Today I’m sharing a healthier spin on the classic Chicken Enchiladas Verde using Paleo-friendly chia seed tortillas!
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This recipe is…
I’m excited to finally share this classic Chicken Enchiladas Verde recipe with you all because I’ve been working on it for a long, long time. In FACT, I first committed to making these enchiladas when I invited two of the incredible folks behind Siete Tortillas on my podcast! Tune into Episode 66 for their show.
Seite makes these lovely grain-free, Paleo-friendly tortillas and I vowed to author up an authentic enchiladas recipe. So here you have it! From the bottom of my great big Garcia heart, I bring you some darn good Chicken Enchiladas Verde. These are SIMPLE to make, so please do not be intimidated. I personally bought salsa verde from the store (easy) but you could absolutely make your own Salsa Verde at home too.
The salsa is mixed in with simple shredded chicken plus a few spices. Roll the defrosted tortillas (I personally prefer the new Chia Seed tortillas) around the chicken, line them up in a casserole dish, and top with more salsa (and cilantro, jalapenos, and sour cream or Mexican crema if you’d like!)
These chicken enchiladas are great served alongside our Mexican Coleslaw with Creamy Avocado Dressing, Street Corn Salad, or Corn and Kale Slaw.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic, crowd-pleasing salsa verde chicken enchiladas
- Melty cheese, tender, shredded chicken, tangy salsa…what’s not to love?
- Use store-bought salsa verde, or make it at home using our easy recipe
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to bake up a batch of our chicken verde enchiladas. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Butter – 1 tablespoon butter (ghee, or another cooking fat, will work here too)
- Chicken breast – 2 pounds chicken breast
- Salt – 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Cumin – 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Onion powder – 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Mozzarella – 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salsa verde – 2 cups salsa verde
- Tortillas – 16 siete chia tortillas
- Cilantro – fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
- Jalapenos – fresh jalapenos for garnish (optional)
- Sour cream – sour cream, or Mexican crema, for garnish (optional)
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Make this enchilada recipe your own with a few easy tweaks:
- Cheese – while this recipe calls for cheese, you can ABSOLUTELY omit it. I’ve made it both with and without cheese, they’re both great.
- Sour cream – Serve up your Chicken Enchiladas Verde alongside some sour cream (real or the Paleo version from my book).
How to Make Chicken Verde Enchiladas
Here’s how these delicious chicken verde enchiladas come together in just a few easy steps.
Step 1: For the shredded chicken, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium/high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breast with the 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and then sear each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cover with water (about 3 cups), place a lid on the pan, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken from the water and place in a large mixing bowl. Shred using two forks or your stand mixer.
Step 2: To season the chicken, add the cumin, garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, onion powder, pepper, 1/2 cup of cheese, and 1/2 cup of the salsa. Mix to combine.
Step 3: To stuff the enchiladas, place about 1/4-cup of seasoned chicken into each tortilla, roll, and then place in a casserole dish with the seam-side facing down. Repeat for the rest of the batch.
Step 4: Pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and starting to turn golden. Let cool for about 5 minutes, garnish with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
Salsa verde – Use store-bought salsa verde, or make your own with this easy recipe.
How to Serve
Serve these enchiladas warm and bubbly from the oven, topped with more salsa. If you’d like, garnish them with cilantro, jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate leftover enchiladas, covered, for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Salsa verde is a classic Mexican salsa. The thing that sets it apart from other types of salsa (and what gives it its namesake color) is tomatillos. Our easy salsa verde recipe also calls for a classic mix of onions, garlic, jalapeno, lime, cilantro, and salt for a combination that’s tangy, savory, salty, bright, and totally refreshing!
We think the quickest and easiest way to shred chicken is using an appliance you might not have guessed: the stand mixer. But you can also shred chicken breasts simply and easily with two forks and a large mixing bowl.
More Tex-Mex Chicken Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas Verde, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝comments below!
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, ghee, or other cooking fat
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 cups salsa verde, divided
- 16 siete chia tortillas, defrosted
- fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- fresh jalapenos, for garnish (optional)
- sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- For the shredded chicken, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium/high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breast with the 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and then sear each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cover with water (about 3 cups), place a lid on the pan, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken from the water and place in a large mixing bowl. Shred using two forks or your stand mixer.
- To season the chicken, add the cumin, garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, onion powder, pepper, 1/2 cup of cheese, and 1/2 cup of the salsa. Mix to combine.
- To stuff the enchiladas, place about 1/4-cup of seasoned chicken into each tortilla, roll, and then place in a casserole dish with the seam-side facing down. Repeat for the rest of the batch.
- Pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and starting to turn golden.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes and then garnish with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Holy moly, these are SO GOOD and so easy to make. Definitely prepare extra because you will want these again. My husband said they tasted just as good – if not better – than the ones we get at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I also love that I don’t have to gently fry the tortillas before stuffing and rolling them. That’s the method I grew up with, and I thought it was necessary for that authentic enchilada taste, but I can definitely say it’s not!
WOW! That’s amazing, Chelsea! We’re so glad y’all loved them!
I’m going to drop this off for some friends who just had a baby. I will probably make them tonight and drop them off tomorrow morning. What do you recommend for reheating them? Thanks!
I’d reheat them covered in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes and then uncovered for 10 minutes!
One of my favorite recipes. We prepare the chicken in the instant pot with the seasonings and salsa!
So glad you love this one, Clare!
Planning to make these tonight! Do you all have the nutritional information so I can accurately track my macros? Thanks!
Just added the nutrition facts to the bottom of the recipe card, Linzy! Enjoy!
This looks amazing!!! Can’t wait to try!!!
Enjoy, Cassidy!!
Hi Cassy!
My husband and I just made these for make-ahead meals for the week. They look delicious!! One problem – when I rolled up the tortillas around the chicken they ALL. SPLIT. OPEN. Like not just a few of them, ALL OF THEM. They don’t remotely look like enchiladas Any tips??
Also, one jar of salsa was not enough to make the whole recipe. We just covered the rest with Frank’s and called it good.
What would be the best way to freeze these and re-heat? Cook completely and then freeze? Should I let the casserole thaw before going into the oven or go straight from freezer to oven? Thanks!
Cook completely, freeze, and then place straight from freezer to a 350 F oven and bake for 30 minutes!
These were SUCH a hit!! My husband generally prefers the classic Tex mex beef or cheese enchiladas to chicken, but boy did he love these! These will definitely be added to our regular rotation, and they were so easy with storebought salsa!
So TASTY! I made this last night and your Mongolian Beef last week. My boyfriend is begging for me to make your recipes more often. Thank you 🙂
Trying this for dinner tonight! I’m loving these *easier* recipes…I’m recently obsessed with your Graham Cracker bark as well;) So good!
Oh myyy, can’t wait to make these! Enchiladas are my favorite!