Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I'm a green sauce girl when it comes to Mexican food, especially with tacos, burritos and enchiladas. My all-time fav is chicken enchiladas with green chile sauce, a super delicious and surprisingly easy-to-make casserole if you have readily available rotisserie chicken meat, salsa verde and canned green enchilada sauce on hand. For this version, I adapted a recipe from  https://damndelicious.net/2019/03/01/green-chicken-enchiladas/, with a few tweaks.

CHICKEN FILLING:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 4-oz cans diced green chiles

4 cups (about 1 lb.) rotisserie chicken meat (white and dark), shredded

1/2 cup salsa verde

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 pkg. 8" flour tortillas (8 tortillas)

SAUCE & TOPPING:

28-oz. can green enchilada sauce 

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

GARNISH:

Cilantro leaves

Sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add minced garlic, cumin, and oregano and stir about 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the diced green chiles. 

3. Pour the green chile mixture into a large bowl; add shredded chicken, 1/2 cup salsa verde, chopped cilantro, 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Stir gently to combine (I like to wear disposable poly gloves and combine with my hands).

4. Lightly oil a 9" x 13" baking dish.

5. ASSEMBLE the enchiladas: Place a tortilla on a flat surface and top with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center. Roll the tortilla firmly and place onto the oiled baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

6. Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas; spoon the sauce over any exposed areas of the tortillas. Top with 2 cups of shredded cheese; cover the casserole with aluminum foil.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese just barely starting to brown. 

8. Remove the casserole from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

9. Garnish with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.