Homemade Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes Recipe

An easy weeknight take on a authentic chicken enchilada recipe, These Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes are loaded with a flavorful chicken filling, spicy sauce, and plenty of melted cheddar!

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Easy weeknight Spicy Chicken Enchiladas!

While not a truly authentic chicken enchilada recipe, these Green Chicken Enchiladas are a delicious and easy weeknight meal perfect for your next Mexican inspired dinner or Taco Tuesday!

Made with pre-cooked chicken (great for leftover rotisserie chicken), cream cheese, plenty of cilantro, cheddar, and a jarred salsa based sauce, these easy spicy enchiladas are a delicious and easy dinner the whole family will enjoy!

Ingredients

• Olive oil.
• One small jalapeño pepper, diced, seeds and ribs removed. If you like things less spicy, you can omit this, or use only half of the pepper.
• A small onion, diced.
• Minced garlic cloves. 
• Jarred Salsa Verde or hatch pepper salsa. Hatch salsa can be a bit on the spicy side, so opt for traditional salsa verde for less heat. Any of your favorite jarred green salsas work for this recipe!
• Chicken stock or chicken broth. I use low sodium.
• A can of diced green chilis, divided. Half for the filling, half for the sauce.
• Fresh squeezed lime juice. You'll add this at the end of the cooking time for the sauce to brighten it up a bit.
• A block of sharp shredded cheddar, divided. You'll use a ¼ for the filling, and the rest to top the enchiladas before baking. I prefer to grate my own for better melting.
• Cream cheese, softened to room temperature. Softening the cream cheese prior to mixing in with the chicken filling makes for a more even incorporation into the filling. It also makes it easier on you, too!
• A bunch fresh cilantro, chopped. Yes, you can even add the stems! Just chop them very finely. They have great flavor!
• Cooked shredded chicken. You can use rotisserie, or leftover chicken for this recipe.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Corn tortillas. I love Vista Hermosa tortillas.

How to make the Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

With pre-cooked chicken and a quick and easy pantry green enchilada sauce, these Chicken Enchiladas are a breeze to pull together. Here's how to make them:

1. Preheat oven to 350, and grease a 9x13 baking dish with oil or cooking spray. 
2. To a large bowl, add chicken, half the can of diced green chilis, ¼ the shredded cheddar, softened cream cheese, salt, pepper, and cilantro to a bowl. Combine. 
3. In a medium deep walled pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño, and season with salt and pepper, Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and stir. Cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds. 
5. Add remaining diced green chilis, salsa, and chicken stock to the pan, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat. Cook 3-6 minutes, until slightly thickened, then add lime juice and stir. 
6. Coat each tortilla in sauce, fill with chicken filling (careful not to overfill to prevent breaking), roll, and place seam side down in baking dish. 
7. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. 
8. Top with remaining sauce, and remaining shredded cheddar. 
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted. (see recipe card below for full directions and ingredients list).

Serving the Enchiladas

These Chicken Enchiladas go great with fresh toppings like avocado, jalapenos, and ciantro, and some sour cream on the side to cut through the spice. I like to serve them alongside some Mexican rice, black beans, or Elote salad!

Substitutions and Additions

• Instead of olive oil, you could use avocado oil or canola oil.
• Swap the cream cheese in the filling for full fat sour cream.
• Make beef enchiladas instead with shredded beef chuck roast! You can also experiment with different meats like ground turkey, or shredded leftover Turkey.
• Use red onion, green onions, or shallot in place of the white onion.
• Add some Queso fresco to the top just before serving for an extra cheesy bite!
• Use homemade corn tortillas instead of grocery store tortillas.
• Try Monterey jack cheese in place of, or mixed with the cheddar cheese.
• Use baked skinless chicken breasts for a leaner enchilada.
• Use flour tortillas in place of the corn tortillas.

Storing leftover and reheating

To reheat the next day, wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet n a 350m degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.

These enchiladas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

What to serve with the Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

Srve this easy weeknight take on an authentic chicken enchilada recipe with these delicious side ideas!

• Mexican Corn Salad
• Mexican rice
• Black Beans or refried beans

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