, make this homemade roasted salsa verde. For a weeknight-friendly version, grab 2 jars of your favorite salsa verde.
- Cheese: you’ll need some kind of ultra-melty cheese. Chihuahua cheese is great (similar to Quesadilla cheese), but you can also use pepper Jack. If you’re using pepper Jack, grab a block of it and shred it yourself.
- Sour Cream: this adds major creaminess and a nice tang. For something cheesier, blend up some cottage cheese and use that instead.
- Corn or flour tortillas: I prefer corn tortillas for their flavor, but if you like the softer texture of flour tortillas then use those! To keep things on the lighter side, I like to use extra-thin corn tortillas. Just be sure to use tortillas that are 6-inch in size.
How to Make Green Enchiladas
- Mix up the creamy chicken filling by combining the cooked shredded chicken with kale, sour cream, salsa verde, cheese, cilantro and cumin. Set this aside while you prep the other components. (If you haven’t already, preheat your oven!)
- Brush the tortillas with olive oil, stack them then wrap in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave the tortillas until they are warm and pliable, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes.
This step is KEY to keeping the tortillas from cracking as you fill and roll them—especially important if you are using corn tortillas.
- Working with one tortilla at a time, scoop about ⅓ cup filling into the center of the tortilla and roll. Place the filled tortilla, seam-side down in the baking dish.
- Repeat until all of the filling has been used or the baking dish is full.
- For the enchilada sauce, combine the remaining sour cream, remaining salsa verde and a splash of chicken broth.
(You only need ¼ cup broth, so instead of opening a can or box of broth, use Better than Bouillon—easy, convenient and no-waste).
- Spread the enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas then sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas until they are bubbly and golden brown on top, this will take about 30 minutes.
Test Kitchen Tips
- If you don’t have shredded chicken on hand, you can cook up some ground chicken or turkey and use that instead. Shredded beef or pork would also work wonderfully.
- Bulk up the enchiladas by adding some canned black beans to the chicken filling.
- Play around with this dish and use a jarred green enchilada sauce instead of the salsa verde/sour cream mixture. The beautiful thing about enchiladas is they are forgiving!
Storage and Make Ahead
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a 300ºF oven until warmed through.
To make these enchiladas in advance, assemble then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 1 day. Remove plastic wrap before baking as directed.
If you want to freeze these, I recommend partially baking them, cooling then wrapping tightly in plastic and foil before storing in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before removing the foil and plastic and reheating until warmed trough and lightly browned on top.
What to Serve with Salsa Verde Enchiladas
There are so many ways to can serve these—mix and match with any number of side dishes to keep this meal interesting if you make it a lot. A fresh Mexican Chopped Salad with black beans and corn would add even more green to the plate.
Or mix up my favorite Homemade Guacamole—it’s got a splash of Worcestershire in it which bolsters the overall flavor and savoriness.
More Mexican Dinners to Try
Healthy Dinner
30-Minute Baked Chile Rellenos with Turkey Filling
Pork
Carne Adovada
Dinner
Shredded Beef Enchiladas
Chicken Verde Enchiladas
Description
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Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups Roasted Salsa Verde or jarred salsa verde*, divided
- 8 ounces Chihuahua cheese or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups), divided
- 1 cup sour cream, divided
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8–10 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
- Avocados, cilantro, lime, and/or hot sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (204ºC) with rack set in middle position.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups shredded chicken, 2 cups chopped kale, 1 cup salsa verde, 1 cup cheese, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup salsa verde, remaining ½ cup sour cream, and ¼ cup chicken broth; set aside.
- Brush both sides of tortillas with olive oil; stack tortillas top of each other on a plate. Cover tortillas with a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Spoon ⅓ cup chicken mixture onto a tortilla, slightly off-centered. Roll tortilla around filling and place, seam side down, in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Repeat filling and rolling with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Spread reserved salsa verde-sour cream mixture over filled tortillas and sprinkle evenly with remaining ¾ cup cheese.
- Bake enchiladas until cheese is melted and starting to brown, 30–32 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
These enchiladas are delicious!!
I made these with the lime and cilantro rice and my mother in law said she could eat this entire dinner all over again right now!
A regular dinner at my house from now on for sure!
This was easy and delicious! I threw chicken thighs in the crockpot with a jar of salsa verde, shredded in pot once cooked, and then added the other ingredients. It’s a good weeknight option.
LOVE the idea of making crockpot chicken with the salsa verde! Genius! And such a great tip for other readers, thanks for sharing!
Do you have the macros for this recipe?
I just ran the nutritionals and added them to the recipe card!
My family of 5 loved these enchiladas so much! So easy, love the kale addition (my kids didn’t even notice!). Definitely passing this recipe on to friends and family.
Hi Terra, this just made my day! I’m so glad your family enjoyed these and the kids didn’t even notice the kale. That’s a WIN!!