Green Chicken Enchiladas (Easy Green Chile Sauce)
Green chicken enchiladas are filled with shredded chicken and fresh cheese, topped with a delicious Hatch chile sauce and baked until bubbly!
Ingredients
Chicken Filling:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ green pepper diced
- ½ medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 large Roma tomatoes puréed or 4 oz tomato purée (I recommend Mutti)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb chicken breast or thighs, preferably organic (See NOTES to use leftover, cooked shredded chicken)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper to taste
Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Mexican oregano
- ⅛ tsp cumin
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 7 Hatch roasted chiles deseeded and peeled
Other Ingredients:
- 6 large corn tortillas or flour
- 8 oz queso fresco crumbled (or mozzarella if you can't find the queso)
Instructions
Cook the Chicken:
- Sauté the onion, green pepper, and garlic over medium high heat until the onion is translucent, then add the chili powder then puréed tomatoes. Continue to cook for another five minutes, or so.
- Add the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Next, add the chicken breast, or thigh meat (add shredded chicken at this time, but only cook for 15 minutes.)
- Simmer until the chicken meat is tender, about 25 minutes on the cooktop. You can cook this chicken in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot according to the directions for each. Once the chicken is ready, shred it with two forks while still in the pot.
Make the Hatch Chile Sauce:
- While the chicken is cooking, make the Hatch chile sauce by sautéing the onion and the salt in a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin.
- When the onion has become translucent and soft, add the stock, spices and seasoning.
- Pour this liquid into a blender with the Hatch chiles, and blend until smooth. That's it-it's ready! It was so quick and easy, I didn't even remember to take a photo!
Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C)
Assemble the Green Chicken Enchiladas:
- I strongly suggest setting up an enchilada making station as follows:
- -Frypan and oil at the ready (on the stove).
- -Tortillas on a plate.
- -Pie pan with some Hatch green chile sauce in it for dipping the tortillas.
- -A plate or tray for placing the tortilla and rolling them with the filling.
- -A 9x13 baking tray (with some green chile sauce in the bottom) to place the enchiladas in.
- -The shredded chicken in the pot or bowl.
- -Queso fresco crumbles in a bowl.
- Over medium high heat, put some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and cook both sides for about 30 seconds.
- Immediately dip the tortilla in the Hatch chile sauce (both sides), then put on a plate where you can fill them. Put about ⅙th of the meat and vegetables onto the tortilla, not quite in the middle. Now add some queso fresco.
- Start rolling the tortilla from the end where the filling is closest, and roll quite tightly.
- Carefully place the enchilada in the 9"x13" ovenproof dish seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the five tortillas and the other ingredients.
- Don't waste the Hatch chile sauce that's left in the pie dish, it can go onto the enchiladas.
- Spoon all the of the Hatch chile sauce over the enchiladas. Completely cover the tortillas. Next, sprinkle with more queso fresco.
Bake the Enchiladas:
- Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted and the dish is bubbling. Everything is already cooked, so we're just heating up the enchiladas.
- Place in a nice serving dish if desired, or just plate directly and serve with Mexican rice and beans.
Notes
- If you can't find queso fresco, use mozzarella (that's what the original recipe used).
- In order to use cooked, shredded chicken just add the chicken into the add shredded chicken after adding the liquid, but only cook for 15 minutes.
- Nutrition information provided using corn tortillas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 enchilada | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1164mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 938IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 1mg
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