The best Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas: tender chicken, rich cheese, and spicy green chile wrapped in soft tortillas and smothered in zesty sauce.
Pair this hearty meal with a kale couscous salad or easy roasted veggie salad.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
I’m so excited to share that I drew inspiration for these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas from Erin’s recipe in The Well Plated Cookbook!
Erin, a good friend of mine, created this incredible cookbook filled with over 130 quick, delicious meals. It’s been praised for its practical tips, versatile ideas, and amazing ingredients—and I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve loved trying so many recipes from this thoughtfully crafted book, and testing out this enchilada recipe was such a treat. It’s absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Heat the oil before adding veggies to speed up the cooking process.
- Bell Peppers & Onion: Cut to even sizes so they cook at the same speed.
- Shredded Chicken: Rotisserie chicken works great or leftover grilled chicken.
- Spices: Adjust seasoning to taste after mixing.
- Monterey Jack Cheese: I’ve tested with sharp cheddar as well and it’s great!
- Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt: Full-fat adds tons of flavor but low-fat will work.
- Green Chiles: Drain the liquid out first.
- Tortillas: Look for medium-sized 8-inch tortillas.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: The homemade recipe I provide is so good but in a pinch you can buy pre-made.
Quick Tip
Erin’s tip: Choose firm tomatillos with smooth husks. Take off the husks, rinse, and rub off the sticky layer before roasting.
How To Make Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Cook the Veggies: Sauté diced bell peppers and onion in olive oil until soft.
Tip: Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. - Season the Chicken: Mix shredded chicken with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Tip: Let the spices coat evenly for the best flavor. - Make the Filling: Combine the chicken mixture with cheese, sour cream, and green chiles in a bowl.
Tip: Cool the veggies before mixing to keep the sour cream smooth. - Roll the Enchiladas: Spread filling in tortillas, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in a greased pan.
Tip: Warm tortillas first to prevent cracking. - Add Sauce and Bake: Pour enchilada sauce over the top, cover with foil, and bake.
Tip: Use extra sauce for a juicier dish. - Melt Cheese: Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until melted.
Tip: Let it cool slightly before serving for easier plating.
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How to Make Green Chile Enchiladas
- Cook Veggies: Stir now and then to stop them from sticking.
- Season Chicken: Make sure the chicken is coated well for the best flavor.
- Make Filling: Let the veggies cool a minute so the sour cream doesn’t melt.
- Roll Enchiladas: I love buying tortillas that need to be cooked first, if you do this warm them right before so they don’t get stiff.
- Add Sauce and Bake: Use more sauce if you like it extra saucy.
- Melt Cheese: Let it cool for a few mins before serving to make it easier to handle.
Storage
Storing Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat:
- Oven: Heat at 350°F. For refrigerated, bake 20-30 minutes; for frozen, bake 45 minutes (thaw first if using a glass dish).
- Microwave: For quicker reheating.
More Delicious Chicken Dinners
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with pineapple!
- Chicken and Wild Rice with a cilantro-lime sauce
- Chicken Alfredo lightened-up!
- Saucy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Stroganoff over egg noodles
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Experience the ultimate Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, where every bite is a blend of tender chicken, rich cheese, and spicy green chile, wrapped in a soft tortilla and smothered in a zesty sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (2 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (1-1/2 cups)
- 1 and 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1 and 1/2 cups fat free or lite sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 (4 oz. each) fire-roasted diced green chiles, drained
- 8 (8-inch) tortillas (we love TortillaLand)
- 2 cups Green Enchilada Sauce (we love homemade! See Note 1)
- Optional toppings: diced cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, diced avocados, diced red onion
Instructions
- PREP: Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- ONION AND PEPPERS: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
- CHICKEN AND SPICES: To the skillet, add the chicken, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stir to coat and then remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.
- CHEESE MIXTURE: In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the cheese, the sour cream, drained green chiles, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Once the chicken and veggie mixture has cooled to room temperature, add it to the bowl with the cheese mixture and stir with a large spoon until the chicken and vegetables are coated evenly with the cheese mixture.
- TORTILLAS: Prepare the tortillas according to package directions. Lay a tortilla on a work surface and soread one-eighth of the chicken and cheese mixture, leaving a bit of space on each end of the filling (you will use about a heaping 1/2 cup per enchilada.) Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can without the filling squishing out, and place in the prepared pan, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour 1 and 1/2 up to 2 cups of the green enchilada sauce evenly over the top (use more if you want a saucier enchilada; we like 1 and 1/2 cups best). Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- ADD CHEESE: Remove from the oven, uncover the pan, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an 5 additional minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with the desired toppings and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Recipe is from Erin over at WellPlated and featured in her stunning new cookbook — The Well Plated Cookbook! Be sure to check out the book on Amazon and get your own copy to enjoy many more delicious recipes 🙂
Note 1: Here’s how to make your own green enchilada sauce:
- 1 pound (9-10) small tomatillos, husked, scrubbed, and left whole
- 2 poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped into 1/4 to 1-inch pieces (~2 cups)
- 2 medium jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed and chopped into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, peels on and left whole
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup water
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. For easy cleanup, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread the veggies into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping and tossing halfway through the cooking time. The peppers and onion should be golden brown and soft, and tomatillos should be breaking down.
- Peel the garlic and discard the skins. Working in batches (if needed) transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender. Add in the cilantro and puree until smooth. Then add the cumin and water and blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. If you like a thinner sauce, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 679kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.5g | Protein: 41.1g | Fat: 37.2g | Cholesterol: 128.3mg | Sodium: 1586.8mg | Fiber: 7.3g | Sugar: 13.6g | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this recipe about once a month and just realized I never took the time to give it some love! I always make a double batch of the sauce so I have enough to freeze for other recipes like Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup. I also like to roast my own Hatch chiles when it’s the season. It is absolutely worth the time to make the sauce from scratch. So much flavor!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Also making the sauce from scratch is amazing and so delicious! Thank you so much for your comment Briana!
This has become a staple in our house. And the homemade green enchilada sauce is so flavorful and amazing! I make batches and freeze to have ready for the next meal. So good! Thank you!!
Yay! So glad to hear that! Thank you Andrea!
I’m on WW and have used many of your recipes-everyone delicious. I don’t know how to print FaceBook posts so have to hand write everyone. Is there an e-mail Chelsea’s Apron? Is there a cookbook I can order?
Thanks
You can click the link on facebook to go to the post and then click “print recipe” on the recipe card! I don’t have a cookbook yet, sorry!
Chelsea, thank you SO MUCH for sharing my book and this recipe with your readers. I’m so thrilled to know you are all enjoying it xoxoxo
This was SO AMAZING! Can’t express how much my family absolutely loved it! If your thinking of making this trust me, its 100% worth it to make the sauce from scratch; omg! I also used her suggestion & bought a whole rotisserie chicken from Kroger since I was preparing it a day & a half later. Saved a lot of time & it’ll save you too($5)! Thank you & to your friend for the extremely delicious recipe & very helpful suggestions:)
Yay! SO thrilled to hear this was a hit 🙂 Thanks Michelle! 🙂