Martha Stewart Chicken Enchiladas With Creamy Green Sauce Recipe

The trick to Martha Stewart’s green enchiladas is something nobody expects: two jars of store-bought green salsa mixed with heavy cream. Martha Stewart’s Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce are filled with roasted shredded chicken breast and garlic, rolled in soft corn tortillas, covered in a tangy creamy green sauce, and baked with Monterey Jack cheese until golden and bubbling.

This chicken enchilada recipe is one of Martha Stewart’s most popular chicken casserole recipes and I make it year round because it is the kind of dinner everyone fights over. The green chicken enchiladas look like they took all afternoon but the sauce is just salsa and cream stirred together in a bowl. I make this in the fall and winter when I want something warm, cheesy, and filling that smells so good people show up early for dinner.

Try More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Taco Salad
• Chicken Divan
• Chicken Pot Pie

Why You Will Love These Chicken Enchiladas:

• The sauce is two ingredients: Two jars of green salsa and 3/4 cup of cream. That is the whole creamy green sauce. No blanching tomatillos, no roasting peppers, no food processor. I kept waiting for the complicated part and there was not one.
• The chicken roasts with whole garlic: Martha roasts bone-in chicken breasts with unpeeled garlic cloves at 450 degrees. The garlic gets soft and sweet and you chop it right into the shredded chicken. It gives the filling a punch that plain shredded chicken never has.
• You can make it the night before: Martha says you can assemble everything, cover it, and stick it in the fridge. Bake it the next day when you are ready. I do this every time I am cooking for a group because the day of the dinner I just turn on the oven and wait. No stress.

Chicken Enchiladas With Creamy Green Sauce Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken Enchiladas With Creamy Green Sauce

1. Roast the chicken: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and put it on a rimmed baking sheet with the garlic cloves. Bake until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. While it bakes, mix the salsa and cream together in a large bowl.
2. Shred the chicken: Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, pull the meat off the bones and shred it. Throw away the skin and bones. Peel and chop the roasted garlic. Mix the chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture in a bowl.
3. Soften the tortillas: Stack the tortillas flat and wrap them in damp paper towels. Microwave on high for 1 minute. This makes them soft enough to roll without cracking.
4. Roll the enchiladas: Take one tortilla at a time, dip it in the salsa mixture, lay it flat, and put about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling in the center. Roll it up and put it seam side down in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fit 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise.
5. Top and bake: Pour the rest of the salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.
6. Rest and serve: Let the enchiladas sit for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro if you want.

Recipe Tips

• Use store-bought green salsa: Martha calls for 2 jars of medium green salsa. It has the tomatillos, jalapeños, and lime already in it. I tried making salsa verde from scratch once for this recipe and the jarred version was just as good with a fraction of the effort.
• Soften the tortillas first: Damp paper towels wrapped around the stack, microwave 1 minute. Corn tortillas crack and tear if you try to roll them cold. I lost 4 tortillas my first time because I skipped this step and had to start over.
• Dip each tortilla in the salsa before filling: Martha has you dip it in the salsa mixture first. It coats the outside so the sauce sticks during baking and makes the tortilla even more flexible for rolling. I thought it was a fussy step until I tried it both ways.
• Let it rest 10 minutes: The sauce needs to settle after baking. If you scoop into it right away it runs everywhere and the enchiladas fall apart. I know this from experience. Ten minutes is the difference between a plate and a mess.

The Shortcut That Makes This Recipe Work

I want to be clear about something: the entire sauce for these enchiladas is store-bought green salsa mixed with cream. That is it. No roasting tomatillos, no seeding peppers, no blending anything. Just pour the jars into a bowl, stir in the cream, and you have a creamy green sauce that tastes like you spent an hour making it.

• I tried half-and-half instead of cream once when I did not have any in the fridge. It was thinner but still tasted good. Whole milk was too watery though. Stick with cream or at least half-and-half.
• I always assemble the enchiladas the night before and bake them the next day. Martha says you can do this and the flavors actually get better sitting overnight. The tortillas soak up the sauce a little and everything holds together better.

This is the recipe I bring to potlucks because it doubles easily in two baking dishes and there are never any leftovers. A chicken taco salad is my other go-to for feeding a crowd but this one always gets more compliments.

What Goes Well With These Enchiladas

Plain rice on the side is all you really need. The sauce and cheese are rich enough that the rice keeps things balanced. I sometimes make a quick guacamole and set out some chips while the enchiladas bake so people have something to eat while they wait.

A cold cucumber salad or a few lime wedges squeezed over the top is all I add. The enchiladas are the main event and everything else is just there to fill the gaps.

How To Store Leftovers

Cover the baking dish with foil or move the enchiladas to a container. They keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tortillas soak up more sauce overnight so they get softer, which I actually prefer. The cheese firms up in the fridge but melts right back when you heat them. I would not freeze these because the corn tortillas get mushy after thawing and the sauce splits.

Reheat covered in a 400 degree oven until hot all the way through, or microwave covered for 2 to 3 minutes. I eat leftover enchiladas for breakfast with a fried egg on top and I am not going to apologize for that.

FAQs

• Can I use rotisserie chicken instead? Yes and Martha says so in the recipe. A store-bought rotisserie chicken saves you the roasting step entirely. You still roast the garlic cloves separately for about 15 minutes and chop them into the shredded chicken. I have done it both ways and the rotisserie version is faster but the freshly roasted chicken has more flavor.
• Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn? You can but they change the dish. Corn tortillas are traditional and they hold up better in the sauce without getting gummy. Flour tortillas are softer and easier to roll but they absorb more liquid and can get too soggy. I stick with corn.
• What kind of green salsa should I use? Martha says medium heat. Look for salsa verde or green salsa made with tomatillos. If you are cooking for kids or anyone who does not like spice, use mild. I have used both Herdez and Frontera brands and they both work well.
• Can I use a different cheese? Monterey Jack melts the best for this recipe. You could try pepper jack if you want more heat, or a mix of Monterey Jack and cheddar. I would not use queso fresco because it does not melt the same way. Martha says to shred your own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded because the coating on pre-shredded cheese stops it from melting as smoothly.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken And Dumplings
• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Soup

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 6)

• Calories: 540
• Total Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Cholesterol: 110mg
• Sodium: 750mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 36g
• Protein: 40g