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Healthy salsa verde chicken enchiladas with spinach made dairy-free with vegan cashew queso. This enchilada recipe uses store-bought salsa verde and cooked shredded chicken for an easy weeknight dinner!  

Reclaim your weeknight dinners with these quick and easy chicken enchiladas. There are numerous enchilada recipes that call for making all the components from scratch. While I’m sure this is delicious, it’s not exactly a quick weeknight approach to getting a healthy dinner on the table. This chicken enchilada recipe uses a few shortcuts to make a healthy nourishing meal in 30 minutes.

These enchiladas call for rotissarie chicken and store-bought salsa verde. No shame in efficiency! Plus, they’re simple and easy to assemble. You can even bake ahead of time or freezer for a later date.

Ingredients In Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Here’s the rundown of the ingredients in these healthy salsa verde chicken enchiladas. Plus, common substitutions for some of the ingredients.

    • Cooked chicken – rotisserie chicken works great here. However, you can use any cooked chicken. I recommend this Instant Pot recipe for easy, shredded chicken.
    • Salsa verde – store-bought salsa verde makes this recipe come together quickly. I like Trader Joe’s salsa verde. You can use any green salsa that you enjoy. Just look at the ingredient label, some green salsa and enchiladas sauces contain unnecessary ingredients like gums, dextrose, sugar, and canola oil.
    • Spinach – I’m all about packing in the veggies when possible. The spinach adds plant-based iron, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals to these chicken enchiladas.
    • Garlic powder and cumin – boosts the flavor of the chicken and spinach enchilada filling.
    • Tortillas – you can use any tortilla you’d like—corn, wheat, almond flour, etc. To make grain-free enchiladas cassava flour tortillas work great. That being said, please remember grains aren’t the enemy.
    • Vegan queso blanco – I used Siete’s vegan queso blanco. If you haven’t tried this cheese sauce, it will blow your mind. It’s lusciously creamy, with a little bit of heat, creating a nice balance to the bright, tangy salsa verde. That being said, feel free to use any cheese of choice dairy-free or regular or skip it altogether. You could also make homemade cashew queso.

Common Substitutions and TIps

    • Meatless version – making meatless or vegan enchiladas is a easy swap. Use white beans or black beans in place of the chicken.
    • Add more veggies – add in more veggies like sauteed cauliflower rice, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, or sweet potato to the filling. This is a great way to add in more veggies to your meal boosting the nutrients. Keep in mind, you’ll end up with more filling. You can make more enchiladas or save the filling and use in quesadillas, grain bowls, stuffed sweet potatoes, or as a nacho topping.
    • Tortilla options – use any tortilla you’d like—corn, wheat, almond flour, etc. To make grain-free enchiladas cassava flour tortillas work great. That being said, they do tend to soak up the salsa and get a little soggy. This isn’t bad, just something to note. Both flour (white or wheat) and corn tortillas work great.
    • Warm the tortillas – make sure to warm the tortillas slightly to soften before filling and rolling them. This prevents the tortillas from breaking. You can do this in the microwave, over a gas burner or in a pan on the stove-top.
    • Cheese options – I used Siete’s vegan queso blanco. That being said, feel free to use any cheese of choice dairy-free or regular or skip it altogether. You could also make homemade cashew queso.

HOw to Store enchiladas

    • Refrigerator – leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, covered with foil or in an airtight container.
    • Freezer – enchiladas freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer-safe containers.
    • How to reheat – preheat the overn 350F. Place the enchiladas in an oven-safe dish covered with foil and heat for 15-20 minutes (from frige) or 20-25 minutes (from frozen) until the salsa bubble. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave for 1-3 minutes (if frozen do the full 3 minutes), or until warmed through.

Other Mexican Recipes You May Enjoy:

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe below to let me know how you liked it. You can also tag #nourishedbynutriton on Instagram with your creations!

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Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

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Healthy salsa verde chicken enchiladas made grain-free and dairy-free with cassava flour tortillas and vegan cashew queso. This enchilada recipe uses store-bought salsa verde and cooked shredded chicken for an easy weeknight dinner!

  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

2 cups salsa verde, divided

5 ounces spinach

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas (cassava flour or corn, flour, wheat, etc)

½ cup Siete queso blanco (see notes for substitutions)

For Topping (optional):

½ avocado, thinly sliced

¼ cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

1 lime, cut into wedges

2–3 thinly sliced radishes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cover with a lid. Let spinach wilt. This should only take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken with the garlic powder, cumin, ½ cup of the salsa verde, and wilted spinach. Toss to coat.

Wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-40 seconds to loosen them up so that they are easier to roll. You can also heat them directly the gas burner or in a saute pan one at a time. Pour ½ cup of the salsa verde on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, spread to coat the bottom. 

To assemble the enchiladas, place about ¼ cup of chicken mixture on a tortilla. Gently roll the tortilla and place it seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken. 

Pour the remaining 1 cup of salsa over the top of the enchiladas so they’re completely covered. Add the vegan queso blanco or shredded cheese of choice on top, if desired. Cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before topping with garnishes. Enjoy warm.

Notes

Queso blanco substitution – I used Siete’s vegan queso blanco. Feel free to use any cheese of choice dairy-free or regular or skip it altogether. You could also make homemade cashew queso.

 

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