Chicken Enchiladas Verdes {Quick, Easy, and Cheesy}

I am an enchiladas super fan. I like them pretty much every way they come. But, we all have our favorites, and there are three enchiladas recipes that get made on the regular around here:

1. Cheese Enchilada Casserole with the BEST Red Chili sauce I know how to make.
2. Black Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
3. And these creamy, cheesy chicken enchiladas verdes.

At least one of these enchilada recipes gets made in our house every month. Often, more than that. They are the kind of crowd-pleasing recipes you can make for a large dinner party AND when you're cooking for just one or two. You can make them ahead of time, or on a whim. And, something that's super important to me, leftovers are delicious for days. 

Ingredients Needed to Make this Recipe

• Cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite-size pieces
• Ground cumin
• Sour cream
• Grated cheese. Good options include Mexican blend, Monterey jack, pepper jack, or Colby jack.
• Flour tortillas. If you really want to go above and beyond, try these super easy homemade flour tortillas which are about 1000% better than the prepared packaged variety.
• A jar of salsa verde. My preferred brand is Herdez. Or, make a batch of homemade salsa verde.
• Heavy cream. Stirring a bit of cream into salsa verde makes the most delicious creamy enchilada sauce!

The chicken can be leftover from something else you made earlier in the week or from a rotisserie chicken you picked up at your local supermarket. Because Simple Roast Chicken is also something I make all the time, that's usually what I use for these.

Roast chicken is delicious in these enchiladas, but you can seriously use pretty much any kind of cooked chicken in there, boiled, baked, grilled, roasted, fried, or even air-fried like this recipe for air fryer chicken breast. It's all good. Or, just pick up a rotisserie chicken. 

I also want to mention that Homemade tortillas will ruin you forever for supermarket standard packaged flour tortillas. I say that in a cautionary kind of way, but also, I really, really hope you try them. Because making tortillas is easy (truly!), they are one of those things for which every bit of effort is rewarded 100 fold.

Substitute Pork Carnitas for the Chicken

These super easy Pork Carnitas are crispy on the outside, super flavorful, and fall-off-the-bone tender, and make also make an excellent filling for these enchiladas.

The recipe makes enough for for plenty of leftovers that you can use throughout the week or freeze for later, and includes instructions for making them in your slow cooker or instant pot. And, crisping the carnitas in the oven all at once instead of frying them in batches makes this recipe even easier.

So, when I happen to have some leftover carnitas on hand, I often make this casserole, using the carnitas in place of the chicken. SO. GOOD.

Step-by-Step Photos and Instructions

Making these chicken enchiladas is seriously easy. Simply stir together all the filling ingredients, roll the filling in flour tortillas, smother the enchiladas with creamy salsa verde and cheese, and bake. Easy peasy. And cheesy. 🙂

Add the grated cheese, cooked chicken, ground cumin, and sour cream to a large bowl.

Stir everything together. This is your chicken enchilada filling.

Pour the heavy cream into the salsa verde and stir.

Spread about a half of a cup of the creamy salsa verde into the bottom of a baking dish.

Fill the flour tortillas with the chicken enchilada filling.

Roll the enchiladas up and place them in the baking dish.

Top the enchiladas with the creamy salsa verde and more shredded cheese.

Cover and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Enchiladas Verdes is a Great Camping Recipe

In May of 2020 my husband and I embraced our nomadic travel loving natures and moved into a 400 square foot 5th wheel RV. For the most part, having a substantially smaller kitchen has not changed the way I cook or bake at all, with one exception.

When we are boondocking (camping off the grid) or parked in a location without hookups, I tend to cook meals that require very few dishes. This allows me to conserve water, something that's important when you're trying to make a limited supply last as long as possible.

Happily, this recipe for chicken enchiladas verdes totally fits the bill, requiring just one bowl and one baking dish. Even better, it can easily be doubled (bake in a 9 x 13 pan) for those times when we are parked next to friends and want to share.

Questions about boondocking? Check out this article with frequently asked questions about boondocking and answers.

Make Ahead and Storage Information

Chicken enchiladas are a great meal to make in advance. After filling the enchiladas, cover them with creamy salsa verdes and cheese, cover the pan, and keep the enchiladas in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. About an hour before you want to eat, preheat the oven and bake the enchiladas as instructed.

Once baked, these chicken enchiladas will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 325-degree oven until warm. Leftover enchiladas for lunch are one of my favorite things, so I always try to make enough to ensure we'll have some extra.