Forget everything you know about enchiladas — New Mexico does them BETTER! These incredible Green Chile Stacked Chicken Enchiladas are a beloved New Mexican tradition where corn tortillas are dipped in rich and smoky Hatch green chile sauce and stacked in layers with juicy seasoned shredded chicken and mountains of melted sharp cheddar cheese — no rolling, no fuss, no broken tortillas! Broiled to bubbling golden perfection in just 17 minutes and topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sour cream for the most incredibly satisfying and authentic New Mexican dinner you have ever tasted!
I was delighted to enjoy some amazing enchiladas while traveling in New Mexico. But the enchiladas I had weren't the enchiladas most of us are familiar with. The ones I had were...stacked. Yes, stacked!
These were some of the best enchiladas I had ever had and I absolutely needed to recreate them in my kitchen.
I'm super excited to share my version of the New Mexico Green Chile Stacked Chicken Enchilada which I know your whole family will love!
Jump to:
What Is A Green Chile Stacked Chicken Enchilada?
So what exactly is a Green Chile Stacked Chicken Enchilada? They are different to traditional enchiladas but just as delicious!
We'll begin with the stacked part. The tortillas (along with filling) are layered on top of each other rather than rolled. This is GENIUS! For those of us who are challenged with stuffing tortillas and having them break, stacking them is such an easier way to go.
Then we'll address the green chile. New Mexico is known as the Chile Capital of the World, and New Mexicans absolutely love to put chile on almost everything!
New Mexico is where you'll find the beloved Hatch chiles growing in the fertile Hatch valley. These New Mexico chiles are perfect for making Hatch Green Chile Ice Cream, Stuffed Hatch Green Chiles Wrapped With Bacon, and Green Chile Sauce which can be used to make our simple green chile chicken enchiladas.
When Hatch chile season is over, Anaheim chiles are a fine substitute for the Hatch chilies.
Hence, our stacked enchiladas will consist of warmed tortillas dipped into green chile sauce, layered and filled with cheese and shredded chicken.
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe!
I believe you will love this enchilada recipe as much as I do because:
- Quite simply, it is delicious. The green chile sauce is full of green chile flavor, and the mouthfuls of luscious cheese and seasoned shredded chicken is beyond compare!
- This is an easy chicken enchilada recipe. It's made super simple with prepared green enchilada sauce, however making Homemade Green Chile Sauce is totally worth it. You can make it ahead of time and have it ready for these enchiladas.
- It's fun to make these layered chicken enchiladas! Experiencing enchiladas served in a new way is delightful!
- If you are like me and think there is never enough cheese, you won't find that here! These New Mexican enchiladas are SUPER DUPER cheesy!
This is destined to become one of your favorite enchilada recipes, and will be a family favorite!
🥘 Ingredients
So here's what you will need to make these incredible New Mexican enchiladas:
- Green chile sauce - I believe that homemade enchilada sauce is the way to go! Try making my delicious Homemade New Mexico Green Chile Sauce Recipe. You could also use a prepared sauce such as Old El Paso Green Enchilada Sauce.
- Corn tortillas - although I haven't used flour tortillas for this dish, you could sub them if you want (just skip the frying in lard step in the recipe)
- Lard (for frying the corn tortillas; can sub vegetable oil if you prefer)
- Cheddar cheese - I used aged sharp cheddar cheese which I highly recommend! I also recommend shredding your own cheese from a block of cheese for superior meltability
- Chicken breasts cooked, shredded, and seasoned; you could use rotisserie chicken if you like!
- Salt (for seasoning the chicken)
- Black pepper (for seasoning the chicken)
Optional toppings for a beautiful finishing touch:
- Shredded lettuce
- Chopped tomato
- Chopped onion
- Chopped green onion
You should be able to get all of these items at your local grocery store.
Now for the exciting part...making some amazing stacked green enchiladas!!
🔪 Instructions
Fry The Tortillas
Start by heating the lard in a skillet on medium heat to medium high heat until it is shimmering. Dip the corn tortillas one by one into the lard to fry the tortillas. Fry for around 20-30 seconds for each side (don't allow them to crisp up). If you are using flour tortillas skip this step.
Using a large spatula to turn the tortillas helps to minimize the possibility of them breaking. Let the lard drip off the tortillas after removing them from heating, and place on a paper towel to drain. Keep them warm.
Meanwhile, heat your broiler to high, then allow to get hot while you assemble the stacked enchiladas.
Warm The Green Chile Sauce
Place the green chile enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan, and warm the sauce on a gentle heat.
