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Enchiladas Suizas are my favorite kind of enchiladas! I tend to prefer green over red with almost all Mexican dishes involving salsa, and these are no exception.
Enchiladas Suizas means “Swiss enchiladas.” In my research, I found several stories about how it got its name, so I’m not really sure which is true. The most common stories were:
- They were invented by a Swiss Chef from Zurich that was living in Mexico at the time.
- The cheese on top of the green enchiladas resembles the Swiss Alps.
What are Enchiladas Suizas?
Enchiladas Suizas are basically enchiladas verdes, but creamy from the addition of Mexican crema and sometimes cream cheese. I ate these a lot growing up, and the recipe I am sharing today is how my Abuela made them!
If you’re not that familiar with Mexican food, this is a great introduction! It’s a dish that everyone will like, and they are very easy to make.
Ingredients:
- Salsa verde- this is basically the recipe for enchiladas verdes, but with a couple more ingredients to make it creamy. Jalapeños, serrano peppers, garlic, onion, tomatillos, cilantro, Knorr chicken bouillon, crema, and cream cheese. This is not spicy in my opinion, but to someone who has a low spice tolerance it might be too spicy. Use less serrano peppers if you prefer them mild!
- Chicken- you can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or any other meat filling you prefer. If you have the time and want to make it extra delicious, I recommend making my chicken breast recipe- it’s super flavorful and juicy, not dry at all! You’ll need chicken breast, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic, pepper, sour cream, butter, and oil.
- Tortillas- enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas. If you prefer flour, you can use those too but it won’t have the same authentic Mexican taste that corn flour has.
- Melting cheese- any melting cheese is fine! As long as it’s a white cheese. I recommend queso Oaxaca, but mozzarella is commonly used for this too.
Preparation
Most enchiladas are finished in the oven nowadays, but most Mexican households cook them on the stove. Either way is fine- I personally like casserole style enchiladas because it’s easy and you can make a lot this way.
If you prefer a little crisp & browning of the cheese on top, you can also put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
These classic sides are often found on an enchilada plate at Mexican restaurants, and they pair perfectly with Enchiladas Suizas. Serve them with a side of Authentic Mexican Rice, Homemade Refried Beans, and a generous helping of my Best Guacamole Recipe for a well-rounded meal. A few slices of Pickled Red Onions add a bright, tangy contrast that balances the richness of the dish.
I also like to top my enchiladas with some chopped iceberg lettuce for a bit of crunch, plus an extra drizzle of salsa for even more flavor.
Recommended
Enchiladas Suizas
Ingredients
Salsa verde
- 3 jalapenos
- 3 serrano peppers, (use less if you don't like it spicy)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5 tomatillos
- 1/4 onion
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon, or salt
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup crema Mexicana, or sour cream
Chicken (or use shredded rotisserie chicken/leftover chicken)
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp crema Mexicana, or sour cream
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Other ingredients
- 8-10 corn tortillas
- 8-10 oz Oaxaca cheese
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- Over medium heat, add some oil to a pan and roast the jalapeños, serrano peppers, tomatillos, onion, & garlic until browned all over.
- Add 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium low, then cover for about 5 minutes.
- Let it cool a bit then transfer everything to a blender along with the cilantro, cream cheese, crema, and Knorr chicken bouillon.
- Blend until smooth then taste for salt.
Chicken
- Season the chicken breast with Lawry's seasoning salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover with crema or sour cream.
- Over medium-high heat, add some oil to a pan then add the seasoned chicken breast.
- Once the bottom has a good sear, add butter to the pan and flip the chicken over. Baste the chicken a few times with the melted butter, then reduce the heat to low and cover for 10 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken cool before shredding, and add the pan juices to the bowl too. There is a ton of flavor in there!
- Add 1/3 cup of the salsa verde and mix well.
Enchiladas
- Lightly fry corn tortillas in a little oil (about 10 seconds on each side) so that they hold up better when rolling the enchiladas
- Add the chicken and some shredded Oaxaca cheese to the tortilla and roll. Thickness depends on your preference- I prefer larger enchiladas that are stuffed with plenty of fillings!
- Cover the enchiladas in the salsa verde, then top with Oaxaca cheese all over. You can do this either in a casserole dish if baking, or in a saucepan if preparing over the stove.
- If using the baking method:Bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sides are bubbling.Or, you can do this over the stove:Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy follow recipe. I used NM green Chile. Followed the recipe other than that. Bomba!! Con frijoles. Fughetaboutit
Delish, I would use more sauce next time.
awesome recipe!
These enchiladas were so good that my husband was jumping up and down in his chair
This is my favorite go to green enchilada recipe. The recipe calls for 6 peppers but I use 3. 2 serranos and 1 jalapeno or vice versa. Then add a can of store bought mild green enchilada sauce. The store bought stuff is pure trash, comparatively, but it doubles the amount of sauce I got and I cant tell the difference in quality, once I add the trash stuff to the good stuff. This is my trick to calming the sauce down. Even if I add the 6 peppers then use the can of trash trick, It will still leave a very spicy sauce. This is fine if you like to light your face on fire. Which the best red enchiladas Ive eaten in New Mexico do. If Im stuffing my face with plates of green enchiladas I like them slightly milder.
I love this recipe! I use just one jalapeño and one serrano pepper and it is perfect for my heat liking! Thank you for sharing!
