Enchiladas are one of those foods that can be made with meat, or without; with green sauce, or with red. You can spice them up or leave them more mild… and you can eat them with any type of garnish you wish – from avocados to sour cream, onions, cilantro, or with plain ol’ cheese.
They are the ultimate Mexican comfort food.
While peeled, skinned and mashed potatoes are one of my favorite enchilada varieties, when it comes to a rich, roasted tomatillo sauce, chicken pairs amazingly well.
And while we really didn’t plan in advance to make these enchiladas, the Instant Pot made it doable with a very limited time schedule.
Before I started making the Green Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, I threw the {frozen} chicken in the Instant Pot – our electric pressure cooker, for just 26 minutes. And while I was busy fixing up sauce and putting clothes in the laundry, the chicken was feverishly cooking – in an appliance that helped me keep my kitchen as cool as possible.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can use rotisserie chicken too.
- 8 medium tomatillos, husk removed and rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 serrano chiles
- 1 small white onion, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces + some for garnish (if desired)
- 1 C. chicken broth + additional (if required)
- 1/4 C. chopped cilantro
- 3 C. shredded boneless chicken
- 15-18 corn tortillas
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- Optional: Mexican crema, or fresh Mexican cheese
- Place the tomatillos, serranos, garlic and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and roast under the broiler for 5 - 7 minutes until charred. Remove and flip items, repeat on the other side.
- Once everything is charred/roasted, remove and let sit for a few minutes.
- After they cool a little, remove the skins from the garlic & add to a blender with tomatillos, chiles, onion and just under a teaspoon of salt. Blend well.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil - when it's hot enough, add the tomatillo sauce base. The sauce will get thicker as it cooks on medium on the stove - once it thickens up nicely, add the cup of broth (or more depending on your preference) and cilantro. Season with another 1/2 - 1 tsp salt and turn down the heat to let it simmer.
- Gather the chicken filling on a plate and set aside.
- Take the tortillas and wrap in a damp kitchen towel. To dampen, take a clean kitchen towel and drench it under water - then wring the water out, wrap the tortillas in the towel and place in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften up.
- Set the tortillas next to the chicken (filling) followed by a casserole dish. Start with one tortilla and top with a portion of the chicken (filling), roll, and transfer to the casserole dish. Your tortillas should not break provided they are holding the moisture from the dampened towel - so work quickly and keep the other tortillas covered well until you use them.
- Repeat with all of the corn tortillas you have in the moist towel. If you need to make a double layer, it's best to add sauce on the first before topping with the second layer.
- Spoon the tomatillo sauce over the top - making sure you cover the ends so they don't get dry.
- Slide the casserole dish into the preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
- After they are done, remove from the oven & top with Mexican cheese. Serve with a spatula on dinner plates and serve topped with sour cream, cheese, or white onion.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
- It's best to keep your enchiladas at a single layer - however, if you opt to make a second layer, ensure that you are covering the first layer with a light layer of sauce before starting the second layer.
Love Mexican food? You might like this Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Chicken, Mexican Albondigas Soup, or recipe for Mexican Tamales.
