My family must eat Mexican food atleast twice a week. We love it in all shapes and sizes! We are originally from Southern California and have grown up with many authentic tastes of Mexico. One of my favorite family dinners are these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. I like this recipe because it comes with a homemade taco seasoning for the chicken. It is also really easy to assemble and tastes great straight out of the oven or the next day for leftovers. Let me show you how to make it:
Preparing the Chicken and Seasonings
I start by making my homemade taco seasoning. It’s 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.
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.
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.
In the same large skillet that you cooked the chicken, saute 2 medium sized onions. There should still be enough oil in the pan that you don’t need to add any extra. Saute 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.
The Green Chile Sauce
The green chile 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.
Assembling the Green Chile Chicken 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, and spoonful of onions, and a sprinkling of monterey jack cheese.
Roll them 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.
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.
These 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 my Chunky Restaurant Style Guacamole to make a complete Mexican dinner. 🙂
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 favorites include:
30 Minute Chicken and Black Bean Fajitas
Copycat Crockpot Chipotle Barbacoa Bowls
Freezer Friendly Spicy Chicken Enchiladas
Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
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!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 packet taco seasoning or Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 medium sized onions diced
- 3 15 oz cans green chile sauce
- 8-10 flour tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a mallet to tenderize the chicken and make the same thickness. Pat dry.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning on the chicken and press into the meat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the chicken 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken and let cool. Cut into bite sized pieces or shred with forks.
- In the same skillet, saute the onions on medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the enchilada sauce over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Ladle 2 cups of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.
- One at a time, dip a tortilla into the sauce, covering it completely.
- Scoop some chicken, a spoonful of onions, and a sprinkle of cheese onto the tortilla.
- Wrap tightly and place into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour remaining green sauce on top of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Let cool for 10 minutes to firm up. Serve warm.
- Optional toppings include: salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, etc.
What a delicious recipe! I love how easy this recipe is, doesn’t take too long to prep and bake and the whole family loves. Will definitely make this enchilada recipe again soon. Thank you, Heidi!
I love easy stuff everybody loves! Gives us moms more time!