Enchiladas Verdes (Slow Cooker)
These enchiladas verdes couldn’t be easier! Tender chicken cooks in the slow cooker with homemade salsa verde, then gets rolled in tortillas with melty Monterey Jack and baked until hot and bubbly.
Enchiladas verdes—aka salsa verde chicken enchiladas—are part slow cooker, part oven, and 100% comfort. Bright, zesty salsa, tender chicken, and plenty of melty cheese make them irresistible.
Sure, you could cook the chicken and salsa on the stove, but why bother when the slow cooker can do a lot of the work? Enchiladas can be fussy, but this slow cooker–oven combo keeps things a little bit easier.
Just pop the chicken and salsa ingredients in the slow cooker (no precooking steps!) and a few hours later, assemble the enchiladas and bake them.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: You don’t need to brown the chicken before it goes into the slow cooker. I like to cook it whole and then shred it once it’s done.
- Tomatillos: Remove the husks and give them a good rinse to remove the sticky residue on their skin. Halve or quarter them, depending on how big they are, and into the slow cooker they go.
- Jalapenos: I like to add two, but if you prefer less heat only use one. If you don’t want to deal with fresh jalapenos, use canned diced jalapenos.
- Onion: I use a yellow onion, but white or red onion is fine, too. I quarter it before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Poblano pepper: Remove the stem and seeds before cutting it into chunks.
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime juice
- Minced garlic
- Kosher salt
- Olive oil
- Tortillas: I’ve made this recipe with corn tortillas and flour tortillas. Choose your favorite. If you use corn, warm them up before rolling them up with the filling so they don’t tear.
- Monterey jack cheese is my favorite for these enchiladas, but pepper jack cheese would be great, too.
How to Make Slow Cooker Enchiladas Verdes
☑️ Cook the Chicken and Salsa
Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the tomatillos, both kinds of peppers, onion, garlic, and salt. Place the chicken breasts on top and then secure the slow cooker lid.
Cook the chicken and salsa on low for three to four hours. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it.
☑️ Blend the Salsa
Add the cilantro and lime juice to the slow cooker. Blend the salsa with an immersion blender until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with some water.
Spoon about a cup of the sauce in a 9×13″ baking dish and leave the rest in the slow cooker.
☑️ Assemble the Enchiladas
Roll the shredded chicken up in the tortillas and place them in the baking dish. Pour the blended salsa over the top so the enchiladas are covered. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the sauce. Cover the baking dish with foil.
☑️ Bake
Bake the enchiladas at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are bubbling hot and the cheese is melted.
More Enchilada Recipes
Enchiladas Verdes (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound tomatillos papery husks removed, rinsed, and quartered
- 2 large jalapenos seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 1 large poblano pepper seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded
- Optional garnishes: sour cream, cilantro, diced red onion or sliced green onions
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, poblano pepper, garlic, and salt in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Place the chicken in an even layer on top. Cover and cook on low for three to four hours or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks. Set it aside.
- Add the cilantro leaves and lime juice to the slow cooker and, using an immersion blender, puree the salsa until smooth. If the salsa is too thick, thin it with some broth or water. Ladle a cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven heats, divide the chicken between the flour tortillas, roll them up, and place them in the baking dish. Pour the salsa over the top of the tortillas. Top with the shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are bubbly hot and the cheese is melted. Serve the enchiladas with the garnishes, if using.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
More Recipes with Salsa Verde
- 5 Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Bake
- Ground Pork Verde Enchilada Bowls
- Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
- Avocado Salsa Verde
Happy cooking,
This post has been updated from the archives. It was first published in December 2017.
These were phenomenal! Really easy to make and taste so fresh and delicious. Next time we’re going to try with carnitas.
What are good tortillas??? Mine are falling apart during the stuffing. Terrible! Will never buy these ones again! What have you had success with?
Oh no! I’ve usually buy Mission tortillas. You could try warming yours to make them more pliable – that might help!