Christmas Enchiladas (New Mexico Red & Green Recipe)

Christmas Enchiladas (New Mexico Red & Green Recipe)

By · 3rd-gen Hatch Chile farmer; family matriarch — Published · Updated
Prep 30 min Cook 120 min Total 150 min Serves 6 servings Difficulty Medium 520 Cal Heat Medium 4.8 (54) Jump to recipe

In New Mexico we have an official state question — Red or Green? — and these Christmas enchiladas are the happy answer when you cannot choose: both. "Christmas" is what we call a plate served red AND green, and this from-scratch chicken enchilada recipe is built exactly for that. It is a cherished family recipe shared with us by our customers William and Stacy Layman, and it honors generations of chile-making tradition.

If you want a pure red plate, our authentic red chile enchiladas are the recipe to follow. This one is the celebration version — the red and green enchiladas that show up on holiday tables across New Mexico, with both sauces ladled side by side over the same tortillas.

What makes them "Christmas" style

Christmas enchiladas are not a different cooking method — they are red enchiladas and green enchiladas served together, the red sauce on one half and the green on the other, so every bite gives you a little of each. The name comes straight from the red-and-green color, and ordering "Christmas" at a New Mexico restaurant is so common it needs no explanation. At home you simply make both sauces and spoon them over the assembled enchiladas in two lanes.

Building both sauces from scratch

This recipe starts the old-fashioned way: simmer a whole chicken with celery, onion, and bay leaf until the leg pulls away, then shred the meat and save that flavorful broth for your sauces. The red sauce is where the magic happens — sauteed onion and garlic, toasted cumin, coriander, and oregano, and plenty of Hatch red chile, simmered low and slow until it turns velvety. Some families add a little dark chocolate and honey for depth; others let the chile shine alone. For the green side, roasted Hatch green chile carries the bright, vegetal contrast. Use our Hatch red & green chile to make both at once, or pair our pure Hatch green chile sauce with your red. Five generations of growing chile in the Hatch Valley have taught us the sauce is everything — build it slow and use real New Mexico chile.

Assembly, serving, and storage

Lightly fry the corn tortillas, roll them around the tender chicken (add a little green chile inside if you like), then sauce them Christmas-style with red down one side and green down the other, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly and golden. Serve with sour cream, chopped onion, salsa, and — the game-changer — an over-easy fried egg on top, so the runny yolk mingles with both chiles. They take a little time and care, but they are worth every minute. Make a big batch; leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and freeze for 3 months. Reheat covered at 350°F. A big thank-you to the Laymans for this one.

The recipe

Christmas Enchiladas (New Mexico Red & Green Recipe)

4.8 from 54 reviews
  • Prep30 min
  • Cook120 min
  • Total150 min
  • Yield6 Christmas-style enchilada plates
  • Calories520
Mediummedium heat

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Simmer the whole chicken with celery, halved onion, and bay leaf in water until the leg pulls away, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the chicken, cool, and shred the meat. Strain and reserve the broth.
  2. Make the red sauce: saute half the diced onion and the garlic in oil, toast the cumin, coriander, and oregano, then add the red chile and 2 cups reserved broth. Simmer low and slow 1 to 2 hours until rich and velvety. Season with salt.
  3. Make the green sauce: warm the roasted green chile with the remaining diced onion and a cup of broth and simmer 15 minutes; season with salt.
  4. Warm and lightly fry the corn tortillas until pliable, then drain.
  5. Roll each tortilla around shredded chicken (add a little green chile inside if you like) and arrange in a baking dish.
  6. Sauce Christmas-style: ladle red sauce down one side and green down the other, top with cheese.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly and golden. Top with a fried egg and serve with sour cream, onion, and salsa.

Pantry

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Pure Hatch Green Chile

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Frequently asked questions

What are Christmas enchiladas?
Christmas enchiladas are a New Mexican plate served with both red and green chile sauce at once, named for the red-and-green color. Ordering "Christmas" at a New Mexico restaurant means you want both sauces, so every bite delivers a little of each. At home you make both sauces and spoon them side by side.
What does "Christmas" mean for New Mexico enchiladas?
"Christmas" is New Mexico restaurant shorthand for red AND green chile together. It answers the official state question, Red or Green?, when you cannot choose. The red is earthy and deep, the green is bright and vegetal, and serving both gives you the best of New Mexico's two chiles on one plate.
How do you serve red and green enchiladas together?
Assemble the enchiladas, then ladle red chile sauce down one half and green chile sauce down the other so the two meet in the middle. Top with cheese and bake. This side-by-side presentation is the classic Christmas style and lets each person taste both chiles in a single serving.
What is the difference between red and green chile?
Red and green Hatch chile come from the same pepper; green is picked young and red is left to ripen on the vine. Green tastes brighter and more vegetal, red tastes earthier and slightly sweeter. Christmas style serves both so you do not have to pick a side.
Where can I buy red and green chile for Christmas enchiladas?
Order authentic Hatch chile from our farm at the Hatch Chile Store. Our Hatch red & green chile at /products/fcc-red-and-green lets you make both sauces from one product, or pair our pure Hatch green chile sauce with our red chile for a true Christmas plate, all grown in the Hatch Valley.
Can you make Christmas enchiladas ahead of time?
Yes. Make both sauces and shred the chicken a day ahead, then assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Assembled enchiladas keep 3 days in the fridge and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat covered at 350 degrees F, and the sauces freeze well separately too.

More green chile recipes

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Green Chile Chicken Soup

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Puff Pastry Grilled Cheese with Hatch Green Chile

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