Assemble Your Enchiladas
To assemble, dip one tortilla into warmed green chile sauce. You can spoon some of the green chile sauce on the top of the tortilla so that both sides have some green chile sauce. Then place it in your broiler safe skillet.
Now add ¼ of the shredded chicken and a small handful of cheese to the top, followed by a 2nd tortilla dipped in green chile sauce, another ¼ of the chicken and another small handful of cheese. Top with the 3rd tortilla dipped in sauce. Repeat this for the 2nd serving. Add the remaining sauce and the remaining cheese to the top of the stacked enchiladas after assembling them.
Time To Broil!
Place this under the broiler to heat the enchiladas through and allow the cheese to melt. Check it frequently to make sure nothing is burning. This should take around 2-3 minutes.
Finally once the cheese has melted and the stacked enchiladas are warmed through remove from under the broiler. Behold your beautiful creation with all that glorious melted cheese!
Suggestions For Serving
It's time to enjoy this incredible New Mexican food!
You'll want to serve these enchiladas topped with shredded lettuce, chopped onion and chopped tomatoes for the perfect finishing touch. Chopped green onions are fantastic as well!
A few tablespoons of sour cream would be the icing on the cake!
FAQ
New Mexican green chile enchilada sauce is made of New Mexican green chiles (such as Hatch chile peppers), onion, garlic, chicken broth, flour, olive oil, and seasonings.
Frying corn tortillas in lard for around 20 seconds on each side helps to block the tortilla from absorbing too much sauce, which would make them soggy.
You may be able to find them in your grocery store when they are in season, and online at Hatch Chile Store.
1,000 Foods To Eat Project
In conclusion, Enchiladas are listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I am working my way through the foods listed in this book. This is my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. Enchiladas are food #73 in my project! Please visit the 1,000 Foods To Eat Project page to see some other MUST TRY foods of the world that you may love to try!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:
- Delicious Hatch Green Chile Ice Cream!
- Homemade New Mexico Green Chile Sauce
- Easy To Make Spicy Mexican Rice
- An Easy and Delicious Green Chile Burger Awaits!
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
New Mexico Green Chile Stacked Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Equipment
- broiler safe skillet a large cast iron skillet works well for this!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups green chile sauce warmed
- ⅓ cup lard for warming the tortillas
- 6 each corn tortillas this recipe assumes each person eating 3 tortillas stacked on top of each other
- ½ lb cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ lb chicken breast cooked, shredded, and seasoned with some salt and pepper
- ¼ ts salt for seasoning the chicken
- ¼ ts pepper for seasoning the chicken
Optional Toppings
- shredded lettuce
- chopped tomatoes
- chopped onions
- chopped green onion
- sour cream
Instructions
- Heat the lard in a skillet on medium to medium high heat until it is shimmering. Dip the corn tortillas one by one into the lard to fry them. Fry for around 20-30 seconds for each side (don't allow them to crisp up). If you are using flour tortillas skip this step. Using a large spatula to turn the tortillas help to minimize the possibility of them breaking. Let the lard drip off the tortillas after removing them from heating, and place on a paper towel to drain. Keep them warm.
- Heat your broiler to high, then allow to get hot while you assemble the stacked enchiladas. Place the green chile enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan, and warm the sauce on a gentle heat.
- To assemble, dip one tortilla into warmed green chili sauce. You can spoon some of the green chile sauce on the top of the tortilla so that both sides have some green chile sauce. Then place it in your broiler safe skillet.
- Now add ¼ of the chicken and a small handful of cheese to the top, followed by a 2nd tortilla dipped in green chile sauce, another ¼ of the chicken and another small handful of cheese. Top with the 3rd tortilla dipped in sauce. Repeat this for the 2nd serving. Once both servings are assemble, add the remaining sauce and the remaining cheese to the top of the stacked enchiladas.
- Place this under the broiler to heat the enchiladas through and allow the cheese to melt. Check it frequently to make sure nothing is burning. This should take around 2-3 minutes.
- Serve topped with shredded lettuce, chopped onion and chopped tomatoes! Chopped green onions are great as well!
April Lewis
This dish was absolutely amazing! Who knew how easy it was to make enchiladas! This recipe cut down loads of prep and cook time by stacking the tortillas instead of rolling them! So genius! My family loved it so much they wanted seconds and even leftovers for the next day! But they didn’t get any leftovers because we had devoured it in the first night! 😂 Will definitely make again!
Grace
Hi April! Oh you made my day thank you so very much for your kind comments! I'm so happy that you and your family loved this recipe! Thanks for taking a chance on it and for taking the time to comment! Have a great day! Grace
Grace Stewart
I love these stacked enchiladas so much! They are super easy to make and my whole family loves them!