Enchiladas Verdes

I'm surprised to see Rambo admitting to using an oven to cook this dish. I would have expected these enchiladas to be seared by his flame thrower or by the fiery blast of his enemies being blown up.

I was lucky enough to try these and they were delicious...if only I had some right now, I would be so happy!

We don't have tomatillos. What other options do I have in making these enchiladas? Would like to know more about it. Thanks.

If you can't find tomatillos you can substitute with green tomatoes. Add a dash of lemon juice to compensate for the lack of tartness. You could even use regular plum tomatoes and a dash of lemon juice. Even cape gooseberries would work, as they are related to tomatillos http://www.rouxbe.com/drilldowns/220. Not sure that the color would be that pretty though. Many enchiladas are made using red salsa, so you could even try Rouxbe's salsa borracha http://www.rouxbe.com/recipes/232/preview

You can use Salsa Roja to make enchiladas Rojas, their flavor is very different from the Tomatillos but it is still amazing. For this kind of enchiladas Rojas the best filling for the tortillas would be fresh cheese with diced onions. The mixing of the Red salsa with the cheese taste way better (in my experience) than chicken. Serve them with a little bit of Fresh creme and refried beans on the side (instead of rice) and you will have an amazingly tasting combination.

Hi: I would love to try this recipe and can only find the large can of tomatillos. Can they be substituted? I hope so. Thanks.

It will be good, but it won't be quite the same, I know because I have tried the canned myself. However, I did not use the canned to make enchiladas, so maybe the canned will be okay for this. Where do you live? Maybe you could try phoning your local Mexican restaurant to see where they buy fresh tomatillos. Or they might be able to recommend (or even sell) you some fresh salsa verde. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks dawn

I made these this weekend, but instead of chicken, I used pan sauteed tofu (cubed and well drained) and onions as the filling. They were awesome.

I promise i will try it, but to tell you the truth my vegetarian option means chicken. And in this case no cream, no melted cheese and no chicken, I can only say that Veggieladas Verdes should be a recipe for another planet maybe named Vegedexico. Thanks for experimenting, that will always be exciting (in a culinary way.)

No no, definitely still use the cream and cheese. Sorry for the confusion!

I am now in Mexico and tomatillos are everywhere, so I shall make them as instructed, while I have the chance. Toss in some chips y salsa, a few margaritas and Ole!!!

I served these enchiladas last night and they were a huge hit. The salsa verde was simple to make and I will keep some on hand for dipping or anything else that needs a bit of a kick. But I did learn that if you overheat this dish (dinner was a bit late) the corn tortillas will dry out and stick to the bottom and become very tough; they only need gentle heating. The red rice was also excellent and I will make that again as well. Great entertaining food. THANKS.

I'm suprised that tomatillos are difficult for some to find; I live in central Minnesota and always find tomatillos in my local grocery store. For those that can't find them, they are so easy to grow! This is a very quick and easy enchiladas recipe and was a great success when I served it to guests yesterday. I did add avocados to the salsa verde and everyone loved it. I served the enchiladas with the Red Rice recipe (lots of flavor and very easy). I would definately do this again! Easy and can be prepared ahead.

It is wonderful to find these authentic Mexican recipes on your site! So many ruin the wonderful earthy and fresh flavors of Mexican food by adding or substituting ingredients that are not indigenous to the original recipes. The red enchiladas are often made with a sauce that includes ground chile ancho (thus the dark, earthy red color); the flavor is completely different, but delicious! It uses a complex procedure of passing the corn tortilla through hot oil, then dipping it in the chile ancho sauce, then passing it though the hot oil again. Shredded chicken or cheese with chopped onion can be used in both types of enchiladas.. Sergio Ivan M.,your comments are greatly appreciated. You have obviously spent some years living in Mexico! Thanks for your insight. Carla S.

Hola Carla, Gracias por tu comentario. No solo vivi en Mexico si no que nací en Mexico donde fui criado en ranchos, pueblos chicos y ciudades, en todas las casas que vivi, las manos santas de mis mujeres Mexicanas (mi abuela Doña Elisa y mi Mama Doña Lupita) me enseñaron a crear la comida mas chingona del planeta. Doña Lupita también es parte de este sitio y tiene varias recetas de salsa que son tradicionales. Una de las cosas mas valiosas de ser immigrante en Canada, es encontrar gente que le de valor a tus tradiciones, a la experiencia y al conocimiento, eso es Rouxbe, por eso trabajo aquí. Ojalá disfrutes ser miembro de Rouxbe y ojalá pronto veamos alguna de tus recetas en linea. S. Hello Carla, Thanks for your comment. Not only lived in Mexico, I was born in Mexico as well. I was raised on ranches, small towns and cities, in every one of the houses I lived; the hands of my Mexican Holy women (my grandmother Doña Elisa and my Mama Doña Lupita) taught me to cook the greatest food on the planet. Doña Lupita is also part of this site and has several salsa recipes that are very traditional. One of the most valuable things to be an immigrant in Canada is finding people who value your traditions, experience and knowledge, I found that at Rouxbe, and that is why I am part of the team. 

