Chicken Enchiladas Verdes with homemade enchilada sauce. The homemade sauce is killer. It's what makes these enchiladas so stinking good!
Ok, I get it, homemade sauce? I've lost you already but these Chicken Enchiladas Verdes are so worth it. The sauce a cinch to make and it's so good!
My little friends, the tomatillos, help to make not only great salsa but also this delicious sauce! I roast them up along with onion, garlic, and peppers. Then toss them in a blender with a few spices. Voila! Enchilada Sauce!
After you've whizzed up the sauce, it's time to get your roll on...
...or if you just don't have time for that, get your layer on and make a Chicken Enchilada Casserole!
Then just toss those enchiladas in the oven to bake! Once it's nice and bubbly and warm, serve it up and wow your friends and family. Amaze them when you tell them it's all from scratch! You don't have to tell them how easy it was, that's our little secret.
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce: (Makes enough for two batches of enchiladas)
- 2 lbs tomatillos husked
- 1-2 jalapeño or serrano chiles
- 1 small onion quartered
- 5 cloves garlic whole
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed (½ lime)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp corriander
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the enchiladas
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 pkg corn tortillas
- 8 oz Monterey jack cheese shredded
- 1 small red onion sliced thin
- 1 handful cilantro
Instructions
For the enchilada sauce:
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatillos, chile peppers, onion, and garlic cloves on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping the vegetables halfway. When the vegetables are lightly browned and the tomatillos start to burst open, they are done. Remove from the oven.
- Remove the seeds from the peppers. Place the entire pan of roasted vegetables (minus the chile seeds) into a blender or food processor. Add in the lime juice, cilantro, cumin, coriander, oregano, and salt. Puree until smooth.
- Pour half of the sauce into a jar for freezing/making another batch of enchiladas. Set the rest aside to make enchiladas now.
To assemble enchiladas:
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 1.5-2qt casserole dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce, just a couple tablespoons full, along the bottom of the dish
- Warm the corn tortillas on a plate under a damp paper towel in the microwave for about 60 seconds or until they are warmed through and pliable. Keep them under the damp towel while you work.
- Place a small handful of chicken, cheese, and red onion on top of one tortilla. Add a small spoonful of sauce. Roll to close and place seem side down in the dish. Continue rolling enchiladas and snugging them together in the dish until it is full. (Sometimes corn tortillas split apart when you roll them, warming them more helps with this.*)
- Drizzle enchilada sauce along the tops of the rolled enchiladas in the pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions.
- Bake at 350°F for 30-45 min or until heated through and bubbly. Cover with foil if the top is becoming too brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
To assemble casserole-style enchiladas:
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 1.5-2qt casserole dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce, just a couple of tablespoons full, along the bottom of the dish.
- Put a layer of tortillas along the bottom of the dish, tearing tortillas as needed to cover any open areas.
- Sprinkle ½ the chicken and ⅓ of the cheese and onions on top of the tortillas. Drizzle with ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat the layer 1 more time.
- Finish with a layer of tortillas on top. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. Then, sprinkle that with the remaining cheese and onions.
- Bake at 350°F for 30-45 min or until heated through and bubbly. Cover with foil if the top is becoming too brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Notes
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