Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

These chicken enchiladas are easy to make and only require a few ingredients! This recipe is super adaptable and you could switch up the protein and do pork or beef enchiladas and use any salsa you like. I personally love Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde and always have a jar on hand. To cook the chicken I use Serena Wolf’s “Idiot-Proof” Chicken recipe. This method involves heating oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat and adding two seasoned chicken breasts. Sear the chicken on one side for one to two minutes until it develops a golden brown color. Flip the chicken breasts, reduce the heat to low, cover the chicken and continue to cook for 10 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. Once the 10 minutes is up, turn the heat off (STILL DO NOT OPEN THE LID) and let the chicken continue to cook for 10 minutes. This method may seem time consuming, but I always end up with perfectly cooked chicken. I used to make enchiladas a lot when I was younger but they would always end up soggy and break apart. Upon further research, I discovered that the trick to the best enchiladas is to pan fry the tortillas before stuffing them. This step is not totally necessary but if you have extra time, I would highly recommend it. The best thing about this recipe is you can make it in bulk and freeze any extra enchiladas for another time! 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients: 

6 medium sized Tortillas (I used whole wheat but any type will work!) 

2 Chicken Breasts

½ White Onion

2 jars of TJ’s Salsa Verde

2 cups of Pepper Jack Cheese

1 handful of Cilantro 

Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil

Sour Cream 

Cayenne Pepper

Ground Cumin

Garlic Powder

1. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook according to Serena Wolf’s Idiot Proof Chicken steps described above. You can also find the instructions under her instagram story highlight. If you have another way you prefer to cook the chicken you can use that way, just make sure it is cooked through. 

2. Once the chicken breast is done cooking, in a large bowl use two forks to pull apart the chicken breast and create shredded chicken. 

3. Finely dice the white onion and add it to the bowl with the chicken. Add about 1 tablespoon each of cayenne pepper, ground cumin, and garlic powder to the bowl. If you have a mexican seasoning you prefer you can also use that here. Add about 1 cup of pepper jack cheese, 1 spoonful of sour cream and ½ of a jar of salsa verde. Mix until the ingredients are combined. 

4. Wipe out the same pan used to cook the chicken. Add about ½ cup of oil to the pan and heat over medium to high heat. Once you think the pan is heated enough, add a couple droplets of water and see if the water droplets sizzle. If they do, the pan is hot enough. Add each tortilla to the hot oil, one at a time, and fry for 10 seconds on each side. The tortilla should just start to bubble up and be golden brown. Lay the tortillas on a plate with a paper towel to drain excess oil. 

5. Once tortillas are done frying it is time to assemble the enchiladas! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized baking dish pour the other ½ of the jar of salsa verde, just enough to coat the bottom of the dish. Begin to fill each tortilla with a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture and place them seam side down in the dish. Once you have used all of the filling and tortillas and placed them in the dish, top with ½ of another jar of salsa verde and evenly sprinkle another cup or so of pepper jack cheese on top. 

6. Bake the enchiladas in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is starting to brown. 

7. Remove enchiladas from the oven and top with a handful of cilantro and a few spoonfuls of sour cream. Enjoy! 

Tip: You can cut the length of this recipe in half by shredding an already cooked rotisserie chicken. If you want to double this recipe and freeze the enchiladas for another time, follow the directions up until step 6, cover the enchiladas with aluminum foil and place in the freezer. They should last for 3 months frozen. When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 375 and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until enchiladas are warmed through and cheese is starting to bubble.