Swiss Enchiladas (Enchiladas Suizas)
Corn tortillas filled with shredded chicken, bathed in a creamy tomatillo salsa, blanketed in melted cheese and baked until bubbling. Rich, tangy and gently spicy, this is Mexico City comfort food at its best.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Poach and shred the chicken
Put the chicken in a pot with half the onion, 1 garlic clove, the bay leaf, a pinch of salt and enough water to cover (about 1.5 liters). Simmer 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then let it cool in the broth before shredding into bite-sized pieces. Keep 250 ml of the broth for later.
- 500 g chicken
- 1/2 onion white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch salt
- about 1.5 liters water
✅ Done when: chicken is no longer pink inside, about 74°C/165°F
Boil the tomatillos
In another pot, cover the , chiles, remaining garlic and remaining onion half with about 1 liter of water. Boil for 10 minutes until the turn dull olive green and are soft all the way through.
- 600 g
- 2-3 serrano chiles
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 onion white onion
- about 1 liter water
✅ Done when: tomatillos are dull olive green and soft throughout
Blend the salsa
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Cook the salsa and add crema
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Soften the tortillas
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Fill, roll and bake
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Serve
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Poach and shred the chicken
Put the chicken in a pot with half the onion, 1 garlic clove, the bay leaf, a pinch of salt and enough water to cover (about 1.5 liters). Simmer 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then let it cool in the broth before shredding into bite-sized pieces. Keep 250 ml of the broth for later.
- 500 g chicken
- 1/2 onion white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch salt
- about 1.5 liters water
✅ Done when: chicken is no longer pink inside, about 74°C/165°F
Boil the tomatillos
In another pot, cover the , chiles, remaining garlic and remaining onion half with about 1 liter of water. Boil for 10 minutes until the turn dull olive green and are soft all the way through.
- 600 g
- 2-3 serrano chiles
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 onion white onion
- about 1 liter water
✅ Done when: tomatillos are dull olive green and soft throughout
Blend the salsa
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Cook the salsa and add crema
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Soften the tortillas
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Fill, roll and bake
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Enchiladas suizas are said to have been created at the Sanborns restaurant in Mexico City, where the dish's richness in cream and cheese earned it the name "Swiss" for Switzerland's dairy reputation, even though the recipe is entirely Mexican in technique and spirit. It belongs to a long tradition of enchiladas bañadas, tortillas dipped in sauce before filling, that runs through central Mexican home cooking.
The tomatillo salsa, mellowed with crema and baked under melted cheese, turned a simple antojito into a knife-and-fork main course, and the dish quickly became a staple of Mexico City lunch counters and family tables alike.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The combination of tangy tomatillo salsa, cooling crema and bubbling melted cheese over tender chicken makes it one of the most comforting and widely loved enchilada styles in Mexico.
💡 Fun Fact
Despite the name, there is nothing Swiss about the dish beyond the nod to cream and cheese; it was invented in Mexico and is eaten almost nowhere else under that name.
Mexico City
19.43°N, -99.13°W
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