Go Back
–+ servings
A 9'x13' white baking dish filled with chicken enchiladas with verde sauce topped with chopped tomatoes and cilantro, alongside a metal spatula and festive napkins.

Chicken Enchiladas with Verde Sauce

Course: Entree, Mexican
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Roasting time (veggies and chicken): 57 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 670kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
Chicken Enchiladas with Verde Sauce is one of our all-time favorite dishes. Roast the tomatillos, peppers, garlic, and onion for a deep rich flavor. We also bake the chicken thighs for about 45 minutes for amazing flavor. Baked to perfection. Muy beuno!!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 9"x13" baking dish

Ingredients

FOR THE VERDE SAUCE

  • 1 lb tomatillos fresh, husks and stems removed, rinsed
  • 2 serrano chiles stems and seeds removed
  • 4 slices white onion each about ¼-inch thick
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup cilantro fresh, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups Pacific Foods Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth
  • ¾ cup Mexican crema or crème fraîche, or heavy cream
  • Kosher salt

FOR THE ENCHILADAS

  • 3 lb chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • 10 corn tortillas
  • 1½ cups cheese Shredded: Monterey Jack and/or Mild Cheddar
  • 1 cup tomato chopped, for garnish
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped, for garnish
  • ½ cup Cotija cheese crumbled, for garnish

Instructions

MAKE THE VERDE SAUCE

  • Position a rack under your broiler, and turn on high. Arrange the tomatillos, chiles, onion slices, and garlic in a shallow baking/roasting pan.
  • Broil, until the tomatillos are soft and slightly charred, about 12 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
  • Transfer vegetables to a blender and add the cilantro. Blend until smooth.
  • Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillo mixture and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
  • Add 2 cups of the broth and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and whisk in the Mexican crema (or crème fraîche or heavy cream) and 1 teaspoon salt. Let cool slightly before assembling the enchiladas

ROAST THE CHICKEN

  • While the sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Rub the vegetable oil (1 tablespoon) over the chicken thighs, and then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken thighs until cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F. (Approx. 45 minutes for bone-in, 30 minutes for boneless).
  • Remove the thighs and let cool slightly. (You can turn the oven off, or leave it on...you will be cooking the enchiladas at the same temp shortly). Remove the skin and discard it. Shred the meat with a fork. Lightly salt and pepper the shredded chicken. Set aside.

PREPARE THE ENCHILADAS

  • Place moist paper towels around the corn tortillas and place in the microwave on high for 1 minute. The tortillas should be soft and pliable. Microwave for another 30 seconds, if necessary.
  • Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray. One by one, dip the tortilla into the prepared sauce, just enough to coat the tortilla. Lay the sauced tortilla into the dish. Fill the center of the tortilla with a heaping tablespoon of the cooked chicken, and then roll in the side of the tortilla, sealing them shut at the top. Spoon some of the sauce over the tortillas to keep the enchilada sealed. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Pour 1½ cups of the sauce over the tortillas. Top with the cheese and bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.
  • Garnish with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and crumble Cotija cheese, if desired. Serve at once!

Video

Notes

We love the flavor of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  However, you can certainly go with skinless, boneless thigh or breasts.  The bake time will typically be about 15 to 20 minutes less.  When fully cooked, the juices will run clear and the internal temperature is 165° to 170°F.
A shredded rotisserie chicken is an okay substitute, you won't get quite as much flavor, but it's still a fine option.
Serrano peppers will add some heat to the sauce.  We remove the stems and then slit the peppers in half to remove in the seeds and ribs on the inside.  Consider wearing gloves to do this, or wash your hands and don't touch your eyes!  For more heat, leave the seeds in, or increase the peppers to 3.  For minimal heat, only use 1 pepper.  For not heat at all, omit the peppers.  
1 fresh jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, can be substituted for the serrano peppers.
The verde sauce and the chicken can be prepared several days in advance.
The cooked enchiladas will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.  And though they can be frozen, the texture of the enchiladas will be compromised somewhat if frozen for up to 1 month. 

Nutrition

Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 78g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 1439mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1584IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 571mg | Iron: 5mg