Easy Enchiladas Verdes

When you're cooking almost every meal at home then the recipes tend to get simpler right?  

I think that's why I've been making these Enchiladas Verdes more often over the past few months.  It's one of the easiest enchilada dishes you'll ever make, but don't let the simple ingredient list fool you as you can get incredible flavor when building this green sauce from scratch. 

How To Make Enchiladas Verdes

If you've ever made Salsa Verde at home then you already have all the knowledge you'll need to make these enchiladas.

In other words, we're relying on these beauties:

You'll need about 1.5 lbs. of tomatillos for this recipe.  That'll be around 12-15 tomatillos depending on their size.   What's a Tomatillo?

But don't sweat the exact weight too much as I usually just eyeball it too 🙂

And I'm sticking with the brine and bake method for the chicken, but you are welcome to cook it any way you want.  

Start by adding a quart of water to a mixing bowl and dissolving 1/4 cup of Kosher or sea salt into it.  Add 2 chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb. total) and let them brine for about 30-60 minutes.  I usually cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge. 

Once brined you can pat dry the chicken breasts and add them to a baking sheet.  They'll need about 20 minutes in a 400F oven to fully cook. 

Luckily this is about the same amount of time the tomatillos need so we'll add those as well.

 

And while I never roast the jalapeno or onion for Salsa Verde, I did for these enchiladas.  Roasting will mellow them out a little and I felt like that was a better fit here, but it's your call on that one. 

Once the chicken is cooked you can set it aside for a few minutes to cool and then shred it using two forks. 

Be sure to take a taste to confirm how awesome brining is 🙂

Meanwhile, in the blender you can add:

the roasted tomatillos
1/2 onion
1-3 jalapenos
3-4 peeled garlic cloves
10-15 sprigs cilantro

Start with just a single jalapeno if you want a milder version.  Then give it a whirl and take a taste, adding more jalapeno if you want more heat.   I used all 3 jalapenos 🙂

I usually bring this sauce up to temp in a saucepan, but you are welcome to simplify and just add all the additional ingredients to the blender. 

Add the green sauce to a pan along with:

1/2 cup stock
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)

I used homemade veggie stock but any stock will do here --  it's mostly just to thin out the sauce a little.  

And I really like a hint of Mexican oregano in this green sauce but that is definitely optional -- don't sweat it if you don't have any on hand as you'll still get a good result.  What is Mexican Oregano?

You'll need about 10-14 corn tortillas for this recipe, depending on how stuffed you want your enchis 🙂

It's best to warm up the tortillas first as this will make them easier to roll.   You have three options for this:  flash fry them in some hot oil, put them in the oven for a few minutes, or nuke them in a damp paper towel for a minute or so. 

I usually pour some green sauce on a plate, dredge the warm tortilla in it, and then fill 'em up.

 

For the insides of this batch I used:

the shredded chicken
plenty of Jack cheese
finely chopped raw onion 

You are welcome to put some green sauce on the inside of your enchis if you want. 

Add the rolled up tortillas to a baking dish seam side down.  I usually add a layer of sauce on the bottom to prevent sticking.  

Then drench them with the green sauce!   

I could fit 10 stuffed enchiladas in this baking dish and I still had a bit of chicken leftover.   You'll have plenty of green sauce too, so feel free to save some for a final layer after the bake. 

Add some shredded cheese on top and give 'em 8-10 minutes in a 400F oven. 

Once the cheese is melted you can serve 'em up! 

Taste good?

Enchiladas Verdes is such an easy recipe and I think you'll be surprised how much flavor you get when you build your green sauce from scratch.  I hope you enjoy it 🙂

P.S. For those of you who want to turn this into a creamy green sauce then see these Enchiladas Suizas.  You'll need cream and poblanos for that recipe, but the base is the same as these Enchiladas Verdes. 

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Want to see our latest recipe?  It's this Mango Black Bean Salsa.