Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stack
Try this amazing green chile chicken enchilada stack recipe for a major flavor explosion of enchilada happiness.
Enchiladas are kind of like lasagna in my book: endless possibilities. And endless possibilities makes this food lover very, very happy.
This stacked version of enchiladas sitting before you is an adapted version of my favorite green chile chicken enchiladas except it’s more tall than wide and gets served up just like a piece of pie.
The sauce is still homemade and incredibly simple, but you get away with using a few less tortillas in this version.
A slice of this delicious enchilada stack, garnished with fresh tomatoes, avocados, cilantro and lime wedges, is like a major flavor explosion of enchilada happiness.
Not only does this meal include just about all my favorite things in an enchilada recipe, it’s also really, really easy to put together.
Just slightly over the 30-minute meal mark but not by much, especially if you already have cooked chicken waiting to be repurposed.
We completely cleaned up on this meal. Not a leftover in sight. I think my boys were thrilled with the idea that dinner had been made in the same pan as their favorite cheesecake.
Whatever works, man, whatever works.
What To Serve With This:
Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad or steamed vegetable like broccoli or peas
Shrapnel Dip with Baked Tortilla Chips
Fresh, seasonal fruit
One Year Ago: Fudgy Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Two Years Ago: Overnight Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Three Years Ago: Heath Bar Cookies
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stack
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped onion, about 1/2 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (7-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce (see note)
- ½ cup sour cream, light or regular
For Stacking:
- 5 (9 or 10-inch) white or whole wheat tortillas
- 2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup medium or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
For Serving:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Diced avocados
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the sauce, in a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
- To assemble, lightly grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (depending on the size of the tortillas you are using). Here’s how it will be assembled: one tortilla, sauce, chicken cheese; one tortilla, sauce, chicken, cheese; one tortilla, sauce chicken cheese; one tortilla, sauce, chicken, cheese; one tortilla, remaining sauce and cheese. (Basically it’s five layers of nearly the same thing except the final layer doesn’t get any chicken.)
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Let the enchilada stack rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into pie-shaped wedges to serve and garnish with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from my favorite Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas after being inspired by Deborah’s tortilla stack
72 Comments on “Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stack”
I made these tonight and served them with your Mexican Street Corn Salad. Oh dear me!! The flavor combination was absolutely delicious!! I made 1 1/2 recipes and stacked them in a 9×13 pan. I also used a rotisserie chicken and of course your homemade green enchilada sauce. Just super yummy all the way around!! You go Mel!!
I love these so much especially with a squeeze of lime on top. My husband has a smoker and sometimes we do smoked pulled pork. We use the leftover meat in these and it’s amazing. Food for thought.
I adore these enchiladas. I’ve frozen them,and premade them to stick in the fridge and bake the next day with great results. It’s a great crowd pleaser. And they’re are taken to the next level,made with homemade tortillas! Thanks Mel.
Oh yum! Homemade tortillas!
I used rotisserie chicken and followed the recipe spot-on. Wow – that’s all I can say. Loved them.
Delicious! The only change I would make is to use a rotisserie chicken instead of the breasts and tenders that I cooked and shredded. Also used Hatch Green Chili Enchilada Sauce – no time for homemade! Addition of chicken stock added savory goodness while sour cream added smooth richness. I served this to guests the first time I tried the recipe and got lots of compliments. A Very Good Recipe!
I don’t know how I missed this recipe! It’s just like something my mom always made growing up. Having this for dinner tonight! Thanks Mel.
I LOVE this recipe and have made it multiple times…wondering how I could make it “freezable” and how I would cook it? I’m expecting my third in a few weeks and am trying to get some of your meals in the freezer. I read through the comments and didn’t see any other instructions. Thank you!!!!
To freeze, I would assemble, cover with a double layer of foil and freeze. Then I would bake from frozen – keep it covered and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, uncover and bake until hot and bubbly (maybe another 30 minutes). Good luck with your upcoming baby!
I made this tonight. I even made the chicken as suggested by the link. I bought a 7 oz can of El Pato’s “Salsa de Jalapeno”. The can was green, so I thought it would it be perfect. Perfect size, perfect color. But it turned out to be a red sauce. Even so, the recipe was super yum. However, next time I make this, probably next week, I’m going the extra mile and making the homemade green chile sauce.
Super YUM! I did mine like traditional rolled enchiladas…everyone loved it!
I am trying to loose weight and cut out carbs. Do you think I could just pour this sauce over a chicken breast with a little sprinkle of cheese? Or does the sauce need to bake?
Thank you!
Should work just fine!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit! I loved the sauce–I was eating it from the spoon–which is not something I normally do. It was so much easier to make than traditional enchiladas and just as delicious.
Hi Mel! Do you think that the cornmeal crepes would hold up in this recipe/taste good??
Oh yum, I think that’s a great idea!
