Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Name: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon oil ((olive, avocado or vegetable)); 3 garlic cloves, minced; 20 ounce can green chile enchilada sauce; ½ cup sour cream ((room temperature)); ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped ((divided use, optional)); 4 ounce can mild green chiles; 1 ounce packet taco seasoning ((I recommend low sodium)); ½ lime, juiced; 2 cups shredded cooked chicken ((can go up to 3 cups)); 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese ((divided use)); 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese ((divided use)); 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas; ½ cup chopped tomatoes

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Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas made with shredded chicken, melty cheese, and green enchilada sauce. Easy, flavorful, and family friendly!

A Recipe You’ll Want On Repeat

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are a simple, comforting Tex-Mex dinner that comes together quickly and delivers big flavor with minimal effort! Tender shredded chicken mixed with a green chile sauce, wrapped in soft tortillas, and baked with ooey, gooey cheese (without being too spicy) makes for the best dinner recipe!

A wooden utensil getting a Green Chile Chicken Enchilada from the baking dish.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What to serve with Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas?

If you’ve been around a bit, you may have noticed that I love serving everything with a salad and a bag of steamed veggies. They’re my go-to side dishes. Super simple and a good way to get in some more vegetables. Some other ideas that would go well with these enchiladas are Mexican Cornbread, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans.

What if I hate sour cream or cilantro?

Scroll down a little more to the ingredient section and you’ll see a few substitution ideas. Parsley can be used in place of cilantro, or just omit it. I gave a handful of suggestions below if you don’t like sour cream. Don’t worry, there’s tons of ideas.

What else can I add to these enchiladas?

I think some beans would be fabulous added to this. You can try some refried beans, black beans, or pinto beans.

What if I like saucier Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas?

Some people like their enchiladas really saucy, if that is the case, I would grab an extra, smaller (10 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce. Then set aside 1 ¼ cups of that sauce that is made (instead of 3/4 cups) for the topping.

Are these enchiladas spicy?

This dish has a little bit of heat. Make sure you use mild green chiles, as the medium ones are quite hot.

Can I make this the day before?

Yes, you can make this the day before. Assemble the enchiladas all the way up until the baking step. Wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap and then cover with foil. Place in the fridge until ready to bake.

What is the best cheese for the Chicken Enchiladas?

You can use any of your favorite cheeses. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mexican blend, or cheddar are all great choices.

How do I store leftover Green Chicken Enchiladas?

Wrapping the dish with foil will keep the enchiladas gooey as you serve them, so this may change texture over time. You can keep this in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze this dish in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

A baking dish full of overflowing Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas.

Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)

garlic – You can use jarred garlic if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand.
green chile enchilada sauce – You can use any brand of green enchilada sauce.
sour cream – You can use low-fat or full-fat for the recipe, but just make sure it is room temperature so it doesn’t curdle in the hot sauce. If you don’t care for sour cream, give plain Greek yogurt a try instead. Still don’t like that option? Try Crema Mexicana or Creme Fraiche instead. And if you still don’t like those substitutes, you can use half a can of Cream of Chicken Soup so it still stays creamy but maybe has a better flavor profile for you. If all those options fail, go for a simple Queso and call it a day.
cilantro – The cilantro will add a bright green color and a fresh flavor to the recipe. If you don’t care for cilantro, you can use parsley or just leave it out altogether and don’t worry about replacing it with anything.
mild green chiles – Make sure you pick out mild, as medium is hot. I like to keep food with flavor but not too spicy as I have crazy acid reflux. If you like spicy food, then go with the medium or hot Green Chiles.
taco seasoning – You can use any brand, but make sure you use a low-sodium one, as the dish will be salty enough. As always, some Homemade Taco Seasoning is always a great option to use.
lime – Definitely use fresh lime juice for the recipe.
chicken – You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook the chicken for the recipe. Just make sure it is seasoned with salt and pepper. If you can’t get a hold of a rotisserie chicken, you can boil some chicken, make some Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, or make some Air Fryer Chicken quickly. Baking some chicken in the oven is a great option too. I know my local grocery store can be awful about getting rotisserie chicken out in time so it’s available for a lunch rush, and I don’t have time to be making double grocery runs, so having those options available is always helpful.
monterey Jack cheese + pepper Jack cheese – both cheeses will add flavor, a little heat, and creaminess to the enchiladas. Again, to me, pepper jack is not too spicy, it just adds flavor but you can certainly use any blend of cheese you prefer.
flour tortillas (8-inch) – I prefer the flour tortillas over corn, as they stay together much better. If you’re really interested in the corn tortillas, just remember that you need to warm them up first so they don’t rip when you’re trying to work with them. Also, they’re typically smaller so don’t overstuff them. And since they’re smaller, you’ll need more of them to hold all the filling.

Oil, garlic, green chile enchilada sauce, sour cream, cilantro, mild green chiles, taco seasoning, lime juice, shredded cooked chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, flour tortillas, and chopped tomatoes.

How To Make Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. To a skillet, add the oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the enchilada sauce. Stir for 3 minutes until heated through.

A skillet with garlic and enchilada sauce.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Add in the sour cream, ¼ cup cilantro (if using), green chiles, taco seasoning, and lime juice. Stir until combined. Add ¼ cup of this sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside ¾ cups of the sauce for topping. To the remaining sauce left in the skillet, add in the chicken and half a cup of each cheese to the skillet. Stir until combined.

A skillet with an enchilada sauce mixture, chicken and cheese being added and mixed together.

Add about ½ cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam side down in the baking dish.

Chicken enchilada mixture being added to tortillas and then those tortillas rolled in a baking dish.

Top the enchiladas with the ¾ cup sauce you set aside earlier. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of each cheese to the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes (or until fully cooked and cheese is melted.)

Unbaked enchiladas with sauce and then cheese added on top and then baked Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas in a baking dish.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Top with tomatoes and the remaining ¼ cup cilantro (if using.) Optional: serve topped with sour cream and/or taco sauce.