Slow Cooker Green Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
This Slow Cooker Green Chicken Enchiladas recipe offers a comforting, hands-off meal with tender chicken simmered in salsa verde and combined with creamy green enchilada sauce, fire roasted chilies, and Monterey Jack cheese. Perfect for busy days, the casserole is slow cooked to meld flavors beautifully and served warm with a fresh sprinkle of green onions.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasonings
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
Sauces and Dairy
- 16 oz. salsa verde
- 20 oz. green enchilada sauce (two 10 oz. cans)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Vegetables and Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 5 oz. can fire roasted green chiles
- 10 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then pour the salsa verde over the chicken evenly. Add onion powder and garlic powder for extra flavor. Cover with the lid.
- Slow Cook Chicken: Slow cook the chicken on low heat for 6 hours, allowing it to become tender and infused with the salsa verde and spices.
- Shred Chicken: After 6 hours, remove the chicken from the slow cooker onto a plate. Use two forks to shred the meat thoroughly.
- Discard Juices: Pour out and discard all the salsa and cooking juices left in the slow cooker, as they are too runny to use for the casserole layering.
- Mix Ingredients: Place the shredded chicken back into the dry slow cooker. Add the green enchilada sauce, chopped green onions, fire roasted green chiles, and sour cream. Stir everything together well.
- Add Tortillas and Layer: Cut the corn tortillas into 8 strips each and stir them into the chicken mixture. Spread the mixture into an even layer inside the slow cooker, then sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese evenly on top. For a different texture, you can layer the ingredients like a lasagna.
- Cook Casserole: Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2 more hours, or until the casserole is hot and the cheese has fully melted.
- Serve: Sprinkle additional chopped green onions over the casserole just before serving. Serve warm and enjoy a hearty green chicken enchilada casserole!
Notes
- This recipe takes about 8 hours total with preparation and slow cooking time, perfect for a day when you want an easy, set-it-and-forget-it meal.
- Discarding the juices after cooking the chicken prevents the casserole from becoming too watery.
- Cutting tortillas into strips allows them to soak up the sauce evenly without becoming mushy.
- You can substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt for a lighter option.
- For added spice, consider adding diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Keywords: slow cooker, green chicken enchiladas, salsa verde, enchilada casserole, Mexican slow cooker recipes