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Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas are outrageously good! Corn tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken in a thick and creamy white sauce seasoned with salsa verde. Bake with more of the creamy sauce on top until hot and bubbly and golden brown on top.
The Best Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas
Enchiladas with red sauce get a lot of attention at most Mexican restaurants – but give me a plate of these Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas any day of the week!
These creamy rich enchiladas have lightly fried corn tortillas wrapped around shredded cooked chicken in a thick and luscious white cream sauce.
Our Green Tomato Salsa Verde recipe we shared earlier this week is added to the white sauce and also tops the enchiladas – and the tart and somewhat spicy salsa offsets the rich creamy sauce making for a perfectly balanced and very delicious bite!
Why you’ll love Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas
- It’s the ultimate delicious Tex-Mex comfort food with a rich and creamy white sauce balanced by the zesty Salsa Verde.
- This filling dish will satisfy the hungriest crowd – and you can easily half or double the recipe for a smaller or larger gathering.
- You can do much of the prep ahead of time, so when you are ready to eat, just assemble and bake.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Green Tomato Salsa Verde – We used our homemade Green Tomato Salsa Verde in this recipe, but any favorite tomatillo-based Salsa Verde can be used as well.
- Chicken – We cooked up a combination of white and dark meat chicken to shred for these white enchiladas, also adding the pan juices to the sauce for extra chicken flavor. You can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat for this recipe. Just note that you will need about a ¼ cup of chicken stock too to add chicken flavor to the white sauce.
- Heavy Cream
- Sour Cream
- Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt & Pepper
- Cheese – You’ll include both Monterey Jack as well as sharp White Cheddar Cheese.
- Tortillas – Buy 6” corn tortillas for the best flavor and texture. We don’t recommend flour tortillas for this recipe as they soften too much.
- Lime Wedges
- Fresh Cilantro
Special Tools Needed
- Large Skillet – To cook the chicken and warm the tortillas
- Box Grater – To shred the cheese
- Large Saucepan – To prepare the sauce
- Cutting board and knife
- Whisks and spatulas
- 9×13-inch Baking Dish
Tips & Tricks
When cooking the chicken, once the thickest piece is no longer pink in the center, remove each piece immediately to a platter to cool. If you leave them in the warm pan, they will get rubbery.
How do I make Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas?
- Cook the boneless chicken, reserving the liquid in the pan once the chicken is cooked through.
- Make the sauce by making a roux of butter and flour. Stir in heavy cream, sour cream, and the chicken cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Add some Salsa Verde to the remaining cream sauce and set aside.
- Shred and combine the two cheeses.
- Warm tortillas in a pan.
- Fill each tortilla with shredded cheese and chicken, white sauce and more salsa. Fold over and lay in baking dish in two rows of five.
- Top each tortilla with the remaining sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Broil until lightly golden brown, then remove the enchiladas from the oven.
- Allow the enchiladas to set up for ten minutes.
- Serve two per portion, topping with chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and additional Green Tomato Salsa Verde for garnish.
Tips & Tricks
It’s fine if you have leftover white sauce – just serve the remainder of the sauce with the enchiladas.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas ahead of time? The chicken can be cooked, the sauce prepared, and all of the ingredients prepared. Then when ready eat, assemble and bake.
- How do I store leftovers? Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- Can I freeze? Sorry, no.These enchiladas are fairly delicate and will fall apart once thawed.
You might like these other Enchiladas Recipes:
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Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas
Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Enchiladas are outrageously good! Corn tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken in a thick and creamy white sauce seasoned with salsa verde. Bake with more of the creamy sauce on top until hot and bubbly and golden brown on top.
Ingredients
1 pound mixed boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs (any combination is fine)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups Green Tomato Salsa Verde, divided
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese
10 6-inch corn tortillas
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Fresh limes wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Trim chicken of fat and connecting tissue. Butterfly breasts if thick so they are the same thickness as the thighs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and once hot add the olive oil.
- Once oil is hot, add all chicken pieces so they sit flat and cook to brown one side, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip each piece over, cover and turn burner to low heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the center of the thickest piece is not longer pink. Immediately remove from heat to a platter to cool, then shred and mix the white and dark meat together.
- Do not discard the pan liquid. There should be about one-quarter cup of liquid.
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour and stir and cook for three minutes.
- Whisk while adding in heavy cream and continue whisking while adding sour cream. Whisk in salt and pepper. Whisk in the reserved quarter cup of pan drippings. (If using rotisserie chicken instead of fresh, use a quarter cup of canned chicken broth in this step to flavor the sauce)
- Remove one cup of the sauce and place on bottom of prepared baking dish.
- Add one cup of the Green Tomato Salsa Verde to the remaining sauce in the pan and set aside.
- Shred both cheese types and combine.
- Use the pan you cooked the chicken in and heat corn tortillas for a few seconds on each side to make them pliable.
- Lay out all ten tortillas either on your counter or on a sheet tray and begin filling.
- Place a little shredded cheese on each one in a strip across the center.
- Divide the shredded chicken between each one over the cheese.
- Spoon a little sauce over the chicken and about a teaspoon of Salsa Verde.
- Pull up the front and back and overlap. Lift and turn seam down into the prepared baking dish, into two rows of five.
- Spoon sauce over each one covering all of the exposed tortillas. Any leftover sauce can be served hot with the meal.
- Divide the remaining cheese over each one in the pan, using all of the cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes then place under the broiler to brown.
- Let sit ten minutes then serve two per portion topped with fresh chopped cilantro, fresh lime wedges and Green Tomato Salsa Verde.
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This recipe was just fabulous Thank YOU
You’re very welcome Lizanne – thank you!!