Our Verde Chicken Enchiladas are a vibrant and tasty dish that combines juicy, spiced chicken with homemade verde salsa and tender corn crepes, all baked together with melty cheddar cheese. This recipe takes the traditional enchilada and makes it even better by incorporating a variety of peppers, tomatillos, and spices to create a rich and flavorful verde salsa, all with homemade corn crepes in place of tortillas! Perfect for a family dinner or a festive gathering, this dish offers a fresh take on a Mexican classic.
Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Verde Chicken Enchiladas are distinguished by their homemade verde salsa and the unique use of corn crepes instead of traditional tortillas. The salsa, made from roasted poblano, Anaheim, and jalapeño peppers combined with tomatillos, brings a complex, smoky flavor that perfectly complements the lightly seasoned and grilled chicken.
The corn crepes, lighter than typical tortillas, offer a subtle sweetness that balances the heat of the peppers. This dish is not just a meal; it’s an experience of bold flavors and satisfying textures.
Can you make these on your Traeger?
Absolutely! If you have your grill fired up to make the salsa, you might as well leave it on to cook the enchiladas, too. I love using our grill as a great big outdoor oven with the benefit of adding a bit of wood-fired flavor to the mix. Don’t have a pellet grill? Use your oven. It’ll still be amazing.
Why you’ll love this dish…
- Fresh, Homemade Salsa: The verde salsa, made from freshly grilled vegetables and enhanced with cilantro and lime juice, offers a burst of authentic Mexican flavors.
- Unique Corn Crepes: Substituting traditional tortillas with homemade corn crepes adds a delightful texture and a slight sweetness that enhances the overall dish.
- Versatile: While perfect as presented, the recipe allows for easy substitutions, such as using different types of cheese or adding more vegetables.
- Crowd Pleaser: Its visually appealing and flavorful profile makes it perfect for parties and family dinners alike.
- Customizable Heat Level: By adjusting the number of jalapeño seeds included, you can tailor the spiciness to your preference.
Get all of my Traeger Recipes here!
Verde Chicken Enchiladas shopping list
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken
- Vegetable Oil
- Spanglish Asadero Verde Rub
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Poblano Peppers
- Anaheim Peppers
- Jalapeño Peppers
- Tomatillos
- Limes
- Cilantro
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Flour
- Yellow Cornmeal
- Sugar
- Butter
- Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
Get my Smoked Salsa Verde Recipe here!
How to make Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Wondering what you’re getting yourself into when you make this dish? Here’s a quick overview of the process! Make sure you follow the instructions at the recipe card at the bottom of the post while you’re cooking.
- Prepare the Chicken: Season and brown the chicken in vegetable oil; set aside.
- Make the Verde Salsa: Grill onions, garlic, and peppers. Blend with lime juice and cilantro.
- Cook the Chicken: Combine chicken with half the verde salsa and cook until tender. Shred the chicken.
- Prepare Corn Crepes: Mix crepe ingredients and cook in a skillet until golden.
- Assemble and Bake: Fill crepes with chicken, roll them up, place in a baking dish, top with salsa and cheese, and bake until bubbly.
Serve with our Homemade Guacamole!
Green Chicken Enchiladas FAQ
How can I store leftover Verde Chicken Enchiladas?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I prepare Verde Chicken Enchiladas in advance?
Yes, both the salsa and the crepes can be prepared a day in advance, and the dish can be assembled just before baking.
Are there any substitutions for Spanglish Asadero Verde Rub?
In the absence of the specific rub, a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper can be used as a substitute.
What are some variations I can try with this recipe?
Feel free to add other types of cheese, incorporate different peppers for a variety of heat levels, or even add black beans or corn to the filling for extra texture and flavor.
How about a Classic Margarita?
Serve this with…
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Verde Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons Spanglish Asadaro Verde Rub
Verde Salsa
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic quartered
- 3 poblano peppers whole
- 3 Anaheim peppers whole
- 4 jalapeño peppers whole
- 12 tomatillos (peel off the papery outer layer, but leave them whole)
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 handfull cilantro
- 2 teaspoons salt
Corn Crepes
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp butter melted
Fixings
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 400°F.
Brown Chicken
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Season the chicken breasts with the Verde Asadero rub on all sides.
- Brown on both sides in the skillet. Remove from heat.
Make Verde Enchilada Sauce
- Put the onion and garlic on a small grill-safe baking sheet or a double layer of tin foil. Place on the preheated grill. Put the peppers and tomatillos right on the grill grates.
- Let the onion and garlic cook for about 10-15 minutes. The tomatillos can come off the grill as soon as they have some grill marks. Let the peppers cook until the skin is blistered and has some color. Remove the peppers from the grill and put onto a tray. Cover the tray tightly with foil right away. We want them to steam a bit in their own steam.
- Reduce the heat on your smoker or pellet grill to 250°F.
- Season the chicken thighs with the Verde rub. If you don't have any, you can sub in generous amounts of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Peel the skin off of the peppers and toss out the stems. If you keep the seeds in, it'll preserve some of the heat. How hot the end result will be depends on how hot your peppers are.
- Put the freshly peeled roasted peppers and whole tomatillos for the verde sauce into a large blender and pulse until everything is chopped up. Add in the cilantro and lime juice and pulse just to chop up the herb a bit and combine things. Taste, and then add half the salt. Mix. Taste again. Add the rest of the salt, if necessary.
- Put half of the verde sauce in the pan with the chicken breasts. Cook over low to medium-low heat until the chicken is 204°F.
- Shred chicken using forks, meat claws, or an electric mixer. Keep the verde sauce that the chicken cooked in, in with the chicken. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven or your pellet grill to 350°F.
Make Corn Crepes
- Combine all ingredients for the corn crepes except the vegetable oil, and mix well with a whisk until no more lumps remain.
- Heat a small non-stick pan over medium heat with a couple of tsp of oil in it. When it is well heated, pour approximately 1/4-1/3 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt to distribute. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the top looks solid. Flip over and cook 30 seconds on other side.
- Remove from pan onto a paper towel and repeat with the rest of the batter, adding additional oil when necessary.
Assemble
- Put half of the remaining verde sauce into the bottom of a square, high-sided baking pan.
- Place the shredded chicken in the corn crepes and roll. Place into the pan. Repeat until all of the corn crepes are full of shredded chicken.
- Top with the remaining verde sauce.
- Cover with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.
- Serve with your favorite fixings!