Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas Verde Recipe
Updated Jul 27, 2018, Published Jul 09, 2012
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Many of us are looking for recipes that are not just gluten free but grain free too. If you are one of those people and are, like me, addicted to Mexican food, and thought that enchiladas were off the menu, think again!
The first step to these verde (means “green” in Spanish) enchiladas is the sauce. It is so simple to make, you may never buy prepared salsa verde again! Simply roast up some tomatillos (a relative of the gooseberry that looks like a green tomato), peppers, onions and garlic, then toss it all into the blender with a handful of cilantro leaves and voila! Fresh, vibrant, homemade salsa verde.
To save time in making this recipe, I employed one of my favorite cooking “cheats,” a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. It costs about the same in most cases to buy a rotisserie chicken as it does to buy a raw chicken and roast it and it saves so much time! I shredded up the chicken, tossed it with some of my salsa verde and some Queso Fresco – a white, Mexican crumbling cheese readily available in most supermarkets. If you can’t get Queso Fresco, Monterey Jack is fine too. If you are dairy-free, just substitute your favorite dairy free cheese or leave it out altogether.
But the real genius of these enchiladas is the “corn tortillas” made without a speck of corn meal or other grains. How is that possible? With the help of the incredibly versatile egg!
The tortillas for this recipe are made basically the same way I make one of my gluten free kitchen staples, egg crepes. The difference is the addition of pureed corn and a hint of ground cumin. Using organic, cage free eggs with their richer yolks (I use Nature’s Yoke) will even give your tortillas a nice yellow hue.
No-way-Jose does being gluten free and grain free mean giving up enchiladas!
Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds tomatillos
- 1 large white or yellow onion
- 2 large poblano chilies
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt & Pepper
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 12 ounce Queso Fresco or Monterey Jack Cheese, or dairy free
- 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 ears corn, shucked or 1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
- 4 large organic, cage free eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Gluten free, non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and cut into quarters. Cut the onion into wedges. Cut the poblano and jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Peel the garlic cloves but leave whole. Place the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables well and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and starting to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Place the vegetables into a blender along with any juices that have accumulated in the pan. Add the cilantro and blend until smooth.
- Crumble or shred the cheese, reserving about ½ cup for garnishing the top, and toss with the cooked chicken and 1½ cups of the salsa verde.
- Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and puree in a blender until smooth. Add the eggs, 2 tablespoons water, ground cumin and ½ teaspoon salt, and blend. Pour the egg mixture into a bowl and stir until the foam dissipates.
- Heat a small (6 inch) non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles immediately. Spray the pan with some cooking spray and ladle in 2 tablespoons of the egg batter, immediately tilting and rotating the pan so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute or until the mixture is set and the bottom is golden brown. Gently flip the tortilla over and cook for 1 more minute. Continue with the rest of the batter; you should have 12 tortillas.
- Place some of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and roll. Place the enchiladas in a 9 inch by 12 inch baking dish, seam side down, and heat in the oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through. Heat the remaining salsa verde in a small sauce pan. To serve, place some warmed sauce over the enchiladas and top with the reserved cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh my. This sounds amazing! My dear husband would think I hung the moon if I made these for him. He loves chicken enchiladas Verde!! And I love the idea of the wraps/tortillas here!! Brilliant!! :D
Aww, thanks Kim! Your hubby and I seem to have very similar tastes!
I’m dancing with excitement! I LOVE enchiladas and will be making a vegetarian version of these!! Love the egg crepes and can’t wait to try them! xoxo
Now that I would love to see! Thanks Heather, enjoy!
This is so great! I can’t wait to try out some of your recipes and share them with others who are cutting out gluten!
Thank you Ashley, enjoy!
Loved these! I used goat cheese and left out the corn, and they were delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome – goat cheese sounds amazing in this! Thank YOU for the suggestion!
The egg crepes for tortillas are a great idea- do they get soggy?
No, they don’t get soggy. Enjoy!