Enchiladas Suizas -- Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

I've been overflowing with tomatillos lately so these Enchiladas Suizas have been in my kitchen non-stop over the past couple weeks. 

They are wildly satisfying so if you're new to them please consider giving them a go. 

But don't sweat the chicken too much as you'll be getting loads of flavor from the Suiza sauce!

How To Make Enchiladas Suizas 

The original version of this recipe poached the chicken and that's always a good option. 

But when I'm not in a rush I will brine-and-bake the chicken.   

Letting the chicken rest in some saltwater gives it a massive bump in flavor and it's worth a try if you don't mind waiting an extra half hour for dinner.  

And of course, in a pinch you could always use rotisserie chicken. 

But again, don't sweat the chicken too much as your Suiza sauce is far more important!  You'll get loads of flavor from your creamy green sauce and that's the key to this dish.  

Start by roasting your tomatillos and poblano in the oven at 400F.  Sure, you can always pan roast these but I think the oven is the easiest and it's equally effective. 

The tomatillos typically need less time to roast than the poblano, but I usually just leave them in until the poblano is  blistered and peeling, somewhere around 25-30 minutes.  More info on working with tomatillos.  

Once the poblano has cooled a bit you can de-stem and de-seed it.  You can also pull off any loose bits of skin, but don't worry about getting every last bit as it won't affect the flavor. 

Add the roasted poblano and tomatillos to a blender along with:

1/2 white onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno pepper
10-12 cilantro sprigs

Give it a whirl and take a taste for heat. 

If you want more heat you can add the other half of the jalapeno pepper (or more!).  This mixture will get diluted a bit by the cream and stock, so I tend to make it a bit more spicy than usual.  Are poblano peppers hot?

Once you're happy with the heat of the green sauce, add a glug of oil to a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the sauce from blender and cook for a few minutes.

Once it's heated we'll add:

1 cup stock (I used this chicken stock)
1/4 heavy cream, or creme fraiche

Cook over medium-low heat until heated throughout.  You're really just bringing it up to temp so there's no need to overcook it. 

And say hello to your Suiza sauce!

It's got vibrancy from the tomatillos, some depth from the roasted poblano, and savoriness from the cream 🙂

Once the sauce is done you can start building your enchiladas. 

Use two forks to shred the chicken.  Combine it with a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion, 1 cup shredded cheese, and dashes of salt.

This is the inner mixture of the enchiladas.  You also have the option of adding a few tablespoons of the green sauce to this mixture.

Next we'll heat up the tortillas -- this will make them easier to roll up.  I used the microwave for this batch but you could always just stick 'em in the oven for a bit.  3 ways to warm up corn tortillas. 

Prepare your baking dish for the enchiladas by adding a few spoonfuls of the Suiza sauce to the dish.  This will prevent the enchiladas from sticking.

On a plate, add a couple spoonfuls of the Suiza sauce.  Dredge a tortilla in the sauce, flip, and fill with a small handful of the chicken mixture.

You can optionally add more cheese if you want your enchis to be kind of gooey 🙂

Roll tight and place seam side down on the baking dish. 

Keep going ‘til the chicken is gone.  This recipe will make 6-8 enchiladas depending on the size of your tortillas.

Add the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas along with a layer of cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until all the cheese is melted.

Getting hungry?!

I added freshly chopped cilantro to this batch but they really don't need much else so you can consider that optional. 

Sweet Suizas, no?

Give 'em a go if your kitchen needs a kickstart -- once you get the green sauce to your liking you'll find all sorts of excuses to make them 🙂

Buen Provecho.

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Enchiladas Suizas -- Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

Building a traditional green sauce and mixing it with a bit of cream will make your Enchiladas Suizas the real deal.

4.30 from 55 votes

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Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 (7-9 enchiladas)

Calories: 732kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

• 5 tomatillos
• 1 jalapeno (or serrano)
• ½ white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 10-12 sprigs cilantro
• 1 poblano
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 large chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons white onion finely diced
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Jack)
• freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

• Feel free to cook the chicken however you want. I go back and forth between poaching it and the brine-and-bake method.
• To poach the chicken, cover the chicken breast with water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add a half onion, cilantro sprigs and a pinch of salt for additional flavor.  Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Once cooked, set aside to cool. 
• To brine-and-bake the chicken, add 1/4 cup salt to a quart of water in a mixing bowl.  Dissolve the salt and add the chicken, letting it brine covered in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.  If the chicken isn't fully submerged then add a bit more water.  Once brined, pat dry the chicken and add it to a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside (160F).
• Meanwhile, de-husk and rinse the tomatillos. I usually de-stem them as well. Roast the tomatillos and poblano in the oven at 400F for around 25-30 minutes.
• Cut off the stem and de-seed the roasted poblano. You can also remove any loose bits of skin. Add it to a blender along with the tomatillos, 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 10-12 sprigs of cilantro, and 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper. Pulse blend and taste for heat level, adding the other half of the jalapeno if you want more heat.
• Heat a glug of oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the green sauce from the blender and simmer for a few minutes.  Add 1 cup chicken stock and 1/4 cup heavy cream to the mixture.  Cook on medium-low until heated through.
• Use two forks to shred the chicken and add it to a mixing bowl along with 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped onion, a handful of cheese, and dashes of salt. You can also add some green sauce if you want.
• Heat the corn tortillas in the oven for a few minutes.  (Or nuke them in some damp paper towels for 60 seconds.)
• Prepare the baking dish by adding a few spoonfuls of the green sauce to prevent sticking.  
• On a plate, add a couple spoonfuls of the green sauce.  Dredge a tortilla in the sauce, flip, and fill with a small handful of the chicken mixture.  You can optionally add more cheese on top. Roll up and place seam side down on the baking dish. Keep going ‘til the chicken is gone.  Add the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas along with a final layer of cheese.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes (400F) or until the cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately. You can optionally garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

Don't have poblanos or cream?  You can simplify and make a batch of Enchiladas Verdes.

Once you're familiar with this style of making enchiladas you can swap out a few ingredients and make our Red Sauce Enchiladas or our Colorado Enchiladas.

And for a list of even more Mexican entrees you can make tonight, click here.