Name: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons bacon grease; 1 tablespoon butter; 8 tomatillos, cored; 1 white onion, cut in half; 1 jalapeno pepper; 2 poblanos peppers; 6 garlic cloves; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano; 2 ½ cups chicken broth; Salt and pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 garlic cloves, minced; ½ cup sour cream; 3 to 4 cups shredded chicken, cooked or rotisserie (store bought); 3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese; 12, 6-inch corn tortillas

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There’s a whole lot of folks that think enchiladas are just tortillas rolled up with some cheese and sauce poured over the top. But I’m here to tell you, that ain’t where they started.

These green chile chicken enchiladas go way back, long before cowboys ever rode the range. They come from a tradition of real, honest cooking - folks getting every bit of flavor out of whatever ingredients they could access.

We appreciate you sharing our recipes with your friends and family!

I first got a taste of true chile verde while guiding elk hunters out in Silver City, New Mexico. I kept asking what made it so good, and they showed me two things that changed everything for me. Tomatillos and poblanos.

That’s where the flavor starts.

Chile Verde Salsa (Green Chile Sauce)

Building Real Chile Verde Flavor

Start by roasting your tomatillos, poblanos, onions, and garlic until they’re blistered and softened. That roasting step is where the magic happens. It brings out a deep, rich flavor you just can’t fake.

Tip: Toss those hot peppers into a plastic bag with a little moisture and seal it up. Let them steam a few minutes and the skins will peel right off.

Once everything is roasted and peeled, blend it up with a little chicken broth until smooth. Season it with cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and pepper. Taste it. Adjust it. This is where you make it yours.

Chicken Time!

Now for the filling. You can cook your own chicken any way you like, but a good rotisserie chicken will save time and still bring a lot of flavor. Shred it up and set it aside.

Finish the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

In a skillet, melt a little butter and sauté some garlic until it turns fragrant. Then stir in that chile verde sauce. Let it simmer just a few minutes to marry those flavors together. Reserve a little sauce for later, then mix the rest with:

Sour cream
Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded chicken

You’re looking for a mixture that’s creamy but still holds together. Not too soupy, not too thick.

Rolling the Chile Verde Enchiladas

Spread some of that reserved sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take a corn tortilla, add a good scoop of filling, and roll it up. Place them seam side down in the pan.

Don’t skimp on the filling. These are meant to eat. Once they’re all lined up, pour the rest of the sauce over the top.

Cover the pan with foil and bake until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted.

Then uncover it and let it finish baking until it’s bubbling and just starting to brown.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (Enchiladas Verdes) on a white plate with some delicious mexican rice

As always, thank you for watching our videos and visiting our website. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and like and share the videos you enjoy. We release a new video every Wednesday at 2:30! Until next time, when we see y’all out on the cowboy cooking trail.

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Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Cuisine

Mexican

Author:

Cowboy Kent Rollins

Authentic green chile chicken enchiladas made with roasted tomatillos, poblanos, and shredded chicken. A true cowboy-style enchilada verde recipe packed with bold flavor.

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Ingredients

Chile Verde Sauce

2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 tablespoon butter
8 tomatillos, cored
1 white onion, cut in half
1 jalapeno pepper
2 poblanos peppers
6 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
2 ½  cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Enchiladas

1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup sour cream
3 to 4 cups shredded chicken, cooked or rotisserie (store bought)
3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
12, 6-inch corn tortillas

Directions

Melt the butter and bacon grease in a cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the tomatillos and cook for about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are softened and charred  slightly. Add the onion and cook on both sides for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Roast the peppers over a fire or in the skillet, until blackened. Place in a sealed plastic sack with a tablespoon of water and seal up. Let it set for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the sack and peel off the skins. Remove the seeds from the jalapeno, if desired.
Place the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic in the blender and blend until smooth.  Add the cumin, oregano and chicken broth and blend again. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
For the enchiladas: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the chile verde sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream, chicken and 1 ½ cups of the cheese.
Pour half of the remaining verde sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of the corn tortillas and then roll up, place in the pan, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Tip: warm the tortillas slightly before assembling to prevent cracking.
Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining cheese.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned slightly.
Allow them to cool about 10 minutes before serving