After several reader requests for a restaurant inspired Enchiladas Suizas recipe, here we are. If you’ve had great Enchiladas Suizas before, then you know just how delicious they are. Creamy yet tangy, simple yet sophisticated, we can never seem to get enough great Enchiladas Suizas.
Suizas literally translates to “Swiss” in Spanish, acknowledging the use of dairy throughout the recipe. Any enchilada recipe is made of salsa/sauce, tortillas, and meat, and this one is no different, only slightly creamier.
This Enchiladas Suizas Recipe will take you through the process of making your own homemade salsa verde, preparing the tortillas, and assembling the enchiladas before baking for 30 minutes. It’s fairly straightforward and completely worth the end result!
A few notes:
- We cooked the vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes rather than boiling in water for optimal flavor. Make sure and remove any dark/blistered portions from your tomatillos before blending.
- Jack cheese is recommended in this recipe in order to maintain the correct flavor and color for this Enchiladas Suizas recipe, but in a pinch other cheeses such as sharp cheddar, low-moisture mozzarella, or any Mexican cheese blend will work just fine.
- You may use either flour or corn tortillas. We prefer corn in this particular recipe, but both work perfectly. If you can try and purchase the uncooked tortillas, which usually taste about 1,000 times better than the pre-cooked tortillas.
- This recipe is delicious served alongside other Mexican side dishes such as rice, beans, chips, and with a variety of toppings like homemade salsas, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and pico de gallo.
This Enchiladas Suizas Recipe is inspired by the Enchiladas Suizas at Alamexo in Salt Lake City, pictured above. This dish along with their tableside guacamole are our two favorite things to order at this Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake City.
RELATED: 10 BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN SLC
Enchiladas Suizas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs tomatillos, peeled, rinsed, and halved
- 2 jalapenos, whole
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 1/4 bunch cilantro, leaves removed from stems
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 corn or flour tortillas*
- olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded**
- 12 oz jack cheese (3 cups), grated/shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, and onion on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes on the upper rack of the oven, turning vegetables half way through at 10 minutes. If you're cooking the chicken for this recipe and not using a rotisserie-cooked chicken (see notes), cook chicken while vegetables are roasting.
- Remove roasted vegetables from oven and let cool slightly. Remove and discard dark, blistered skin from tomatillos. Lower oven heat to 350 F.
- Blend cooked vegetables in a blender on low for a few seconds. Add cilantro leaves and salt to blender. Pulse a few times until blended. Mixture should be smooth but with seeds still visible and not completely blended. Add heavy cream-- 1/2 cup for a more tangy, acidic sauce, and 1 full cup for a creamier, richer sauce. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. Add 3/4 cup of the sauce to the shredded chicken and mix together. Set both aside.
- Heat a nonstick pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Drop 1 teaspoon of oil on the pan at a time and cook tortillas, front and back for a few seconds each, until there are golden brown spots on both sides. Add more oil as needed, every few tortillas.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Coat the bottom of the pan with sauce (1/2 - 1 cup). If using corn tortillas, you will make two rows of enchiladas side by side, and if using flour tortillas, you will make one long row of enchiladas down the length of the pan. Hold the tortilla in one hand, and with the other fill it with 1/4-1/3 cup of chicken and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up the enchilada in the pan and position seam side down. Assemble the rest of the enchiladas. If you have extra tortillas and filling, use another small pan to make additional enchiladas. Pour the remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread evenly over the tops of enchiladas with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray, and wrap pan with greased foil.
- Bake enchiladas at 350 F for 20 minutes covered, and 10 additional minutes uncovered. During the last minute or two of cooking, turn the oven to broil, and cook until tops of enchiladas have some brown spots and are bubbly. Do not walk away from the oven during this process- your cheese can burn easily in seconds. Serve hot and garnish with fresh cilantro, chopped onions, or sour cream if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Ashley
So. Good. I had to make a couple of substitutions based on what we had in the pantry, but it still turned out amazing. We practically licked our plates clean. Can’t wait to make this again!
Brooke Eliason
So glad to hear that you liked them Ashley! Thanks for the kind words.
ERICA
I made enough that I thought my family of 8 would have leftovers… and everyone from the 87 year old to the 6 year old licked their plates clean. My grandma always orders enchiladas when we go out to eat at Mexican restaurants, and she was smitten.
Brooke
This is my all time favorite recipe. I’ve made it numerous times and everyone I’ve shared it with or made it for they love it too. It’s simple, easy and feels very gourmet. The sauce is really versatile too you can use the extra for other yummy things.
Brooke Eliason
Thank you so much Brooke!
Regina Cazares
Brooke! I made this recipe for my big Mexican family! I doubled the batch and made 2 pans. They LOVED them. I set them on the table and they devoured them. I am positive I will be making these often. Thank you so much!
Brooke Eliason
Such a huge compliment- thank you so so much Regina! It’s one of our family favorites too! So happy to hear that you and your family liked them.
Virginia
It is hard to find a really good enchilada recipe that doesn’t taste like a can. I put the tomatillos and onions in my smoker for extra flavor and it didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend these. I even froze half of them and they cooked up great later.