Fry

Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)

by:
September  3, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

Experience authentic Mexican flavor with this award-winning recipe. A family favorite created by my mother, Enchiladas Verdes explodes in your mouth with just the right amount of spice and tang. This is my favorite Mexican dish and it’s sure to become yours too.

Most green enchilada recipes are tomatillo based and include canned green chili, cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. You won’t find any of these in this recipe. It’s the real deal.

If you live in El Paso, you can purchase the “secret ingredient,” Suero de Sal from Licon Dairy, or substitute with buttermilk. (To make your own buttermilk, add one tablespoon of lemon or vinegar to one cup of milk.)

Our family prefers our enchiladas stacked, but if you are cooking for a lot of people, oven style is the way to go. Stacked or oven style, with or without chicken, you’ll find yourself making this recipe again and again. —MuyBueno

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • 12 Anaheim green chili peppers
  • 1/2 cup canola oil for frying
  • 1 quart quart Suero de Sal (whey) or buttermilk can be used as a substitute
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 12-18 corn tortillas, preferably white
  • 1 1/2 cups white shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Azadero or Muenster)
  • 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup crema or sour cream (for sauce and topping)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Water (if needed)
Directions
  1. Roast Chili Peppers: Preheat broiler. Select firm, meaty peppers without wrinkles for roasting. Wash thoroughly. Place peppers evenly in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place under broiler. Watch them closely as the skin will blister and turn black within minutes. Turn the peppers after 5 minutes to blister all sides evenly. When done, the pepper skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black. Place roasted peppers in a plastic bag, cover with a kitchen towel and when cool, rub off blackened skin. Tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem.
  2. Sauce: In a blender combine the peppers, flour, and half of the suero or buttermilk and blend until creamy. Pour mixture into medium skillet and set over medium-low heat to warm. Add additional suero or buttermilk and stir. Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons. If the sauce is too spicy, add ¼ cup of crema or sour cream and stir. If the sauce is too thick, add water until desired consistency is reached.
  3. Chicken (Optional): In a pot with enough water to cover, boil chicken breasts 25 minutes or until juices run clear. Drain, cool, and shred. Optional time-saver: shred a store bought rotisserie chicken.
  4. Stacked Style: Fry tortillas in hot oil until softened. Drain on paper towels. Soften tortillas by soaking in sauce one at a time. Place softened tortillas on individual serving plates. Layer with cooked chicken, cheese, and onion. Repeat process for a total of 3 tortillas for each serving.
  5. Oven Style: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fry tortillas in hot oil just until softened. Drain on paper towels. Fill with cooked chicken, cheese, and onion. Roll, placing seam side down. Pour 2 cups of the sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and bake until warm, about 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of crema or sour cream and your favorite side dish.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • mrslarkin
    mrslarkin
  • Plum Pie
    Plum Pie
  • MuyBueno
    MuyBueno
  • lapadia
    lapadia
  • monkeymom
    monkeymom

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10 Reviews

mrslarkin
mrslarkin March 25, 2014
Made these recently and they were amazing! Thank you for the recipe.
 
MuyBueno
MuyBueno March 27, 2014
So happy to hear that. These enchiladas are my absolute favorite dish! Please visit my blog for more yummy Mexican favorites ;)
Muybuenocookbook.com
 
Plum P.
Plum P. December 3, 2010
This looks AMAZING. I have an obsession with green enchiladas and can't find any decent ones in DC. I can't wait to try these! And I love that you stack these - I always have a problem with tearing the tortillas when I try to roll them. Maybe I just need more practice ;) Thanks MuyBueno!
 
MuyBueno
MuyBueno December 3, 2010
Thanks Brooke!!! They are even more amazing to eat!!! They are my FAVORITE comfort food! And stacked makes for a very unique presentation!
 
MuyBueno
MuyBueno November 30, 2010
Too funny! We had green enchiladas with turkey for dinner last night!!!
 
lapadia
lapadia November 30, 2010
Love this, can use the Thanksgiving turkey too!
 
hausproud
hausproud November 5, 2010
this recipe is excellent. Substituted sauteed tofu and beet greens for the chicken (plant based diet crowd). So happy to have found this recipe. gracias muy bueno!
 
MuyBueno
MuyBueno November 5, 2010
WOW, so interesting and I bet amazing! I'd LOVE for you to post this comment on our blog for others to see ;) Thanks for taking the time to make our recipe with a great veggie twist!
http://muybuenocookbook.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/enchiladas-verdes-green-enchiladas/
 
monkeymom
monkeymom September 3, 2010
This sounds great! I'm wondering what you do with the other half of the buttermilk? Is it just in case you need it?
 
MuyBueno
MuyBueno September 3, 2010
The full quart will not fit in the blender, so use 1/2 of the quart for the blender and then add the remainder of the buttermilk into the skillet with the mixture. If you like it SPICY, then don't add all of it. The consistency of the sauce is up to you. Either way the combination of all these ingredients explodes in your mouth (in a good way). You will NOT be disappointed. Good luck with it! Hope you try it and would LOVE to hear what you think of it!