Salsa Verde Enchiladas
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Aug 27, 2025 
This creamy sour cream Salsa Verde Enchiladas dish is filled to the brim with fresh-made salsa verde and molten cheese. This might be just the dish to serve for holiday dinners if you’re looking to kick traditional dishes to the curb this year!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Today’s Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Verde recipe is a true family favorite that makes any night feel like a fiesta. These enchiladas are filled with chicken, fresh zippy salsa verde, sour cream, and tons of hot molten cheese.
This easy chicken enchilada recipe would make the perfect centerpiece for a Christmas fiesta this year. You could celebrate the season while sipping margaritas and feasting on latin-inspired favorites. Sounds like my kind of Christmas. Dinner decision made. Feliz Navidad!
Why You’ll Love These Salsa Verde Enchiladas
- Rich and cheesy – My classic green chicken enchiladas recipe with sour cream is loaded with incredibly creamy, rich, and cheesy goodness.
- Easy to make – This recipe calls for precooked chicken, meaning it’s wonderful for using previously meal-prepped or purchased rotisserie chicken.
- Meal prep wonder – I love to make big batches of this dish and serve it up throughout the week for a quick lunch or comforting dinner.
This dish is seriously one of the easiest to make and most delicious chicken enchiladas with green saucde! Salsa verde – aka green salsa – has a beautifully vibrant flavor from fresh tomatillos, cilantro, and jalapeños, providing just the right amount of heat.
Ingredients and Tips
- Shredded chicken – Use the precooked or rotisserie kind.
- Sour cream – I prefer regular or low-fat.
- Cheese – You’ll need a blend of shredded Monterey jack or Mexican blend cheese.
- Tortillas – It’s easiest to use flour tortillas, but you can totally use corn tortillas here too.
- Tomatillos – These will need to be husked and halved.
- Onion – Use white onion that you’ve peeled and quartered.
- Garlic cloves – Use whole cloves.
- Jalapeños – Make sure you remove the stems.
- Spices – You’ll need ground cumin.
- Garnish – To finish off this dish, garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado and diced tomatoes.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Vegetarian – Swap the chicken with mushrooms, sweet potatoes or tofu for a vegetarian version of this Mexican classic.
- Low-fat – Use a low-fat sour cream and cheese versions.
- Other meat – You can also replace the chicken with shredded pork or beef.
How to Make Salsa Verde Enchiladas
Tip for Success — It is helpful if the tortillas are at room temperature before preparing; cold tortillas tend to rip easily, especially if using corn tortillas.
Find the full Salsa Verde Enchiladas recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftover enchiladas in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Leftovers – I don’t recommend baking these enchiladas before freezing. Once the green chicken enchiladas have been prepared, wrap the entire dish tightly in plastic wrap, and then again with aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for up to three months. You can defrost the sour cream enchiladas overnight in the fridge, and then bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes; or, to heat from frozen, you can remove the foil and plastic wrap, re-cover with fresh foil, and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling hot.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat in the oven at a low heat.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is fabulous when served alongside Spanish rice, yellow rice, refried beans, frijoles de olla, fried plantains, or calabacitas.
You can even make your own corn tortillas or flour tortillas if you so desire!
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds tomatillos husked and halved
- 1 white onion peeled and quartered
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1-2 jalapeños stems removed
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 4 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken from a deli rotisserie chicken, or 3 large leftover grilled chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup sour cream + extra for serving
- 3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese
- 10 8-inch flour tortillas (or corn for gluten-free)
- salt and pepper
Toppings
- chopped tomatoes
- cilantro
- avocados
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, roast the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeños for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatillos are bubbling and juicy. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, and cilantro and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
- In a large bowl combine and shredded chicken with 1/3 of the fresh salsa verde, sour cream, and 2 cups of the cheese. Mix well, then salt and pepper to taste.
- Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large 9×13-inch baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved salsa verde. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken mixture on top of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over the filling and roll like cigars to close. Place the tortillas in the baking dish; you may have to squeeze them in.
- Pour the rest of the salsa verde over the enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Garnish with cilantro, avocado and tomato. Top with a scoop of sour cream!
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you use corn tortillas – which are naturally gluten free – and you’re making all of the salsa verde components fresh at home with wholesome ingredients, this chicken enchiladas verde is indeed gluten free.
However, keep in mind that corn tortillas and this recipe are not necessarily considered “low carb.”
*If you prefer to use flour tortillas, the recipe does contain gluten.
Absolutely! The salsa verde itself will keep well, sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week.
You can assemble the salsa verde enchiladas the day before, and just wait to bake until you’re ready to serve.
Absolutely delicious! This dish is so perfect for weeknights and a nice change for Christmas. We usually have a lasagna for Christmas dinner. This is a perfect alternative to change things up! Love this!
This salsa verde was amazing, just the right hint of spice and herbs! I have been using it on everything today, addicted!!!
These enchiladas are some of my favorites! I love the salsa verde added to this recipe, makes it so good!
This was AMAZING! I will definitely be making it again.
So delicious. I made mine too spicy with using Serrano peppers but my husband enjoyed them all the better. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
I had a craving for this dish since I had it for the first time at Mi Cocina in Dallas. Your recipe- the sauce especially – turned out unbelievably amazing. I never have commented on a recipe after trying it but I had to let you know how out of this world this recipe is. Props to you!
Hi Lori,
YAY! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks so much for reporting back!!
Sommer, all these years later this recipe continues to be a crowd pleaser and a personal favorite!
Hi Sommer (something I usually say in April here in CA!) Just wanted to drop a note and say me and my fam LOVED these. Been lookin for a different tomatillo salsa recipe and came upon this. Easiest thing ever. Thank you for having one more recipe I can add to my ‘I have no time to cook’ recipie box! Loved them – having the second set of them tomorrow nite! Maybe a prexmas eve tradition!!
Suz
Awesome sauce…the smell was absolutely intoxicating! I used two jalapenos and one serrano for the peppers, and used all pepper jack cheese. I used organic corn tortillas and layered the ingredients like a lasagna in a 9×13 baking pan. This was my first attempt at salsa verde enchiladas and I was thrilled with the results. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Lori! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks so much for coming back to tell me. :)
This recipe sounds delish! One question though… in your amazing description of how you prepare these you mention roasting onions, peppers, garlic and tomatillos. However, in your list of ingredients and instructions you don’t mention peppers. Was that a typo or do you not add green peppers to your salsa?
Thanks!
Hi Misty, Sorry for the confusion. I was speaking of the jalapeno peppers.