Chicken Enchiladas Verde is made with a homemade green tomatillo sauce, stuffed with Instant Pot shredded chicken, and topped with cheese.
Chicken Enchiladas Verde is an authentic Mexican dish that is sure to please. The green tomatillo sauce provides a refreshing change from the traditional red sauce, and the shredded chicken combined with cheese and tortillas makes the most delicious combination.
We made these enchiladas here with homemade green sauce – which is 100% addicting – I could literally drizzle it on everything. Just the smell of that tomatillo sauce just makes me swoon.
I don’t know about you – but I literally can’t get enough Mexican food. Once I took a trip with my son and for 48 hours – we ate nothing but Mexican food. It wasn’t intentional – just how it happened and what was calling to us at the time. We never get tired of it.
But growing up in So Cal with an aunt who is Hispanic – I was raised on recipes like this. I always loved being in the kitchen with her learning how she made all the delicious things we would enjoy for dinner.
This enchilada recipe is one of our family favorites that we make again and again. I know you’ll love it too.
chicken enchiladas
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this be made with canned sauce?
You bet – if you want to speed up the dinner-making process – a canned sauce is fine to use. I keep a stockpile of it on hand – because tomatillos are hard to find up here where we are.
Can this be made with flour tortillas?
Theoretically yes you can make the enchiladas with flour tortillas – but they tend to get a bit soggy over time with the sauce. It’s not necessarily bad – just a completely different texture in the end product.
chicken enchiladas recipe
What is the best way to store leftover chicken enchiladas?
After serving, place any leftover enchiladas in a shallow airtight container. Be sure to label with the date before refrigerating. The enchiladas should keep for up to 3 days. As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
green chicken enchiladas
Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Chicken
- chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
- water
- onion
- garlic clove
- salt
Sauce
- tomatillos
- Serrano Chiles
- water
- chopped cilantro
- onion
- garlic cloves
- salt
- pepper
Tortillas
- Corn tortillas
- vegetable oil
Assemble
- prepared- cooked and shredded chicken
- prepared tomatillo sauce
- sour cream
- shredded Mozzarella cheese
green enchiladas
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas Verde
- Add chicken, two cups of water, onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 garlic clove to the Instant Pot insert.
- Cook on high for 10 minutes. (If you are using the stove do the same. Add the ingredients to a pot but let the chicken cook for about 40 minutes until it is well cooked, and easy to shred.) Quick release is once done.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine 2 cups of water and the tomatillos and boil for about 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- While the tomatillos are boiling AND once the chicken is ready, remove it from the Instant Pot and shred it by using 2 forks and pulling it apart. Set aside.
- In a skillet., add 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat the tortillas one at a time for just a couple of minutes – letting them get hot and adequately covered in oil – but don’t cook them to the point where they start to harden or they won’t roll. You want them pliable. (This will help the tortillas remain in intact and not break while you are rolling the enchiladas.)
- In a blender, blend the cooked tomatillos, the water used to boil them, chiles, cilantro, onion, and the remaining two garlic cloves.
- Transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper to taste. If you would like your sauce to be thinner, you can add the extra water. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat.
- Take your baking dish and add a layer of sauce – about 1/2 cup or just enough to cover the bottom. Set aside.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Dip a heated tortilla in the sauce and then place it on a plate and add about 1 tablespoon of shredded chicken done the center.
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of sauce over the chicken.
- Roll the tortilla and place it in the baking dish.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and place them all next to each other until you fill your dish.
- Once they are all placed, pour some of the sauce over the top – about 1 cup or to your liking depending on if you like it saucy or with just a little sauce.
- Add the sour cream and add the cheese in an even layer on top.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas
Why use a shallow container to store the leftovers?
Well, when the container is shallow, the contents chill faster than if you were to use a large, deep container. Ideally, you don’t want it to take too long for the leftovers to get to their chilled/stored temperature.
As I mentioned, if the food remains above about 35 degrees for more than 1 hour after cooking, the bacteria starts to grow.
Salsa Verde Enchiladas
What size Instant Pot do you use for this recipe?
I am currently using an 8-quart pot, but this recipe can be made in the 6-quart pot too. If you have one of the smaller versions (3-quart mini), I recommend cutting this recipe in half.
Can this be made with another type of protein or even without meat?
Absolutely – we love to use my sweet pork barbacoa for these enchiladas. But you can also completely leave out the protein from chicken, beef or pork and just fill these with beans instead.
green enchiladas recipe
What is the difference between a pressure cooker and an instant pot?
By today’s definition, they are virtually the same – if you are talking about an electric pressure cooker. However, a traditional pressure cooker and an instant pot are two different cooking methods.
A traditional pressure cooker is a sealed metal container that cooks food quickly by steam under increased atmospheric pressure and heats the pot to boiling point.
An Instant Pot, on the other hand, is an electric-style pressure cooker that uses the same idea for cooking foods but can do so with very little liquid. They are incredibly efficient, safer than a traditional pressure cooker, and super easy to use too. Plus they come with a multitude of other functions making them great for quick meal prep.
best chicken enchilada recipe
What is “natural pressure release”?
