This is a recipe that is highly requested in my house. It is a great way to use up leftover chicken and also works well with rotisserie chicken. There are many great choices for canned salsa verde in the grocery store, pick one and see how you like it. You can also choose your desired level of heat. I use mild when making for the kids, but if it was for grown-ups only, I would use medium or hot.

I usually make extras of these so we can have them for lunch for a few days. They reheat well and can be taken to school in a thermos.

They also freeze well, you can freeze a whole dish or portion out into single servings and freeze that way. If you do freeze, quick reminder not to put a frozen glass dish into hot oven to reheat. Broken glass in your food is never a good idea and a quick temperature change of that magnitude does not work well with glass casserole dishes. Metal ones work fine for that. You can even make in disposable lasagna pans if you want to gift to a neighbor or to freeze and not hog up the cookware.

I like mine with a dash of sour cream. Yum!

Step-by-step photos after the recipe.

Print Pin

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas for a crowd or hungry teenager. Great way to use up leftover chicken and quick to toss together. Make extra this reheats really well.

Course Chicken, Main Course

Ingredients

4 cups cooked chicken, shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken works well
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large or two small peppers, thinly sliced green, red, or yellow all work well, choose your favorite
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tablespoons gound cumin
2 teaspoons mexican oregano
6-8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
3 cups mexican shredded cheese, divided
1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce (salsa verde), divided

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 °F
Heat the oil in a warmed skillet over medium heat. Saute the peppers, onions, and garlic for 5-6 minutes until the peppers are soft and the onions are beginning to become translucent. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and mix in the shredded chicken, then ⅔ cup of the enchilada sauce, then 1½ cups of the shredded cheese.
Liberally coat the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish with the enchilada sauce. You will need about ⅔ cup. Don't skimp out or the enchiladas will stick to the bottom of the dish.
Place a heaping ½ cup of the chicken mixture into a tortilla and place seam side down into the prepared casserole dish. Repeat until the dish is full. I can usually fit 7 filled tortillas into a 13 x 9 dish, but the amount will depend on how full you fill each tortilla.
When the dish is full, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolls, fully covering any exposed tortilla. It may seem like a lot of liquid, but it is good. You can use a butter knife to separate the rolls and get some sauce in between the enchiladas.
Generously coat some foil with nonstick cooking spray and place foil, spray side down over the casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining 1½ cups of shredded cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before eating (if you can).

Saute the peppers, onions and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for 5 – 6 minutes.

Add the cumin and oregano and sauce for another 1 – 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat, then add in the shredded chicken, then the sauce, and lastly the cheese.

Spread 1/2 – 2/3 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Don’t skimp or the enchiladas will stick.

Place a heaping 1/2 cup (ish) onto a tortilla, roll it up and place seam side down into the prepared dish.

Repeat until the dish is full. You will get 6-8 depending on how full you fill those tortillas. Yes I used two different brands of tortillas, I get whatever is on sale.