I am currently waiting the 10 min after it comes out of the oven and it smells great. But I just reread the recipe and realized I didn’t add the salt and pepper. When were they supposed to be added?
Theresa, sorry about that. The salt and pepper are supposed to go into the sauce toward the end.
I absolutely love this recipe! It has become a staple in my house and there’s almost no left overs ever. I’ve tweaked it a bit and layer in diced tomatoes, corn and black beans. The green chili enchilada sauce makes it though.
Had this tonight and it was delicious. Made it with corn tortillas in a square pan and it worked out great. The Mexican tomato & corn salad was also a hit – a perfect side dish to go with the enchiladas – yummy!
Oh my goodness, such yummy deliciousness! I was in the middle of fixing your recipe when I found out my two grandsons were dropping in—OH NO!!! So, I opened the pantry, threw in some already prepared brown rice and quinoa, and some kidney beans, along with some cornchips to add crunch. It stretched all the ingredients out and we had plenty for our raging appetites! This was truly a hit!!! Thank you Mel!
I just made this enchilada stack for dinner and seriously…..it is awesome!!!!! Thanks for all the great recipes. I check your site daily 🙂
These were super good. I used canned chicken since we’re on a tight budget and it worked really well. I found that the sauce thickened almost immediately after I put the broth in, so I ended up more than doubling the amount of broth in this recipe to thin it out a bit, which is good because it made just enough to cover five layers of the 10-inch tortillas. Thanks!
I made this on Sunday. I really adore good Mexican food (grew up in AZ), so I was excited about this. I hate to say it, but I was a little underwhelmed by the flavors. It tasted like extremely mild enchiladas. Nothing was “wrong” per say, but it just didn’t wow me. We still ate it without a complaint… and I’m glad I made the tomato and corn salad to add some zip to it (which was super yummy).
This was fantastic!! I used a 10 oz can of enchilada sauce because it’s what I had on hand, and we all loved it! Another winner that will be made many times over! Thank you!!
Oh wow,this one was a hit! I will have to double it next time, as family devoured it in like 15 seconds! We used corn tortillas since I don’t eat wheat, and it turned out great. Thanks for all of your amazing recipes, Mel! My husband is especially happy that I discovered your blog!
This recipe was made for a birthday dinner and it was fabulous! Everyone loved them and my sister requested the recipe to make again later that week. Thanks! I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Do you think this would work with corn tortillas? We are trying to eliminate gluten. It looks so delicious!
Autumn – Yes, corn tortillas would work great – might have to layer them slightly as I’ve never seen 9- or 10-inch corn tortillas, though. Good luck!
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved these!!! The homemade enchilada sauce is so so so good! I can’t believe I haven’t made it before now. . . and then added to the rest of the recipe it was all just divine! Thank you!!
Anne (above), thanks for the tip about baking this in a cast iron skillet! I’ll definitely try that next time! 🙂
This is sooooo good! I made the enchilada sauce from scratch, so when I was making the cream sauce it seemed like more of the same stuff… yet something magical happened in the oven and the flavors were surprisingly multi-dimensional. I baked this in a cast iron skillet and loved the crispy tortilla on the bottom paired with the soft saucy ones. Another winner!
I made this last night, and my family really enjoyed it! It kind of reminded me of a birthday cake- savory version. 🙂 I also made the green enchilada sauce recipe you shared, and that is fantastic! I’ll surely make that more often!!
This was a hit with my family! It was meatless Monday, so I subbed in 2 c. Great Northern beans and about 1/2 c. frozen corn for the chicken.
Thanks again for a great recipe!
I love your website! I come here so often for dinner inspirations and I think that your “what to serve with this” additions are just wonderful! A lot of time I get stuck with side options and, to be honest, I would have never thought to throw some fruit in with dinner! Also, I made your molten cakes this weekend and they were fabulous!
Made this over the weekend. Excellent! And the Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie? Oh.My.Word. The best I’ve ever had!
I have made a vegan version of this recipe twice within one week. My husband has asked that it be put into our meal rotation and he is not a vegan! Other than the typical substitutions for broth, cheese, and sour cream, I used a product called Beyond Meat Chicken. Looks and has the texture of chicken when I tore it into shreds and with all of the flavor of the other ingredients, it was indistinguishable from actual chicken. I really like using a spring form pan for this recipe. I’m going to think about this technique for other dishes.
The sauce was great. Next time I’ll corn tortillas. Liked them enough to make them again! Thank you for posting this!
Made this the other night. My springform pan looked entirely too small to serve me, my husband and 4 hungry teenagers! I used a larger oval shaped dish and cut the tortillas like puzzle pieces to fit. I used 7 instead of 5 and one and a halved the recipe. Oh my, it was delicious. It was gone in no time with my 6’4″ son telling me I didn’t make enough! I guess I will need to find a new larger serving dish and double it next time! Thanks for the delicious new recipe I’ll be adding to our rotation!
