Creamy Green Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

Key Ingredient Notes

I’ve provided the full list of ingredients with their measurements in the recipe card below, but I wanted to briefly touch on the main items you’ll want to stock in your fridge and pantry for assembling these enchiladas.

• Shredded Chicken — You can use any cooked and shredded chicken you’d like in the filling, but this slow cooker Mexican chicken is my all-time favorite.
• Black Beans — Can be subbed with pinto beans or kidney beans if you ran out of black beans.
• Baby Spinach — I used fresh spinach, but I’ve also tested this recipe with frozen spinach. If using frozen spinach, thaw it completely and squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the chicken filling. (Here’s how I like to freeze my own spinach, if you’ve got some that’s about to go bad!)
• Shredded Cheese — I used Monterrey Jack, but almost any cheese will do. You could sub in a sharp cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, or something else entirely.
• Corn Tortillas — This type of tortilla is prone to cracking, so you need to gently warm them before rolling up the filling. I used to steam my tortillas, but these days I prefer frying them.
• Sour Cream Sauce — This is what makes the enchiladas so creamy! It’s made by preparing a very basic butter and flour roux, then thinning it out with broth and stirring in some sour cream.
• Salsa Verde — I prefer making my own roasted tomatillo salsa (recipe below!) to use as a green enchilada sauce, but if you’re in a rush and you don’t want to make your own you can use store-bought salsa verde instead. Look for one that’s roasted as opposed to regular salsa verde.

Make Ahead Instructions

The great thing about these chicken and spinach enchiladas with green sauce is that the individual elements can all be made ahead!

• Shredded Chicken — Can be made ahead and combined with the beans and spinach, then refrigerated for up to 2 days. You can also prep just the chicken and freeze it for several months until ready to use.
• Salsa Verde — Can be made and stored airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days, or even frozen for up to a month.
• Sour Cream Sauce — Can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Do not freeze it.
• Assembled Enchiladas — I recommend freezing the enchiladas after assembling, but before baking. Here’s my full guide on how to freeze enchiladas, which provides detailed step-by-step instructions on how to do so.

Side Dish Suggestions

These creamy green chicken enchiladas pair well with pretty much all of your favorite Mexican side dishes Here are some of my go-to’s:

• Cilantro Lime Kale Slaw
• Mexican Caesar Salad
• Super Simple Guacamole
• Restaurant-Style Salsa
• Mexican Rice

And don’t forget to wash everything down with a pineapple margarita or 3-ingredient lemon margarita! Or, if you’d rather drink something non-alcoholic then I can highly recommend this strawberry agua fresca recipe or these pineapple lime coolers.