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Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Bake + How to Make Shredded Chicken
Fiesta Fridays: Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Bake + How to Make Shredded Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican, Gluten Free
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
Shredded Chicken
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 white onion, chopped into four pieces
  • 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Salsa Verde
  • 1 and 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
  • cooked white onion and 3 cloves garlic (use from cooking the chicken)
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • salt, to taste
Enchilada Assembly
  • 2-3 cups salsa verde
  • 1/2 lb. small corn tortillas
  • 2 and 1/2 cups shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup grated manchego or cheddar cheese
Instructions
Shredded Chicken
  1. Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and bring to a boil. Add onions, garlic, and chicken.
  2. Boil chicken for about 10-15 minutes or until it is no longer pink in the middle. The timing will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts, and you may need to pull one out and cut it with a knife to see if it is finished yet.
  3. When thoroughly cooked, remove onion and garlic with a slotted spoon and place into a blender. Remove chicken breasts and let cool before shredding (you can make the salsa verde while the chicken cools). DO NOT discard the water.
  4. Once cool, using your fingers, two forks, or a Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, pull the chicken apart.
Salsa Verde
  1. Remove the outer skin of the tomatillos and rinse clean with water. Add whole tomatillos to the same water used to cook the chicken and return the water to a boil. Once boiling, simmer tomatillos for about 5 minutes, or until tomatillos are soft when you poke them with a fork. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon, add them to the blender with the onion and garlic. Discard the water.
  2. Add cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeño peppers to the blender.
  3. Blend everything together until everything is smooth. Season to taste with salt.
Enchilada Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan and spread a layer of salsa verde on the bottom. Cover with tortillas (its okay if they overlap a bit) and sprinkle with shredded chicken. Top with more salsa verde. Continue layering with tortillas, chicken and salsa verde, ending with tortillas, salsa verde, and shredded cheese.
  3. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Remove and let cool for at least ten minutes before slicing and serving.
  4. Garnish with avocado, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh cilantro.
Notes
Tip: make extra shredded chicken and freeze for later! Any extra salsa is great with chips or eggs.

Salsa Verde recipe adapted from Simple Recipes: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/6th of recipe Calories: 234 Fat: 7.4 g Carbohydrates: 19 g Sugar: 6.8 g Fiber: 3.8 g Protein: 23.7 g
Recipe by 24 Carrot Life at https://24carrotlife.com/2014/03/13/fiesta-fridays-salsa-verde-chicken-enchilada-bake-make-shredded-chicken/