Made tonight with rave reviews! Your homemade enchilada sauce is beyond yummy. Thank you bunches, Mel!
Made it last night – definitely a “keeper”!
Wow I am going to be a hit with my next family gathering. I love being popular. And its so dang easy. My grandkids are a teeney bit choosey, but Mexican type food always flies first class. Of course Julie’s comment about her dinner with 6 adults was inspiring.
Mel, this was fabulous! It would have served six adults except it was so delicious that one serving wasn’t enough…
Made this last night…so good! Since I had salsa verde on hand, I substituted it for the enchilada sauce. My husband thinks this is his new favorite!
Girl I just found your blog and I browsed through some of your recipes. You’ve got some amazing stuff on here! I’m a new email subscriber!
P.S. your recommendations for side dishes is GENIUS! You rock Mel! SERIOUSLY!
Excited to try this! I might have to test this Friday!
Mel your recipes never disappoint. My family loved this as they always do with your recipes. My question is if you were to freeze this would you freeze before you bake?
Another winning recipe from the cafe! Made this a meatless meal by replacing the chicken with frozen corn–we all licked our plates! My 5 yo requested the leftovers for breakfast, and has declared them his favorite meal ever–well, next to macaroni and cheese.
Trying these tonight. I could not find 7 oz green enchilada sauce. There was only
7 oz salsa verde. Is that what you use? Maybe my store just doesn’t have that size?
I love your regular enchiladas recipe that you took this from, and so does my family. BTW we made your crunchy caramel bars the other day–oh.my! to die for! Thanks Mel!
Yum!! Thanks for sharing. Green enchiladas sauce is my absolute favorite! Every recipe I’ve tried from your site has turned out excellent. Thanks for all the work you put into it. Also, love the “serve this with” feature.
Do you think if I used corn tortillas it would work well? My husband is weird and doesn’t care for flour tortillas.
Rachael – Yes, corn tortillas would work great – might have to layer them slightly as I’ve never seen 9- or 10-inch corn tortillas, though. Good luck!
Made this for dinner tonight; it was delicious! Thanks for a quick yummy recipe that my whole family enjoyed!
This will definitely become a favorite around here. I always find these kinds of meals are great, even when you don’t feel like making dinner because assembly time is just a few minutes and cook time is hands off. Thanks for sharing, Mel.
And here I was…just wondering how to repurpose the chicken left over from last night. Thanks! I will give this a try!
My 4 year old requested “Grandma’s enchiladas” when I was meal planning last week. I wasn’t really feeling that for dinner tonight, but saw this and it’s in the oven right now!
Thank you so much for your blog, my husband and kids always love when I make one of your recipes!
Awesome timing! I had this recipe posted on Pinterest to try this week, but I’m always wary of trying new recipes from unknown sites. Too many Pinterest fails! But, now that it’s been tested by a trusted source, I”m good to go! Thanks, Mel!
first yum. so making this. second i so love the “what to serve with this” just love love that. and third I just love your blog. so many perfect dinner ideas.
I lived in NM for a while and while there got inundated with green chilies AND… grew to really like them. This recipe looks delish! Thank you! And I just noticed the “what to serve with this…” – so helpful! Thank you!
On the menu for tonight was Chicken Enchiladas. Then, I ran across your post on facebook. Now, THIS is what will be done for dinner tonight. Yum!
Do you remove the ring on the springform pan after it has rested, or do you serve it out of the pan?
Do I have to use a Springform pan?
Ashley – If you don’t have a springform pan, you could try making this in an 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pan as long as the sides of the pan are at least 2 inches high (or more). For a square pan, you’ll want to probably cut the tortillas to fill the pan.
This looks delicious. A great weeknight meal.
Something my whole family will eat! You have no idea what a feat that is.
Your “what to serve with this” feature is truly appreciated! My family loves your green chile chicken enchilada recipe, and I can’t wait to try this. Thank you.
Looks like a quick weeknight meal that I’m sure the whole family would enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
This looks delicious, Mel!
I just wanted to make sure you know how much all your work is appreciated! Thank you for doing the menu updates…it is definitely one of the areas I struggle in. I also love the side suggestions. You are the bomb lady (I know people don’t say that any more, but I’m okay with that)! 🙂
Easy meals like this are my life. Totally pinning for later 🙂
Even though I eagerly bring up your post daily to see if you posted the orange glazed chicken recipe you spoke about a couple of Fridays ago, you never, EVER disappoint in what I find newly posted. My family loves your enchilada recipes — all of them. They are marked “favorites”. Bless your heart for posting a “user friendlier” enchilada recipe with spring upon us and the outdoors calling. Love the fact of less tortillas meaning way less calories. I have to search many stores in my area to find small tortillas around 100 calories or under. Excited to try and am putting your homemade enchilada sauce on my to do list along with preparing shredded chicken ahead. Thank you!