I hope you enjoy being a member of Rouxbe and hopefully we will see some of your recipes online some time soon. S.

I made these a while ago for a potluck and they were a huge hit. It was nice because you can cut them in half so everyone can had a taste. The salsa verde was amazing too. If only I could find salsa that good in a jar. I guess I'm going to have to start making it more often.

I made these last night and they were really good. i may have put a little too much onion and cilantro in the recipe but that can be corrected next time. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Andrew

i dont eat chicken.i did cook this for my family and they wanted more.i dont eat chicken because had to much growing up.

Thank you for this recipe. So easy. Everyone almost ate all the salsa before I poured into the dish until I pulled out my wooden spoon (sorry Rambo, that's how I roll). I had some Xtra Hot Hatch green chiles so I subbed that for the serranos, but I know either would be delicous. !Un abrazo para Lupita!

Hi all is it safe to reheat the enchiladas, how long will they keep? Thanks, Paul

Foods that are properly cooled can be reheated. For food safety reasons, make sure the internal temperature of the food reaches 165F. Properly stored, they should keep for a few days. Cheers!

Do you also cook the green tomatoes in water just the same way as the tomatillos?? Thanks..

Sure, you can do the same for green tomatoes. Cook them until the first one splits. Cheers!

What is the purpose of frying the tortilla? Won't this make it harder to roll?

The main reason you fry the tortilla is to soften the tortilla. It makes it pliable so you can roll it up. Enjoy! This dish is Awsome

What would be a good fish to use to make this dish? I'm thinking about haddock or cod. I'm on the West coast. Thanks.

You could try fish, just be sure you don't over cook it and dry it out. Alternatively, you could make fish tacos instead. That way the fish can be cooked to perfection and simply added to the tacos. Cheers!

How far in advance could I make these enchiladas without them turning to mush? Am cooking for 10 and didn't want to prepare while guests were here.

Enchiladas (and foods that are softer, or have a crust and then cooked in a sauce) are best cooked and then served immediately afterwards. A good idea might just be to prepare and assemble the dish ahead of time, and then last minute add the sauce and then put the enchiladas in the oven just before the guests arrive. And to slow down the time they take to cook, you could always set the heat a bit lower. When it comes to cooking for larger groups or if you are just trying to prepare things ahead, you need to think about all of the things that can be done ahead, without compromising the final dish. It might mean that you assemble everything and just have everything else set up and ready to go — so you don't have to think so much while guests are around. Hope that helps. Cheers!

Wonderful recipe!! I'm a terrible cook but tried out this recipe and it came out fantastic! Very happy. For those sensitive to spice, try 1 Serrano pepper instead of 2. Anyone who loves Verde enchiladas will love this mise En place!!! Highly recommended for beginners.

how much is the chicken in grams?thank you.

Hi Jack: You will enjoy this recipe very much. Again, the weight (in grams) of the chicken depends upon the whole chicken you chose at market. The average weight of a whole, raw chicken is about 1.8 kg, to give you an idea. But do check with your butcher and see the actual weight of the chicken you select. Thanks. Char

char thank you for your adice and helping take away my anxiety when it comes to cooking.thank you for the whole team at rouxbe as well im very grateful for the feedback x

ive thinking of using regular green gooseberrys?would that work?

HI Jack! You are not the first who has asked about tomatillo alternatives and Dawn, our beloved Rouxbe founder, answered so I will share. "If you can't find tomatillos you can substitute with green tomatoes. Add a dash of lemon juice to compensate for the lack of tartness. You could even use regular plum tomatoes and a dash of lemon juice. Even cape gooseberries would work, as they are related to tomatillos http://www.rouxbe.com/drilldowns/220. Not sure that the color would be that pretty though. Many enchiladas are made using red salsa, so you could even try Rouxbe's salsa borracha http://www.rouxbe.com/recipes/232/preview."

hi demetra can i use spring onions/green onions as i want to get as much green colour in the salsa verde lupita sauce as possible?thank you.

Hi Riaz, feel free to use spring onions/green onions. This is a good opportunity for you to experiment!

eric if im using a pre roasted chicken for this recipe do i not use risk overcooking? as im thinking of using chicken thighs 450g as less chance of drying out with the achiote marinade . what im saying is do i part roast the chicken thighs first in the achiote chicken marinade? then continue with this recipe so everything is cooked at the same time with no overcooking or undercooking?

Hi Riaz, this recipe calls for fully cooked chicken. Please give it a try so you understand the recipe. And, focus on the basics of cooking--i.e., the control of time and temperature. Your deepening understanding and confidence in this area will inform how you make changes to recipes, in your setting.~Eric

What is the size of the baking dish?

Hi Amy-- for this recipe, I am suggesting a 3 quart, rectangular pan, which is generally about 9"*11". Happy cooking. Char