It’s here, the moment you have all been waiting for: the finale of Cinco de Mayo recipes! Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas.
If you tuned in on Friday for my Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce, you had a clue as to what was coming your way today. You also know that, for me, making enchiladas – which is supposed to be easy – turns into a clumsy, messy chore due to small kitchen countertops. <–THIS is why we make our Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce in advance. Because we are all about efficient, easy, stress-free enchilada assembly lines, right?! PLUS this way we have a bunch of delicious leftover sauce that’s amazing on eggs, tacos, plain chicken, anything you can think of, and of course enchiladas (duh!). Also, the sauce is freezer-friendly so that you will be prepared for more Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas in the near future. All good things!
The reason these enchiladas are titled “easy” is because not only did we make our Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce in advance, we also made our chicken in advance. I made my Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken so that we would have chicken that would last us all week long. That chicken is so easy to make, and fall-off-the-bone tender! AND all I had to do to make the enchiladas was saute an onion, reheat a little chicken, add a few spices, stuff my tortilla shells with chicken and cheese, roll them up tight, pour plenty of Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese and bake until all melty and bubbly. Dinner is served!
Of course, you could cube up some pre-cooked chicken breast or use any other leftover chicken you have lying around. OR to make life really easy, you could buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken at the store, shred it up and make your enchiladas. No judgement here; I have been known to buy a pre-cooked chicken at the grocery store from time to time. The only thing you should not do is not make these Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas, because that would just be downright shameful, and you would miss out on one delicious dinner.
The other thing you should not do is use jarred enchilada sauce! Okay, I get it, life is crazy and sometimes that bottle of enchilada sauce is all you have time for. BUT for those moments when you have a little extra time, making Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce is the way to go. Besides, this is why we are making our sauce and our chicken in advance. That’s why we can call these enchiladas EASY, because all of the hard work is done ahead of time. All you need is your little assembly line and plenty of shredded Monterey jack cheese! Bake the whole thing for 20 minutes and the sauce gets a little thicker and bubbles up and the cheese is melty, and the edges of the tortillas get all crispy, and they are stuffed with tender chicken. Can we please just have Mexican food for the rest of our days? Mostly, can we just eat these Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas forever?
The only thing that could make this meal better is to serve it with a refreshing cocktail. How about a Skinny Orange Lime Margarita? Or you could whip up some Grape Tomato Salsa to snack on while your enchiladas are baking. Pretty much you should just open up your own Mexican restaurant!
Do you ever reheat your leftover enchiladas to find that your enchiladas that were once saucy and irresistible are now a little dried up and lifeless? This, my friends, is another reason why we made so much extra Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce. Just spoon a little over top of your Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas before you rewarm them; it breathes a little life back into those enchiladas. Because what good is an enchilada with dried up sauce?
These Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas conclude our Cinco de Mayo food extravaganza! I hope you enjoy these Mexican-inspired recipes as much as we do. 🙂
P.S. If you are looking for some more Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipes, try these: Zucchini and Portobello Steak Fajitas, Refried Black Beans, Guacamole, and Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chipotle Dip.
Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas
- Yield: 4 (roughly 2 enchiladas per person) 1x
- Category: Entree, Chicken/Poultry
- Cuisine: Mexican, Gluten Free
Description
Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas – corn tortillas stuffed with Monterey jack cheese, tender chicken and topped with Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce. We use previously cooked chicken to make these enchiladas extra easy to prepare! They make the perfect weeknight dinner or are great to serve to a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups previously cooked chicken, shredded or cubed*
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
- 13 to 14 small corn tortilla shells
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce, previously made
- 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, or queso fresco cheese, crumbled (optional)
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish, set aside.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the previously cooked shredded/cubed chicken and the chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Heat up your tortillas: on a plate alternate damp paper towels and tortillas. Make sure to top the tortilla stack with a damp paper towel. You may need to work in batches of 5 tortillas at a time. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are warm and flexible.
- Set up your enchilada assembly line. First your warmed tortillas, next your chicken, cheese, and greased baking dish.
- To assemble: grab a warm tortilla, add about 1 to 2 tablespoons chicken/onion mixture, top with 1 tablespoon Monterey jack cheese (be careful not to overstuff them). Tightly roll the tortilla around the ingredients. Place the enchilada seam-side-down in your baking dish. Repeat until you have rolled all of your enchiladas.
- The enchiladas should fit snugly in the casserole dish.
- Spoon the Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce over top of the enchiladas, leaving the edges of the enchiladas uncovered so that they get crispy. Top with the remainder of the Monterey jack cheese (about 1/2 cup) and crumbled Cotija or queso fresco cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired, and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the enchiladas seem a little dry when you reheat leftovers, then spoon a little extra Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce over top before reheating.
Notes
* I reccomend making my Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken in advance. You could also use previously cooked chicken breast that has been cubed. Or even store-bought rotisserie chicken that has been cooked at a grocery store.
Nutrition facts are a rough estimate of 2 enchiladas per serving. The facts can vary greatly depending on what kind/brand of tortillas you use.
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