Easy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Makes: 12 enchiladas (4 to 6 servings)
Game plan: Pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken at the market or roast one yourself. Cook up a batch of Easy Tomatillo Sauce before you begin.

INGREDIENTS

For the enchiladas:

  • 2 1/2 cups tomatillo sauce (see Game Plan note)
  • 1 1/4 cups crema or sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded roasted chicken (see Game Plan note)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 12 corn tortillas

For garnishing:

  • 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 1 small red onion, in thin slices
  • 2 medium jalapeños, preferably red, in thin slices
  • Cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Warm the tomatillo sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Add 1 cup of the crema and heat without letting it come to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Gently warm the chicken in a separate small saucepan over low heat (add a few teaspoons of water if it looks dry). Add the remaining 1/4 cup of crema, the onion, and salt and stir to combine. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
  3. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat the oil in a small skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add a tortilla and let it soften, 2 to 3 seconds. Flip it and soften the other side, 2 to 3 seconds. Remove to the prepared baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Pour 1 cup of the warm tomatillo sauce on a plate. Set a tortilla in the sauce and immediately flip it over. Arrange 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it up, and transfer to a baking dish. Continue with the remaining tortillas, adding additional sauce to the plate when necessary.
  5. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas in the baking dish—make sure you cover the ends of the tortillas so they don’t dry out in the oven. Cover the dish with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake just until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the queso fresco, red onion, jalapeños, and cilantro and serve immediately.