Hola and annyeong haseyo (안녕하세요) Stella! I love your cooking and such a beautiful blended background. I am happy to see your updated blog. Your Abuela’s arroz recipe is one of my favorites! I am strict vegetarian, so make it as such and am using the rice today in my enchiladas (red sauce). I noticed you have a verde enchilada recipe, but I would love to see a rojo sauce recipe. Right now I just use cans of red enchilada sauce. 🙁 I look forward to seeing you prosper in 2025 and thank you for sharing all your talent, passion, and love for cooking.
Super tasty and relatively easy! Made these for Christmas, and my family loved them. Used fewer chiles and removed the seeds. Next time, I will prep the tortillas using another method instead of frying. Served with cilantro lime rice, refried black beans, and roasted veggies.
I saw this recipe in a magazine – but it was incomplete! So happy to have found it here – thanks
A+++! I used poblano peppers instead of serrano, and it still came out delicious! The pictures at each step were CLUTCH
Delicious flavor, however we both immediately got hiccups it was very spicy. Recipe didn’t specify if seeds were supposed to be removed. Since no one has commented on the heat, I’m guessing we are just wimps lol.
Hi Lauren, sorry this was too spicy for you! However, I did recommend to use less or no serrano peppers if you have a low spice tolerance. Sometimes you can also get a rogue jalapeño, the spiciest pepper I’ve ever had was actually a jalapeño that almost made me pass out 🤣
This was my first time making enchiladas, and they were a hit! Great recipe. I followed exactly and removed seeds from peppers. I like spicy though.
The heat from the peppers are not in the seeds… But yes, of course you are supposed to remove the seeds, the white flesh bits inside of the pepper or where the heat comes from, so remove that if it is too spicy for you
This is by far my favorite recipe! I will be adding it to my rotation.
Hello! I just discovered your recipes, and am looking forward to cooking them. Even our local authentic Mexican restaurants don’t use lard in their refritos, which is essential to the flavor, in my opinion.
I have a family member who is allergic to jalapenos and serranos. In your salsa verde for enchiladas, is their another pepper you can recommend to replace these essential ingredients?
Thank you!!
Hello Ginger,
You can use any kind of pepper you like, but it may taste different. Jalapenos and serranos are the main flavor components of this dish, but you can definitely sub them for a different pepper that your family member isn’t allergic to. I think yellow peppers + poblanos make a great combo. Good luck!
Thank you, Stella! I’m looking forward to trying your recipes!
you can substitute peppers for zucchini.
My absolute favorite Enchilada recipe! My whole family can’t get enough.
I made this and it turned out to be absolutely delicious! After making (and thoroughly enjoying) the enchiladas, we used the leftover shredded chicken and tortillas to make fried tacos for dinner the next night! Thank you for your recipe and the very clear instructions……I will be trying your al Pastor recipe next.
Plus these enchiladas be assembled in advance? I’d like to assemble two days ahead? I could pour the sauce over them just before serving. Thoughts? I know they’ll need longer to warm up.
Question:
A friend of mine recommended Chili Passilla. What do you think?
This recipe is DELICIOUS + AUTHENTIC! I am Mexican and our family is a family that loves to cook. I made this recipe for my mother and husband and it’s become a staple recipe in our kitchen!
love this recipe! I made it for my family of 5 and everyone loved it. I will be adding this one into the rotation of regulars.
I love this recipe! It reminds me of how my parents would cook enchiladas verdes growing up. Love all your recipes and look forward to more from you!!
I love this recipe, I come back to it all the time! It’s a huge fan favorite in my family and Stella has the best flavor profile across all of her recipes, you legit cannot go wrong with her food and recommendations!
Hi Stella,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This honestly is my families favorite, my husband loves this recipe, he says it reminds him of his Abuela’s cooking. My favorite part is your technique with the chicken, using Crema, cooking on low and saving the juices for the sauce. It just enhances this dish to a whole different level! This was the recipe that made me follow! ❤️ 10 out of 10 must try recipe!
I loved this recipe and so did my friends and family. It wasn’t a crazy hard recipe at all. I’ve been cooking for a bit now and I’m always looking to make new things and when I found this recipe I knew I had to make it, I made for my friends and family and let me say it left them wanting more, great recipe, taste even better 10/10.
This was a 11/10 recipe. Me and my husband couldn’t believe we made such a delicious Mexican dish at home. Definitely going into rotation!
I have made this recipe in the past and came out delicious! Will be using this recipe for now on. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love this recipe! I make it at least once a week
I grew up on enchiladas rojas but my husband and kids are also prefer salsa verde. This recipe is perfect and easy. My son likes taking this for his school lunches so making a batch for him is a common occurrence.
Thanks!
Loved this recipe! Easy to follow and very detailed!
This recipe is how I found Stella and it quickly became a family favorite. So delicious!!
Hi Stella , love this recipe. My family loves when I make them. thank you for all your recipes.
I made the salsa verde for a salsa competition at work and all my coworkers loved it! I made it a bit spicy since I didn’t take out any of the seeds. It really had a nice kick to it! Thank you Stella for sharing your recipe!
Love this recipe! My husband and I make it all the time!
They are amazing, I love it, Ty for the recipe
10/10 so delicious. The sauce is *chef’s kiss*!
My husband loved it so much I remade it a 2nd time.
Love this recipe!!!! I double the sauce just because I like mine extra saucy ?
I love the green sauce for this recipe! I didn’t cook the chicken like in the instructions due to time, but I can say the sauce was perfect.
These are amazing!