Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Recipe- The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

By Jill Baird · Published August 16, 2023 · Updated March 6, 2024 · 14 Comments

These quick and easy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are cheesy, creamy and oh-so-delicious. They are stuffed full of tender chicken, cream cheese and spicy green chilis, slathered in enchilada sauce and finished with melted cheese and all of your favorite toppings.

Green Chicken Enchiladas Recipe Video Tutorial

Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

We’re not kidding when we say these Green Chicken Enchiladas taste as good as the creamy chicken enchiladas from your favorite Mexican restaurant. You can follow the directions as is, or take the liberty of making substitutions so that you can use whatever you have on hand and make these as often as possible! We love to make these with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Add red enchilada sauce or smoked cheese,

Another thing to love about this dish is that you can make it the day of, the day before or even freeze for later. You can also take some simple short cuts (rotisserie chicken for the win!) to make dinner even easier.

Our family likes flour tortillas; as a bonus, they are easier to fill and roll up. But, if you want to stick to tradition, go ahead and use corn tortillas. Finish these bad boys off with your favorite toppings like salsa, sour cream and avocados, and you’ve got yourself a simple, satisfying dinner that the whole family will love.

What to Serve with Green Enchiladas Recipe

If you are looking for other Mexican and Tex Mex sides to pair these Green Chicken Enchiladas with, we’ve got you covered. Some of our favorites include:

• Easy Spanish Rice
• Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
• 7 Layer Bean Tip
• Best Guacamole (with your favorite tortilla chips)

Ingredients in Chicken Enchiladas Verde

• Enchilada Sauce - this recipe calls for green enchilada sauce, but you could easily substitute red if you prefer.
• Chicken - a great way to make this recipe even more simple is to use rotisserie chicken. This recipe is also perfect for leftovers, or to use with slow cooker shredded chicken. Some chicken recipes that would work great include Copycat Chipotle Chicken, Southwest Chicken Breast, Salsa Verde Chicken, or our Green Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe, so good!
• Cream Cheese - you want this to be room temperature so it is easy to mix with the other ingredients.
• Green Chilis - you should be able to find canned green chilis in the Mexican section of your local grocery store.
• Shredded Cheese - we like to use shredded cheddar, but you could also use a Mexican blend, pepper jack, or Monterey jack.
• Tortillas - while corn tortillas are the more traditional tortillas to use, we usually use flour tortillas because they are easier to roll and they make for perfect portion size.
• Toppings - some of our favorite toppings include sour cream, salsa, chopped tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, and black beans.

How to Make Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

1. Mix: In a medium-sized bowl, combine chicken, room temperature cream cheese, green chilies, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Mix well to combine.
2. Roll: Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of chicken mixture and roll-up.
3. Assemble: Spray a 9”x13” baking dish lightly with non-stick cooking spray and spread about 1 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Place the filled, rolled tortillas seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the rolled tortillas, then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
4. Bake: Bake uncovered in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is golden brown.
5. Serve: Top with your favorite toppings and serve warm. Enjoy!

Should I Use Flour or Corn Tortillas for Enchiladas?

People have very strong opinions about their tortillas. If you want to be completely traditional, then go ahead and use corn tortillas. They are smaller, so you won’t be able to fit as much filling in them and you will need to use more like 12.

Either white or yellow corn tortillas will work great - just be sure to pre-warm them so that they don’t break on you when you roll them up. Hint: The quickest way to warm your tortillas is to cover them loosely with a paper towel and microwave for about 1 minute.

We almost always use flour tortillas because they are much easier to roll and can hold more filling, making them the perfect serving size. You want to look for the 8” size flour tortillas so that they will fit nicely into your 9”x13” baking dish.

More Tips and Tricks

• Additions - try adding a little extra seasoning, such as garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, a dash of cumin or even cayenne powder.
• Substitutions - you can substitute ground beef or carne asada for the chicken if you want to mix it up. Or, if you want to make them vegetarian, nix the meat and add vegetarian refried beans instead. You can also substitute cheddar cheese for pepperjack, or use corn tortillas instead of flour.
• Chicken to Use - really any type of cooked chicken works great. Rotisserie chicken is super simple, but if you have leftover chicken to use up, this is a perfect recipe for that, too.

Can I Make Enchiladas Ahead of Time?

Green Chicken Enchiladas are a great dish to make ahead of time. You can make a day ahead, or as much as 3 months ahead if you decide to freeze them.

• Day Before: Prep as directed up until the point where you would normally put into the oven to bake. Instead, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The next day, remove the plastic wrap and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
• To Freeze: If you plan to freeze these, we recommend making them in a disposable tin foil baking pan. Prep as directed but instead of baking, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you want to eat, remove from the oven and let sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
• To Reheat: You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat individual portions, transfer to a microwave-safe dish and heat for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through.Otherwise, you can remove from the fridge for about 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees, then remove the plastic, cover with foil and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through.

If you're looking for some Healthy Chicken Recipes, Be sure to check out my list here for some dinner inspiration. Or if you’re looking for some more inspiration, here’s another list of Healthy Dinner Recipes too.

Here are some more of our favorite Mexican-inspired recipes:

• Homemade Taco Pizza
• Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
• Steak Fajitas
• Shredded Beef Tacos
• Oven Chicken Fajitas
• Chipotle Chicken Burritos

More Chicken Recipes you'll love...

• More Quick Weekday Meals
• More Dinner Ideas
• More Chicken Recipes
• Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken

These yummy Green Chicken Enchiladas are quick, easy, and just as good as the ones from your favorite Mexican Restaurant. They are stuffed full of tender chicken, cream cheese, and spicy green chilis, slathered in enchilada sauce and finished with melted cheese and all of your favorite toppings.

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