Today I’m sharing a healthier spin on the classic Chicken Enchiladas Verde using Paleo-friendly chia seed tortillas!
This recipe is…
Today, I’d like the share the story about how I learned that I actually CAN keep a plant alive.
Once upon a time, 27 years of my life went by with me *convinced* that I had two black thumbs. To illustrate just how exceedingly well I killed plants, I’d like to start with a contrasting story about my amazing Dad. You see, my Father is one of those green-thumbed miracle workers. He can take a leaf off a “neat looking plant,” stick it in a pot, and nurture it into a whole new plant. It always amazes me. His entire back porch is full of the beautiful, thriving plants he’s grown from little stubs and seeds. His back porch is also full of the half-dozen plants he “rescued” from me over the years. Each of THOSE plants had very near-death experiences and are now living large under his sage care.
Like I said before, I was CONVINCED that I just killed all plants! I watered them, loved them, and made sure they weren’t too cold or too hot. I thought I was doing all the right things, but slowly each one would start dropping one heart breaking leaf at a time. THEN, I bought a back porch-only plant and started watering it with the nearest source of water, the outside hose. A few weeks went by, I held my breath, and the plant LIVED. In fact, it thrived! I was so amazed, I rushed out and bought another plant for the backyard. It lived, too! Now it was time to do some deductive reasoning …what variables had changed? THE WATER.
This is where something so simple can make such a huge difference. You see, I WAS watering all the plants with our inside water. Our inside water runs through a water softener (San Antonio, TX) …so, I was watering our plants with salted water. AWESOME. Poor little buggers were being burnt with salty water! The outside water does *not* go through the softener, which is why the plants did well.
The moral of this story, don’t write anything off just because you have 27 years of failures on your resume. Your big breakthrough to success could be as simple as using different water.
Now onto today’s recipe! I have been planning this Chicken Enchiladas Verde recipe 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 use the Salsa Verde recipe in my ‘Fed & Fit‘ book!
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!
Note that while this recipe calls for cheese, you can ABSOLUTELY omit it. I’ve made it both with and without cheese, they’re both great.
Serve up your Chicken Enchiladas Verde alongside some sour cream (real or the Paleo version from my book) and enjoy!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
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!