Green Chile Enchiladas with Cream Cheese
These green chile enchiladas with cream cheese are an absolute favorite in our house! They are super easy to throw together and are great for freezing for a meal another day.
In our house, any meal that can be made in just about 30 minutes is repeated. Chicken enchiladas are always a big hit because they taste so good and have such simple ingredients. My mom has been making this recipe for decades. This recipe is perfect for a quick dinner, doubling to make into a freezer meal, or for taking to someone who needs a meal. Adding the cream cheese is optional, but it makes for a creamier filling that is to die for!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can play around with proportions and ingredients, which always turns out great. I’ve used different cheeses, doubled the amount of sauce, and used various types of chicken (sometimes I’ll cook chicken breasts, other times I’ll grab rotisserie chicken from Costco). It’s pretty much foolproof!
Ingredients
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 1 lb chicken, cooked (you can also use rotisserie chicken or canned chicken)
- Seasoning of choice (I usually use lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
- 1 can green chile enchilada sauce
- 2-3 cups Colby Jack shredded cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- Oil for frying
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly fry corn tortillas in oil. Remove excess grease with a paper towel and set aside.
- Cook diced chicken breasts in oil and season with garlic and onion powder. You can also use canned chicken. Stir in cream cheese until combined with chicken. Remove from heat.
- In a large cooking dish, lightly coat the bottom with enchilada sauce.
- Place one tortilla in the pan, add chicken and cheese, and roll up. Repeat with all tortillas.
- Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake covered with tin foil for 20 minutes. Bake the remaining 10 minutes without foil.
Tips for Success
- If you don’t like cream cheese, omit it! I often don’t use it myself, but it does tend to give a much creamier taste.
- This recipe is inherently gluten-free. Just make sure that you double-check all the labels before cooking!
- We love to serve this with rice, refried beans, and sala.
- For protein and flavor, you could add pinto or black beans to the chicken mixture.
- If your tortillas break, it’s because you either fried them too crispy or didn’t heat them up. If you choose not to fry them, you can put them between wet paper towels for thirty seconds.
- You can also spray your tortillas with cooking spray and fry them for a slightly less fattening alternative.
- The best way to ensure these enchiladas are not soggy is to fry the tortillas, go easy on the enchilada sauce, and do a low broil for 2-3 minutes at the end of the cooking.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Easy Lasagna without Ricotta Cheese
- Mexican Lasagna
- Easy Breakfast Enchiladas
- Better-for-You Ground Turkey Enchiladas
Easy Green Chile Enchiladas
Easy and delicious green chile chicken enchiladas casserole. This is a fast and easy recipe that everyone loves!
Ingredients
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- Cooking Oil
- 1 lb chicken breast, diced or large can of chicken (we also like to use Rotisserie chicken)
- Seasoning of choice (I like lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
- 1 8 ounce can green chile enchilada sauce
- Cream cheese (optional)
- 1-2 cups Colby Monterrey Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly fry corn tortillas in oil. Remove excess grease with a paper towel and set aside.
- Cook diced chicken breast in oil and season with garlic powder and onion powder. You can use canned chicken as well. Add in cream cheese until combined
- In a large cooking dish, lightly coat the bottom with enchilada sauce.
- Place one tortilla in the pan, add chicken and cheese, and roll up. Repeat with all tortillas.
- Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake covered with tin foil for 20 minutes. Bake remaining 10 minutes without foil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 25g
Hi, where do you add the cream cheese?
When cooking on the chicken with the spices ๐
When do you add the cream cheese, and how?
Just mix it right in with the chicken! Softened is easiest.
I need to have these enchanladas for Sat should I make them ahead and put in put them in the refg and
Not cook them at that time or cook them and just warm them up 30 mim before we eat? Thanks
That should work!
Serves 30? Sounds delish!!
Whoops! That should be 10 enchiladas – so I would say about 4. Not sure where the 30 came from. haha!
I need to make this one day ahead what can I do so the corn tortillas getting mushy…..
I don’t see the recipe for easy green chile enchiladas . I see pictures and no recipe.
Thank you
Wow, I don’t know how that happened! The right recipe is up now ๐
Is the 279 calories per serving with cream cheese included or without?
Also about how much onion and garlic powder do you use? I just put some on the chicken but really wished this recipe would including a measurement. Very yummy ๐
what kind of cheese is lactose free? I have troubles even with those labeled 0g sugar. Any insight is much appreciated!
It’s been awhile since I have had to look for this, but I believe it was Kraft we had the best luck with!
There is such a thing as green enchilada sauce? Oh man, gotta try these!
hahha yeah! It’s my favorite kind. It might be called something other than green enchilada sauce, but it should just be with the red ๐ Hopefully you like this!
Katie.
Is the can green chili sauce good ? What brand may I ask u use
I usually use Las Palmas or Old El Paso.
What is the process for freezing these? Cook first then freeze? How long do they take to cook once frozen? Thanks!
I don’t cook before freezing them. I simply assemble and cover with tin foil. For cooking, I take them out about 12 hours before cooking and put them in the refrigerator, and then cook them as I would had I not frozen them first.
Just tried this recipe and it was delicious. For a little extra kick I added about a quarter cup of Pace mild picante sauce on top. It also added a little color to the top. Thanks for posting the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! Great tip for the salsa.
Those look so good! Now I’m hungry.
Those look so good! Now I’m hungry.
Yum! Thanks for sharing ๐
Oh, and thanks for sharing at Wicked Good Wednesdays! lol
These sound great Katie! And I really like that there isn’t any cream of chicken soup in them
I love green enchilada sauce, Kate! These look good. Pinned to my food board!
Hey lady! Tagged you in todays post about self-truths! Keep it going! ๐
Sounds Great!
Chicken is accepted in any form in my family. Thanks for sharing ๐