May 21, 2019 · 47 Comments

Green Enchilada Sauce

Name: Green Enchilada Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 9 cups sauce
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds Anaheim or Hatch Chiles; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound tomatillos (papery coverings removed and diced); 2 medium white onions (thinly sliced); 8 cloves garlic (peeled and coarsely chopped); 2 jalapeños (stem, seeds and membrane removed, chopped (see recipe note #1)); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 3 cups water; salt and freshly ground black pepper

Filed Under: Fall & Winter, Mexican Recipes, Sauces

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Green Enchilada Sauce is tangy and rich and, best of all, so easy to make yourself! Just roast green chiles, then simmer them with tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and spices. Give the mixture a quick blend and you’re ready to make enchiladas from scratch! Watch the video at the bottom to see the step by step process of making homemade green enchilada sauce – you won’t believe how easy it is.

When it comes to comfort food, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are hard to beat. I love the tender chicken, melty cheese and tortilla, soft in the middle with edges that get perfectly crisp in those last few minutes in the oven. For years I made enchiladas with Hatch brand Green Chile Enchilada Sauce. But one day I read the ingredient label and began my search for a homemade green enchilada sauce recipe that would compare.

The first few recipes that I tried were okay, but were largely flavored by tomatillos. I like tomatillos as the star in things like pork chili verde, but for enchilada sauce, having them as the primary ingredient makes the sauce too tangy for my taste. They still have a presence in this green enchilada sauce, but the roasted chiles are the star (as they are in White Chicken Chili). It’s a simple combination of roasted Hatch or Anaheim chiles, olive oil, tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin and water – a great copycat version of the Hatch brand sauce, but without the ‘extra’ ingredients.

I like to use 3 cups of green enchilada sauce per batch of Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (make slow cooker pulled chicken to fill them, it’s easy!), a bit saucier than some recipes. That’s one perk of making your own sauce that you can use more or less according to your tastes. And this sauce freezes very well. You’ll get 3 batches from making this just once! For convenience, freeze leftover sauce in one-batch portions.

Onions Garlic and Chiles on a cutting board

How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce

Step 1: Roast Anaheim or Hatch chiles in a 400˚F oven until brown and blistered. Let steam and then remove skins, stems and seeds. Coarsely chop.

peeled seeded and chopped roasted Hatch chiles

Step 2: Meanwhile cook and stir tomatillos, onions, garlic and jalepeños in a saucepan until soft. Add chiles, cumin and water and bring to boil. Simmer, covered 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Softening Ingredients for Green Enchilada Sauce

Adding Cumin and covering Green Enchilada Sauce

Step 3: Blend sauce in batches until smooth (covering blender with towel instead of lid when liquid is hot). Use immediately or transfer to containers to refrigerate or freeze.

Important Notes:

Please note that handling raw chiles that have been cut up can severely irritate your skin. I always recommend wearing gloves when working with raw chiles.
Take care when buying your chiles whether they are ‘mild,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘hot.’ The spiciness of your sauce will reflect your choice of chiles! And note that seeds add heat. So if you want a mild sauce, be sure to discard them.