Green Chile Enchilada Recipe - Two Peas & Their Pod (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between green chile enchilada sauce and red enchilada sauce? ›

Many people are often curious about the difference between a red and a green enchilada sauce. The most noticeable difference between these two sauces is the type of chile used to make them. Just like in their names, green chili sauce is made with green chiles, and red sauce is made with red chiles.

This vibrant, bright, green enchilada sauce is full of flavor thanks to roasted tomatillos. Plus, it's quick and easy to make with just 8 ingredients and 30 minutes required. Let us show you how it's done!

To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock. This trifecta of ingredients infuses a canned enchilada sauce with a satisfyingly thick texture and a rich, savory flavor. Bonus: It's so easy to make, too.

Gooey, melty mozzarella and Jack cheese, taco-seasoned shredded chicken, sour cream and corn tortillas, all slathered in mildly tangy green enchilada sauce and baked until your house smells like your favorite Mexican restaurant (in the very best way).

Green Versus Red

You might assume red chile is spicier, but that's not usually the case. How hot your chile is depends on the variety of the plant used, as well as growing conditions. Generally speaking, the flavor of the chile gets sweeter, not hotter, as it ripens and turns red.

There are two main differences between green enchilada sauce and salsa verde. Enchilada sauce is cooked, while salsa verde is raw. Enchilada sauce is thinned out with a liquid (usually stock or water), while salsa verde is simply chopped or puréed vegetables and peppers.

While some recipes use flour tortillas, corn tortillas are traditional — and for good reason — are the better option for enchiladas. Corn tortillas have a distinct flavor that plays a key part of the enchilada experience, compared to flour tortillas, which are more like a blank slate.

Enchiladas always hit the spot, but sometimes you're not up for going out and don't have the energy to make a labor-intensive, 12-ingredient made-from-scratch enchilada sauce.

This Mexican enchiladas recipe is the real thing. Corn tortillas are dipped in a homemade sauce, fried, filled with Mexican queso fresco, then topped with sour cream, lettuce, and tomato. My mother-in-law is from Mexico and taught me to make this delicious dish.

What goes good with green chicken enchiladas? I like to serve enchiladas with a chopped salad, Mexican Pinto Beans, Chili Lime Creamed Corn, and or Guacamole.

Can you substitute green enchilada sauce for red enchilada sauce? ›

It's a pretty ideal alternative. Try this green enchilada sauce in place of red enchilada sauce the next time you make your favorite enchilada recipe. To make this recipe, I experimented with combinations of readily available chili peppers, tomatillos, broth, and flour with disappointing results.

Typically, red hot sauce is flavored with ripened red chilis and is typically a lot hotter than green. Red also typically has what many people describe as a more “earthy” taste, while green tends towards a “fresher” taste.

The primary ingredients for red enchilada sauce are red chilies, vinegar, onions, garlic, and spices. Some red sauce recipes use red tomato paste or crushed tomatoes as the base. Depending on the recipe or who is making the red sauce, it is still a spicy sauce. The heat range can vary from mild to very hot.

Enchilada sauces are smooth, chili-based sauces that include salsa roja (red enchilada sauce), chile con queso (cheese-based sauce), verde sauce (green enchilada sauce), and mole sauces.