Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Chicken Enchiladas Verde is a comforting Mexican enchilada dish consisting of corn tortillas rolled with shredded chicken and Monterrey Jack cheese, topped with a generous serving of Verde Sauce, and baked until bubbly.

Today, we'll not only cover how to make an authentic, homemade batch of delicious Verde Enchiladas but we'll answer all your enchilada questions including:

• What is Homemade Verde Sauce made of and how do you make it from scratch?
• What are tomatillos, where to find them...and how exactly do you get into them?
• Why your sauce needs sour cream!
• Plus, a must-know simple hack for easily rolling corn tortillas.

VERDE SAUCE FOR ENCHILADAS

Verde refers to the color of the enchilada sauce, just as Enchiladas Rojo refers to enchiladas with a red sauce (like we use to top off these Crock-Pot Chicken Enchiladas).

In fact, Enchiladas Verde literally translates to green enchiladas, which makes sense -- this sauce has a lot of green going into it. The main ingredient in this sauce is tomatillos. It is what gives the dish its signature tangy flavor.

WHAT IS SALSA VERDE MADE OF?

• Tomatillos
• White Onion
• Serrano Peppers
• Garlic
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro

As mentioned above, the main ingredient of Salsa Verde is tomatillos, but the fun certainly doesn't stop there. It is a fairly healthy sauce and is made of mostly vegetables. Aside from the tomatillos, you will also find onions, hot peppers, garlic, and cilantro. Oh, and the sour cream. I did say fairly healthy after all.

WHAT ARE TOMATILLOS & WHERE TO FIND THEM?

Tomatillos are nightshade vegetables, just like their cousin the tomato. Although tart and acidic like a tomato, tomatillos are a little less sweet and much more tart. Actually, they're similar to the flavor of green tomatoes, only less pulpy and more earthy in flavor.

You'll often find tomatillos in the produce section of the grocery store next to the hot peppers. 

HOW TO WORK WITH TOMATILLOS

If you feel hesitant about working with a tomatillo, remember, they are in the tomato family...only green and with a wrapper. The wrapper is referred to as a husk.

To work with tomatillos, tear away the husk, and you will find a semi-sticky green tomatillo underneath. Rinse away the sticky coating under cool running water and pat dry.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS VERDE WITH SOUR CREAM

This particular sauce is often made with sour cream. While it may sound contradictory, the sour cream is actually a necessary component in cutting the acidity and the tartness of the tomatillos and makes for a well-rounded sauce.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS VERDE

Before you begin making your Verde Chicken Enchiladas, you'll want to knock out the preliminary prep work. This includes:

• Cooking and shredding the chicken.
• Chopping the vegetables.
• Grating cheese.

Homemade enchiladas are typically baked together in a casserole dish. To keep them from sticking to the pan, a good (and flavorful) practice is to add a bit of the sauce to the bottom of the dish.

You can go about making your chicken however you like. White meat, dark meat, rotisserie...whatever floats your boat. Just make sure you have it shredded into bite-sized pieces. I use this Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe. Then, to easily shred the chicken I cut it at a 1 ½″ bias going against the grain and pull it apart by hand.

1. Make the Verde Sauce and add a thin layer to the bottom of a casserole dish.
2. For the filling, combine shredded chicken, cheese, and a portion of the sauce in a bowl.
3. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave to make pliable.
4. Fill tortillas, roll, transfer to the baking dish, top with more sauce and cheese, and bake. 

If you love this recipe, you definitely need to check out our Green Enchiladas next!

1. MAKE THE SAUCE

Verde Sauce for Chicken Enchiladas begins on the stovetop, sautéeing onions, jalapeños, and garlic. After the vegetables have softened the tomatillos go in, along with a little water to help them break down.

Once the tomatillos have broken down, the sauce goes into the blender, along with a little sour cream, and it is blended until smooth.

2. COMBINE FILLING INGREDIENTS

To make the filling for the enchiladas, combine the shredded chicken, a small amount of the Monterrey Jack cheese, and a bit of the sauce. Adding cheese and sauce to the chicken filling ensures the chicken won't dry out in the baking process.

3. WARM THE TORTILLAS

In order to easily roll corn tortillas, stack about 6 tortillas and place them in the center of a damp paper towel and wrap them up.

Then, microwave the tortillas for 40-60 seconds, or until soft and pliable. If you skip this step, your tortillas will break during the rolling process. It's an extra step, but it's well worth your sanity.

4. ROLL. TOP. BAKE. EAT.

The filling is divided amongst the warmed tortillas, then the tortillas are rolled, and the enchiladas are placed in the casserole dish. Once the dish is full, top with the remaining Verde Sauce, covered in cheese, and baked to total enchilada perfection.

WHAT TO EAT WITH CHICKEN ENCHILADAS VERDE

The classic pairing for enchiladas is, of course, rice and beans. You'll find stellar recipes for both below, as well as a veggie option that would pair wonderfully with your Chicken Enchiladas Verde!

• Easy Black Beans
• Mexican Charro Beans
• Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
• Oven-Roasted Zucchini Medley

5 MORE MEXICAN DINNERS YOU'LL LOVE

• Steak Quesadillas
• Homemade Beef Chimichangas
• Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas
• Crock-pot Chicken Tacos
• Ranchero Chicken

MORE INTERNATIONAL RECIPES TO TRY!

Italy -Italian Sausage and Peppers
Korea -Korean Pancakes with Scallions (Pajeon or Pa Jun)
Italy - Mozzarella and Eggplant Panini
Germany -Pork and Sauerkraut Cabbage Rolls