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Creamy, tangy, and filling, chicken enchiladas are an awesome comforting weeknight dinner. Whether you cook a couple of chicken breasts up quickly in a skillet, or use pre-cooked chicken, this recipe comes together easily. I smothered these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with a really quick homemade green chile sauce that only takes about 10 minutes to make, and has a LOT more flavor than store-bought canned enchilada sauce, so try not to skip it if you can!
“This recipe was super creamy and delicious, and a new favorite in my household! I served it with some refried beans and seasoned rice, and added a bit of cayenne to the sauce and it turned out great!”
Kendra
Homemade Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
While I make the green chile enchilada sauce and filling from scratch, this recipe is actually surprisingly simple and really adaptable. The creamy filling comes together in one bowl, the tortillas get a quick toast to keep them from tearing, and that homemade sauce is done in the time it takes the chicken to cook!
I’d consider these enchiladas “medium” spicy. I used pepper jack cheese, which has spicy peppers, as well as a little cayenne pepper in the filling. If your canned green chiles (used to make the enchilada sauce) are spicy as well, your enchiladas will be more on the spicy side. Want to reduce the spice level? See my recipe tips below!
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- I cooked up a couple of chicken breasts in a skillet for these enchiladas (instructions included in the recipe below), but you can take a shortcut by using rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken, or canned chicken breast, if you want to make this recipe even easier. You’ll need about 2 cups of chopped, cooked, and cooled chicken for the enchilada filling.
- Add some veggies! Vegetables that would go good in these green chile chicken enchiladas include: zucchini (sautéed first to remove moisture), spinach (chopped and sautéed or frozen, thawed), or frozen corn (thawed). As you’re adding more volume, I’d either make more enchiladas (maybe 16 enchiladas) or reduce the meat by half to make up for the added vegetables.
- If you want to make this recipe milder, simply swap out the pepper jack cheese for Monterey Jack, skip the cayenne pepper in the filling, and make sure you use mild canned green chiles!
- For a vegetarian option, I’d go for a 15 oz. can of drained black beans, diced avocado, and some veggie mix-ins to make the filling (just like I do in my black bean and avocado enchiladas recipe).
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Cost $8.46 recipe / $1.41 serving
Ingredients
Enchiladas
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas ($0.79*)
- ½ Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 1 lb. chicken breast (boneless, skinless, $2.67**)
- ½ cup sour cream ($0.47)
- 8 oz. pepper jack cheese (shredded and divided, $1.87)
- 2 green onions (sliced, $0.20)
- ½ tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- ½ tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
- 2 4oz. cans diced green chiles ($1.94)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- ½ tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- ¼ tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Once hot, toast the tortillas for 30-60 seconds on each side, or until browned on the edges (no oil needed). Stack the toasted tortillas on a plate and cover with foil or an upside down bowl to keep them from drying out.
- Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium, add the cooking oil, and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken breast and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (165ºF internal temperature). Transfer the chicken breast to a clean cutting board to cool.
- While the chicken is cooking, begin the green chile enchilada sauce. Add both cans of diced green chiles (with liquid) to a blender and purée until smooth.
- Add the cooking oil, flour, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to a small sauce pot. Stir and cook over medium, allowing the mixture to come up to a bubble. Once bubbling, continue to cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Carefully add the water and puréed green chiles to the sauce pot and whisk to combine. Allow the sauce to come back up to a simmer, stirring often. Once simmering, turn off the heat, and season with salt (about ½ tsp). Set the sauce aside.
- Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. Add the sour cream, half of the shredded pepper jack, sliced green onions, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne and salt to a large bowl. Finely dice the chicken, then add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Begin assembling the enchiladas. Add about ¼ cup of the prepared filling to the center of each tortilla and then roll it closed. Place the filled tortillas in a casserole dish, seam side down.
- Pour the prepared green chile enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then top with the remaining shredded pepper jack cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Small Blender
- Casserole Dish
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Green Chile Enchiladas Step-by-Step Photos
Toast the tortillas: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add the tortillas and toast on each side for 30-60 seconds or until browned (no oil needed). Place the toasted tortillas on a plate and cover with foil or an upside-down bowl to keep them from drying out.
