Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)
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Updated Jun 07, 2025, Published Dec 06, 2023
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If there’s one recipe that truly captures the heart of my family’s kitchen, it’s these creamy, cheesy, crave-worthy Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas). Passed down from my mom and featured in the first Muy Bueno cookbook, this recipe is full of love, tradition, and bold flavor.
These enchiladas are a departure from the typical tomatillo-based green sauce. Instead, they feature a rich and creamy roasted green chile sauce made with long green chiles—an El Paso twist that adds smoky depth and just the right amount of heat.
Served stacked or rolled, vegetarian or filled with shredded chicken, this dish is endlessly versatile. And the sauce? It gets an extra-special touch from my mom’s “secret ingredient”—Suero de Sal (whey) from Licon Dairy. Don’t worry if you can’t find it—I’ll show you how to make a delicious substitute with buttermilk and Mexican crema.
These green chicken enchiladas are easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough to impress. Let’s get into it!
What Are Enchiladas Verdes?
While these enchiladas use a creamy roasted green chile sauce, other styles use a tomatillo-based salsa verde or a rich red chile sauce made with dried chiles. If you’re looking for those variations, check out my salsa verde enchilada sauce or red enchilada sauce recipes for more delicious options.
Similar to enchiladas suizas, these green enchiladas are made with a velvety cream-based sauce using roasted green chiles and dairy, resulting in a tangy, rich, and lightly spicy flavor profile you’ll crave again and again.
Why You’ll Love This Green Enchiladas Recipe
These enchiladas de pollo verdes are:
- Perfect for Meal Prep – Make sauce in advance and assemble later.
- True to Tradition – A beloved family recipe passed down from my mom.
- Customizable – Choose to make them vegetarian, rolled, or stacked.
- Made with Simple Ingredients – Just 10 easy-to-find staples.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken Breasts – Poached and shredded chicken, or use rotisserie chicken. Cheese-only works too.
- Green Chile Peppers – Anaheim chile peppers, Hatch chile peppers, or poblano chile peppers work well.
- Canola Oil – Or substitute with avocado, grapeseed, or any neutral oil.
- Suero de Sal (Whey) – Adds a signature tang. Sub with buttermilk + Crema Mexicana.
- Flour – Thickens the sauce. Use GF flour or omit if needed.
- White Onion – Swap with green onions or omit if you prefer.
- Corn Tortillas – White corn is best for softness.
- White Cheese – Try Asadero, queso Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Muenster.
- Crumbled Cheese – Optional, but a delicious topping. Try Cotija cheese, queso fresco, or even feta in a pinch.
- Sour Cream or Crema Mexican – For serving or mixing into the sauce.
Full ingredient list and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
How To Make Enchiladas Verdes
Step 1: Roast Chile Peppers. Broil chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet until blistered. Place in a bag, cover with a towel, and peel once cooled.
Step 2: Make the Sauce. Blend roasted chiles with flour and suero (or buttermilk + crema) until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Warm the Sauce. Heat in a skillet over medium-low. Season with salt to taste (about 2 teaspoons).
Step 4: Cook the Chicken. Poach chicken breasts in water until fully cooked, then shred.
Enchilada Assembly
Option 1: Stacked Enchiladas
Fry tortillas, dip in sauce, and layer with chicken, cheese, and onion.
Option 2: Rolled & Baked Enchiladas
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread sauce in a baking dish. Fry tortillas, fill, roll, and place seam-side down. Top with sauce and cheese. Bake 15 minutes. Garnish with crema, queso fresco, and cilantro.
Optional Variations
- Vegetarian – Use just cheese or add roasted veggies.
- Rotisserie Chicken – A quick shortcut.
- Turkey or Pork – Great use for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. Try spicy pork tinga or tender carnitas.
Enchiladas Verdes Expert Tips
- DIY buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a cup, then fill with milk.
- Sauce too spicy? Stir in crema or sour cream.
- Sauce too thick? Add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
- Store: In the fridge up to 3–4 days in an airtight containers.
- Freeze: Sauce can be frozen for later use.
- Serve with: Mexican rice, frijoles de la olla, or a side salad. For a refreshing drink pairing, enjoy with a chilled chelada—Mexican beer with lime and salt—to complement the richness of the enchiladas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Corn tortillas, shredded chicken, green chile sauce, and cheese. Top with crema, and queso fresco.
A flavorful homemade sauce, warm tortillas, and plenty of cheese.
Typically chicken or cheese-filled tortillas covered in green chile or tomatillo sauce and topped with cheese.
