Green chile chicken enchiladas are a staple in our home because my family eats Mexican food at least twice a week. We love it in all shapes and sizes! Being originally from Southern California, we grew up enjoying many authentic tastes of Mexico. These enchiladas are one of my favorite family dinners. I love this recipe because it includes a homemade taco seasoning for the chicken. It’s also incredibly easy to put together and tastes amazing fresh from the oven or as leftovers the next day.
Why We Love Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Green chile chicken enchiladas are a family favorite in our home. This dish is packed with bold flavors, easy to prepare, and perfect for leftovers. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Making Homemade Taco Seasoning
I start by making my homemade taco seasoning. It takes about a minute to put together and doesn’t have all those additives and extra salt. You can find my simple recipe here, but if you don’t have all the spices in the cupboard, you can use a packet of taco seasoning from the store.
Step 2: Preparing and Cooking the Chicken
Use a meat tenderizer to tenderize 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This is an important step because the meat needs to all be the same thickness so that it cooks evenly. I usually do this step inside of a large Ziplock bag.
Make sure the chicken breasts are patted dry with a paper towel, and then sprinkle them with the taco seasoning. Use your fingers to press the seasoning into the meat for the green chile chicken enchiladas.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium to high heat and grill the chicken. Grill the chicken until it is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and let it cool for a few minutes.
Once cooled, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set it aside to assemble into the green chile chicken enchiladas later on.
Step 3: Sautéing Onions
In the same large skillet that you cooked the chicken, sauté 2 medium-sized onions. There should still be enough oil in the pan that you don’t need to add any extra. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown. Scrape the onions out of the skillet into a small bowl to add to the enchilada assembly line.
Step 4: Preparing the Sauce
The green chile chicken enchiladas sauce is super easy because I use sauce from a can. In the same skillet I cooked the chicken and onions, I pour 3 15-ounce cans of green chile enchilada sauce. I prefer to use Las Palmas canned enchilada sauce because they have mild, medium, and hot versions. I use the medium version for my family, but if you have kids with a sensitive palate, you may want to use the mild version. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce warm up while it soaks in all that yummy chicken flavor.
Step 5: Setting Up and Rolling Enchiladas
Assembling the green chile chicken enchiladas is easy, but it helps to have everything set up in a line to make it smooth and tidy. First, take about 2 cups of the green sauce and put it into the bottom of your large casserole dish. This way, the enchiladas don’t stick to the bottom. Then, one flour tortilla at a time, dip the tortilla into the sauce on both sides. I used flour tortillas because my family prefers them, but these taste great with corn tortillas as well.
Fill each tortilla with a scoop of chicken, a spoonful of onions, and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese.
Roll the green chile chicken enchiladas up tightly and fit them into your casserole dish. Pour any remaining green chile sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
Step 6: Baking and Cooling
Bake the green chile chicken enchiladas at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until they are hot and bubbly. Let them set on the counter to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into them. This allows them to firm up a bit so all the delicious insides don’t pour out when you cut into them.
A Meal That’s Easy to Pair
These green chile chicken enchiladas are a meal within themselves, and I rarely make more than a side of beans or rice to go with them. In this picture is my black bean dip, a favorite of my husband’s on game day.
Sometimes while the enchiladas are baking, I make my homemade cilantro-lime salsa, 5-minute pico de gallo.
Or I might make my chunky restaurant style guacamole to make a complete Mexican dinner. 🙂
A Few More Family Favorites
So, as you can probably guess, my family and I LOVE Mexican food! We are originally from Southern California. Now that we live in Tennessee, I can see how much our taste buds were influenced by the large Hispanic culture of Los Angeles. How I wish I could visit a food truck for some authentic carnitas or have my favorite shrimp taco from Taco Nazo! But TN is a long ways from CA, so I have had to learn to make gringa/palatable versions in my own kitchen.
Some of our absolute favorites are the 30-minute chicken and black bean fajitas, perfect for busy weeknights when time is short, but the flavor is a must. We also enjoy the copycat Crockpot chipotle barbacoa bowls, which bring the restaurant experience right into our home.
For meal prep or easy dinners, the freezer-friendly spicy chicken enchiladas are a go-to, while the avocado salad with cilantro lime dressing adds a fresh and zesty touch to any meal. These dishes never disappoint!
I hope these recipes give you some ideas for dinner this week. If you need a few more, check out my recipe index, all my Crockpot meals, and my Pinterest boards! Happy cooking, y’all!