Often, an Instant Pot recipe would call for you to release all the pressure at the end of the timed pressure cycle. However, the cooking process stops when the pressure is released.
For recipes that call for a natural pressure release, you would refrain from releasing the pressure from the unit for a set amount of time. This allows for a little extra cooking time as the pressure inside naturally goes down.
At the end of the natural pressure release cycle, you would then use the valve to release the remaining pressure and stop the cooking process.
homemade tomatillo sauce
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, you can double this recipe. However, you will have to use 2 casserole dishes to accommodate the volume once everything is mixed together. But you can bake them side-by-side.
enchilada bake
Useful Tips for Making the Best Chicken Enchiladas
***The chicken for this recipe can be made with the Instant pot or a regular pot on the stove. The time is different, which is mentioned above. You can also use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken.
***If using frozen chicken in the Instant Pot – the exact cook time will depend on how large the chicken breasts are, although for me 13-15 minutes should be plenty.
***This recipe was created using the 6-quart instant pot. If you are using a different size pot or a different pressure cooker brand entirely, cooking times may be off by a couple of minutes.
***Live at High Altitude – Because water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes, and pressure cooking requires water to boil in order to work, some foods may need a little more cooking time. When pressure cooking at high altitudes you want to make sure to add 5 percent to your cook time for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet elevation. For example, when we lived at 4,000+ feet I would add 10 percent to my cook time. For a recipe that called for 20-minutes of cooking time, I would then cook for 22 minutes. When pressure cooking, 1-2 minutes can make all the difference in a recipe, unlike when cooking by traditional methods.
easy enchiladas
What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas
We love making recipes like this – they are a favorite. While these enchiladas can be a stand-alone dish – we typically like to pair it with the following recipes.
- Easy Spanish Rice
- White Peach Sangria
- Elote Street Corn Dip
- Air Fryer Churro Cannoli
- Limonada
- Instant Pot Creamy Fiesta Chicken
- Restaurant-Style Refried Beans
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Can this be made with frozen chicken?
If you are making this recipe as written – using the Instant Pot to cook the chicken, then yes you can use frozen chicken – the time to cook it will increase. This recipe also works great with leftover or rotisserie chicken. You can also use canned chicken if needed.
easy chicken enchiladas
Products I love when making enchiladas…
This chicken enchiladas recipe is SUPER delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made homemade enchiladas before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this dinner recipe.
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- corn tortillas
- vegetable oil
- tomatillo sauce
- Instant Pot
- mixing bowls
- blender
- stock pot
- casserole dish
If you love this Chicken Enchiladas Verde recipe, you’re going to love these other dinner recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Mexican-inspired Dishes
Mexican Chicken Bubble-Up Casserole
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Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs of chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
- 2 cups of water
- ¼ of an onion
- 1 garlic clove – about 1 tbsp minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 2 lbs of tomatillos
- 1-2 Serrano Chiles depending on how spicy you want the sauce
- 2 cups of water +1 additional cup if you would like for your sauce to be thinner
- 1 cup of chopped cilantro
- ¼ of an onion
- 2 garlic cloves – about 2 tbsp minced
- 1 teaspoon salt plus extra to taste
- pepper to taste
Tortillas
- 18 – 20 Corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Assemble
- prepared- cooked and shredded chicken
- prepared tomatillo sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Add chicken, two cups of water, onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 garlic clove to the Instant Pot insert.
- Cook on high for 10 minutes. (If you are using the stove do the same. Add the ingredients to a pot but let the chicken cook for about 40 minutes until it is well cooked, and easy to shred.) Quick release is once done.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine 2 cups of water and the tomatillos and boil for about 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- While the tomatillos are boiling AND once the chicken is ready, remove it from the Instant Pot and shred it by using 2 forks and pulling it apart. Set aside.
- In a skillet., add 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat the tortillas one at a time for just a couple of minutes – letting them get hot and adequately covered in oil – but don't cook them to the point where they start to harden or they won't roll. You want them pliable. (This will help the tortillas remain in intact and not break while you are rolling the enchiladas.)
- In a blender, blend the cooked tomatillos, the water used to boil them, chiles, cilantro, onion, and the remaining two garlic cloves.
- Transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper to taste. If you would like your sauce to be thinner, you can add the extra water. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat.
- Take your baking dish and add a layer of sauce – about 1/2 cup or just enough to cover the bottom. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Dip a heated tortilla in the sauce and then place it on a plate and add about 1 tablespoon of shredded chicken done the center.
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of sauce over the chicken.
- Roll the tortilla and place it in the baking dish.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and place them all next to each other until you fill your dish.
- Once they are all placed, pour some of the sauce over the top – about 1 cup or to your liking depending on if you like it saucy or with just a little sauce.
- Add the sour cream and add the cheese in an even layer on top.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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