“Enchiladas Divorciadas” are served with both red and green sauces—separated, like a divorced couple! In New Mexico, this same style is often called “Christmas style” because it features both festive red and green chile sauces on one plate.
Yes—with creamy Swiss-inspired toppings, they’re a classic dish with European influence and deep Mexican roots.
Authentic Mexican Enchiladas
If you tried this Enchiladas Verdes recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)
Ingredients
- 1- pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (optional)
- 12 green chile peppers, Anaheim, Hatch, Mirasol, or Poblanos
- ½ cup canola oil, for frying
- 1 quart Suero de Sal, (or 3 cups buttermilk plus 1 cup sour cream or Mexican crema, plus more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 white onion, diced; medium
- 12 – 18 corn tortillas, preferably white
- 1 1/2 cups white cheese, shredded; Asadero, Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Muenster
- 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled (optional)
- 1/2 cup sour cream, or crema; for serving
- salt, to taste
- water, (if needed)
Instructions
Roast Chili Peppers:
- Preheat broiler. Select firm, meaty peppers without wrinkles for roasting. Wash thoroughly. Place peppers evenly in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place under broiler. Watch them closely as the skin will blister and turn black within minutes. Turn the peppers after 5 minutes to blister all sides evenly. When done, the pepper skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black. Place roasted peppers in a plastic bag, cover with a kitchen towel and when cool, rub off blackened skin, and discard stem.
Sauce:
- In a blender combine the peppers, flour, and half of the suero or buttermilk and crema and blend until creamy. Pour mixture into medium skillet and set over medium-low heat to warm. Add additional suero or buttermilk and crema and stir. Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons. If the sauce is too spicy, add ¼ cup of crema or sour cream and stir. If the sauce is too thick, add water until desired consistency is reached.
Chicken (Optional):
- In a pot with enough water to cover, boil chicken breasts 25 minutes or until juices run clear. Drain, cool, and shred. Optional time-saver: shred a store bought rotisserie chicken.
Stacked Style:
- Fry tortillas in hot oil until softened. Drain on paper towels. Soften tortillas by soaking in sauce one at a time. Place softened tortillas on individual serving plates. Layer with cooked chicken, cheese, and onion. Repeat process for a total of 3 to 4 tortillas for each serving.
Time Saver:
- Shred a store bought rotisserie chicken
Oven Style:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fry tortillas in hot oil just until softened. Drain on paper towels. Fill with cooked chicken, cheese, and onion. Roll, placing seam side down.
- Pour 2 cups of the sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and bake until warm, about 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of crema or sour cream and your favorite side dish.
Notes
- Vegetarian Enchiladas Verdes: Use only cheese, or add sautéed or roasted vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach for extra texture and flavor.
- Rotisserie Chicken: Save time by using store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of poaching.
- Turkey: Enchiladas verdes de pavo are a delicious way to use up leftover holiday turkey.
- Pork: Substitute with spicy pork tinga or tender carnitas.
- DIY Buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill to the 1 cup line with milk. Stir and let sit for 5–10 minutes to thicken and curdle.
- Too Spicy? Stir in ¼ cup of crema or sour cream to mellow out the heat.
- Too Thick? Add water a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography: Jenna Sparks
These are not traditional verde enchiladas.This is a spin on enchiladas suizas.Don’t care for dairy in my hot food.
Can the oven made enchiladas be made ahead? Would it be best to freeze before or after baking? Has anyone tried this?
The tortillas really soak up the sauce. I recommend assembling without the sauce and refrigerating and pour sauce right before baking. As far as freezing, I’d recommend freezing sauce separately. IF you have assembled enchiladas to freeze you totally can, but maybe save some sauce to add. Enjoy!
Recipe. Please
Okay I tried it again. I did everything right and there is still something missing. I think because there’s no salt in the recipe. I dunno.
I made this a couple weeks ago and it wasn’t that tasty. The reason is that I didn’t fry the tortillas and I forgot the queso fresco. I knew these were my faults and not fault of recipe, so I’m trying again tonight! I bought 12 Anaheims, for the occassion. However, I don’t see any point in washing the peppers throughly if I’m roasting and then taking skin off. So, I’m not doing that. I’ll rinse them, but not wash throughly.
I made this and it turned out excellent! My fiancé said that they where actually the best he’s had, which from him is a huge compliment. I will deff. be making this again. Making the sauce was all the difference too. Thank you for sharing!
Gracias ourculinaryvenus!!! So glad you and your fiance enjoyed them. That recipe won my hubby over when we were dating. Its truly one of our favorites. Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment.