Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas — sea salt and honey

I cannot overstate how delicious these enchiladas are. They’re the best ones I’ve ever had! And they weren’t even at a restaurant! I made them! What?!

Phew, that was a lot of exclamation marks. But seriously, I was so delighted by how my enchiladas turned out that I sat down to write this post immediately after dinner the night I made them.

I absolutely love roasting chicken (it makes the whole house smell wonderfully delicious and takes very little effort) so I knew I’d do that part from scratch. But let me be the first to say that I cannot do EVERYTHING. I mean, I could if I had help (in the form of a nanny, housekeeper, etc.) but that isn’t my reality. And you know what I realized? It probably isn’t yours either. At least not on weeknights when most people I know are rushing from work to home, minding kids, picking up groceries—you get the idea. So, I cheated. I bought a jar of salsa verde from Trader Joe’s and it was the best decision I’ve made all month!

Once the chicken was done roasting, I shredded it and mixed in some delicious spices including oregano, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and a whole host of different chiles. I rolled the chicken into flour tortillas, drizzled them with salsa verde, then topped them with shredded cheese. And that’s it! Into the oven they went for 20 minutes until the cheese became perfectly melted and gooey, the salsa bubbled, and the spices blended together in a symphony of flavor. I’m sorry, I’m overdoing it, but I CAN’T HELP IT. These enchiladas are spectacular.

And if you don’t want to roast your own chicken, don’t. You do you. Buy that roasted chicken from the store, shred it, and save yourself some time. You’re going to add spices to doctor it up anyway and no one will be the wiser. But whatever you do, be sure to make these enchiladas ASAP. They’ll knock your socks off.

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Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 8 enchiladas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40-50 minutes to roast chicken*, 20 minutes to bake enchiladas*

*If you’re short on time, buy a roasted chicken from your market and skip this step!

Ingredients:

3 large bone-in, skin-in chicken breasts
1 1/12 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
¾ teaspoon chile powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups grated Mexican cheese
2 scallions, sliced (green and white parts)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
8 flour tortillas
12-ounce jar salsa verde

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Place chicken breasts on a large sheet pan. Rub olive oil onto both sides of breasts, then sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Roast skin-side up for 40-50 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. (Skip this step if you’re buying pre-roasted chicken!)

Mix together spices listed above (from oregano through salt). When the chicken is done, allow it to rest until it’s cool enough to handle, then remove and discard skin. Shred chicken. Toss with spices.

Lower the oven heat to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by ladling 3-4 tablespoons salsa verde on the bottom. Fill each tortilla with 3-4 tablespoons chicken and then roll them, placing the enchiladas seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Pour the rest of the salsa verde over all the enchiladas, then top with grated cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Top with scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and serve hot.