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Enjoy these cheesy Smoked Chicken Enchiladas as a quick and easy meal that delivers delectable flavor in every bite! Made with smoky leftover Mexican Smoked Chicken and a creamy cheese filling, these enchiladas are the perfect weeknight meal.
With plenty of smoky flavor, chicken enchiladas are a great way to take leftovers and make something new and unique for dinner. It’s a creative way to use the smoker for more than just ribs, chicken, or brisket. Clean out leftovers from your fridge and make this easy dinner any day of the week.
Instead of enchilada sauce, this recipe uses grilled tomatillo salsa verde. To make the creamy filling, you just mix everything together in a bowl, roll it in the tortillas, smoke, and enjoy! The juicy chicken and green salsa pairs well with the cream cheese, sour cream, and quesadilla cheese. The results are a bright, fresh, and flavorful meal.
Serve the enchiladas on their own or with your favorite sides and a margarita!
Smoked Chicken Enchiladas Video
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Chicken Enchiladas on the Smoker
We love any excuse to fire up the smoker, and smoking enchiladas results in elevated flavor that you can’t achieve in the oven. We’ve even made smoked turkey enchiladas using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Here are just a few of the reasons we love these enchiladas:
- Smoky wood-fired flavor: The meal packs plenty of smoke flavor while being savory, comforting, and irresistible.
- Creamy cheesy filling: The best part about enchiladas is the cheesy filling. This recipe creates a dish that is creamy, cheesy, and oh so delicious!
- Quick and simple: Perhaps the best thing about this recipe is that it comes together so easily. It’s a great way to clean out your fridge and create a zesty, hearty, and filling meal.
- Versatile and easy to adapt: Customize the recipe to make it your own! You can use flour or corn tortillas, smoked or rotisserie chicken, add as much or as little salsa as you like, and even add your favorite toppings.
Are you still looking for more reasons to make these enchiladas? They are the perfect compliment to a cold margarita. Just saying!
Ingredients You Need
A full recipe with ingredients and measurements is included in the recipe card below, but here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- Smoked Chicken: If you don’t have Mexican smoked chicken, you can use any type of leftover chicken that you have. Or buy a rotisserie chicken to make things even easier. Just shred the chicken before combining it with the other ingredients.
- Cooked Vegetables: I use whatever I have leftover. Fajita veggies, like bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms are a good choice.
- Cheese: Quesadilla cheese is my favorite cheese for enchiladas as it melts easily and has a flavor similar to Monterey Jack. It’s mild and perfect for this recipe. If you can’t find quesadilla cheese, you can substitute with Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Sour Cream: Helps create the silky creamy texture of the filling.
- Cream Cheese: This makes the filling super smooth while bringing a mild flavor.
- Fresh Cilantro: I always add cilantro to give a pop of freshness.
- Tortillas: Enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas, but you can use whatever kind or size you want. I like to use 6-inch or 8-inch tortillas. Mix and match flour or corn tortillas, as desired. You can even use gluten free or low carb tortillas. It’s totally up to you!
- Grilled Tomatillo Salsa Verde: This green salsa is the star of the dish! The grilled tomatillo salsa verde adds a bright and slightly spicy flavor to the enchiladas. If you want a shortcut, you can use store-bought salsa verde.
Best Enchilada Toppings
These green enchiladas are packed with so much goodness that you don’t even need any additional toppings. However, if you want to make it your own, you can definitely load up on your favorite toppings. A few ideas for enchilada toppings are below!
- Salsa Verde
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Hot Sauce
- Lime Wedges
How to Make Smoked Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas come together quickly and easily! First preheat the pellet grill or smoker to 350°F. Then follow these instructions:
Step 1: Make the enchilada filling. Combine the chicken, vegetables, ½ of the cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and the cilantro in a large bowl. Make sure to mix everything together until well combined.
*TIP – If you forgot to soften your cream cheese before making this recipe, just throw the foil package of cream cheese on the smoker over indirect heat until it softens.
Step 2: Warm the tortillas. Use a griddle or your stove to warm the tortillas until they are soft and pliable.
*TIP – Warming the tortillas before using them helps to prevent the tortillas from breaking.
Step 3: Assemble the enchiladas. Simply spoon the chicken mixture into the middle of the warm tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam down in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
I don’t add any sauce to the bottom of the dish because all of the delicious sauce goes on top. This helps to prevent the enchiladas from getting soggy on the bottom, but you can add some salsa to the bottom of the pan before layering in the enchiladas, if desired.
Step 4: Finish the enchiladas. Pour the salsa verde over the top of the enchiladas. Evenly sprinkle with the remaining quesadilla cheese.
Step 5: Cook the enchiladas. Place the dish on the hot grill or smoker and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 6: Garnish and serve. Serve the enchiladas with extra salsa and a dollop of sour cream, if desired. You can also garnish with any of your favorite enchilada toppings like avocado, cilantro, or hot sauce.
You can serve the enchiladas on their own or pair them with rice, beans, or fresh guacamole.
Make Ahead Tips
Green chili chicken and cheese enchiladas are easy to make because all of the ingredients are already prepped and ready to go. This is a great way to use up leftovers!
Prep the salsa verde: While it doesn’t take long to make homemade salsa verde, it’s best if you have the salsa prepped in advance. This will make prep time for the enchiladas even quicker. You can use store-bought salsa verde to make things easier, but I promise the homemade tomatillo salsa is worth any time and effort!
Cook the chicken and vegetables: Chicken enchiladas are quick and easy because you already have the smoked chicken and vegetables cooked and ready to go.
Fully assemble and save: You can fully assemble the enchiladas in a baking dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and then freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to make them, thaw in the fridge, then remove the plastic wrap and heat in the grill or oven until the filling is warmed through and the cheese is nice and bubbly.
You can also assemble the enchiladas up to a day in advance, cover, and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat
To refrigerate: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze enchiladas: You can store the leftovers in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
To reheat: Reheat on the grill, in the oven, or in the microwave until warmed through.
Other Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes
If you love Tex-Mex recipes, make sure to try some of our other favorite recipes on the pellet grill and smoker!
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Smoked Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded smoked or cooked chicken, like Mexican Smoked Chicken
- 1 cup cooked vegetables, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.
- 12 ounces freshly shredded quesadilla cheese, or Monterey Jack
- ⅓ cup sour cream, plus more for serving
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 to 10 6- or 8-inch flour or corn tortillas
- 2 cups grilled tomatillo salsa verde, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 350°F with your choice of wood pellets.
- Make the enchilada filling: In a large bowl, add the chicken, vegetables, ½ of the cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and cilantro. Stir until well combined.
- Warm the tortillas: Use a griddle or your stove to warm the tortillas until they are soft.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Spoon the chicken filling into the middle of each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Evenly spoon or pour the salsa verde over the top of the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Cook the enchiladas: Place the dish on the smoker and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve the enchiladas with extra salsa and sour cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Salsa Verde: You can use store-bought or homemade salsa verde.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to soften the cream cheese before combining with the other ingredients.
- Toppings: While these enchiladas taste amazing on their own, you can add your favorite enchilada toppings like avocado, fresh cilantro, red onion, and more.