Cook the chicken: Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium. Add ½ Tbsp cooking oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Add two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through (165ºF internal temperature). Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board to cool.
Make the sauce: While the chicken is cooking, begin the green chile enchilada sauce. Purée two 4 oz. cans of diced green chiles (with the liquid from the can) in a blender.
Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil, 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp onion powder to a sauce pot. Cook and stir over medium until it begins to bubble. Once bubbling, continue to cook and stir for one minute.
Add 1 cup water and the puréed green chiles. Whisk to combine, then allow it to come back up to a simmer (stirring frequently). Once simmering, it will thicken slightly. Season with salt (about ½ tsp), then set the sauce aside.
Make the filling: Finely chop the cooked chicken.
Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. Add ½ cup sour cream, 4 oz. shredded pepper jack (1 cup), 2 sliced green onions, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp cayenne, ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp salt, and the chopped chicken to a bowl. Stir to combine.
Assemble the enchiladas: Begin assembling the chicken enchiladas. Add about ¼ cup of filling to each toasted tortilla, then roll closed. Place the filled tortillas in a casserole dish, seam side down.
Pour the prepared green chile enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
Top with the remaining 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded pepper jack cheese.
Bake in the oven: Bake the enchiladas in the preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. (I garnished with chopped cilantro, but it’s not really needed for flavor). Serve hot and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
For me, these green chile enchiladas aren’t complete without a few sides. I really love adding something fresh with a little crunch to juxtapose the creamy, cheesy sauce, like a scoop of cumin lime coleslaw or some juicy Pico de Gallo. My quick seasoned black beans or our Spanish rice are also perfect for making the meal more filling. But one super easy side I’ve seriously been loving recently is our street corn salad. It goes great with literally anything!
Storage, Meal Prep & Reheating
These green chile chicken enchiladas are awesome for meal prepping! You can make the sauce and the filling a day ahead, store them separately in the fridge, then assemble and bake. As for leftovers, I’d keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container and reheat in the oven at 350°F. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, and reheat from frozen (350°F for 20-30 minutes).
Such a fantastic recipe. I made a couple tweaks. I used a pound of chicken thighs and cooked them in the oven on a wire rack at 400, seasoned with taco seasoning. Pulled at 155. I took the suggestion and added some corn, half a bag TJs fire roasted. Instead of sour cream I used Greek yogurt, and 4 wedges of light laughing cow. I also used about 12 oz of pepper jack total instead of 8. Added msg to all components. Only regret is not making a double recipe!
Tried these for the first time this Super Bowl weekend. It was a new taste adventure for me, and boy, was it worth it. Absolutely delicious (if you like spice)! Will definitely plan to serve to casual/hungry company in future! The fact that you can freeze is just a bonus.
I make this several times a year, definite crowd pleaser. Swap chicken with black beans for vegetarian.
Can I prep these and keep them in the fridge for a day prior to cooking?
That should work fine!
This is the first and only enchilada recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve made it many times. The green chile sauce is what makes it amazing.
Can I freeze the whole pan of enchiladas after baking and cooling—reheat from frozen?
Yes, you can! I’d recommend baking at 350F for 20-30 minutes to reheat from frozen!
I’ll let you know. Making them now
Best chicken enchiladas I’ve ever made! Thanks so much for sharing ☺️
My 22 year old and I liked it. My 13 year old said it was too spicy.
These were great, even the littles ate it up. The food just needed a little extra salt at the end but nothing a shaker can’t fix lol
This was fantastic. Only change I made was to use greek yogurt instead of sour cream since that’s what we have. I can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow for lunch.
These were super good!
Delicious!! My husband and I made these tonight and both agreed they are some of the very best enchiladas we’ve had yet. We did make two changes to the recipe. Instead of chicken we used pre cooked shredded pork carnitas, and habanero jack for a spicier cheese. Made the rest of the recipe exactly as written. So tasty, and very easy for the two of us to pull together. Served with sour cream and hot sauce.
Very good green chili enchiladas!
Delicious and easy! Only 30 min of prep. We used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it turned out great.