The BEST Chicken Enchilada Recipe! Shredded chicken rolled up in a soft, flour tortilla with cheese and all of your favorite fillings and toppings and smothered with enchilada sauce! A family favorite homemade recipe!
Weeknights are crazy, that’s why we love easy weeknight dinner ideas like this yummy enchilada recipe. Some of our other favorites are our Taco Casserole Bake and our Amazing Baked Mac and Cheese! (Add these to your Easy Dinner Recipe Book!)
This is the BEST Chicken Enchilada Recipe!
I’m a huge lover of Mexican food and homemade chicken enchiladas are a family weeknight dinner favorite in my home! Nothing fills the house with delicious smells that get everyone’s mouths watering like this chicken enchilada recipe.
Chicken enchiladas are so easy to make. That’s why it’s one of my favorite go-to weeknight meals.
The best thing about this chicken enchilada recipe is that if you make more than you need, you can freeze and use the filling another day! This is a great meal to batch make! I always make more filling than I think we’ll need and am guaranteed someone will finish off the leftovers the next day!
QUICK NOTE: Want to make this super easy? Buy a rotisserie chicken and use that for your shredded chicken! The chicken is super moist and juicy and saves you a step from having to cook the chicken!
Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe Ingredients
- 8 flour tortillas, soft shell size – traditionally, corn tortillas are used, but I prefer flour. Feel free to use either. We use between a 5-8 inch tortilla. You could also use gluten-free tortillas to make it a gluten-free dinner.
- 2.5 cups shredded chicken – I typically will grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery and shred it (save some prep time!) You can also use leftover baked chicken breasts (this is a terrific recipe for leftovers).
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1 10oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles – you can use fresh diced tomoatoes as well, but I like to add in green chiles for a little extra kick)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 small cans red enchilada sauce – feel free to use a homemade enchilada sauce if you have a favorite recipe. I prefer a canned sauce to keep the recipe quick and easy.
- 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Optional: Homemade Queso Dip & Homemade Salsa Recipe
- Other Enchilada Filling Variations / Add-Ins – avocado, cilantro, corn, jalapeños, sour cream or Mexican crema, guacamole, homemade salsa or our corn salsa are all delicious
Feel free to customize! Leave out what you don’t like and add in anything that sounds yummy! You cannot go wrong!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices.
- Divide the cheese evenly into 2 separate bowls. Set one bowl of cheese to the side, you will use it for the toppings once all the enchiladas are assembled.
- Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and spread it evenly.
- Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, covering both sides with the sauce. Let the excess sauce drip off.
- Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla and top with cheese. Roll tortilla around the chicken mixture and place seam side up in the baking dish.
- Assemble the remaining enchiladas and place them all in the 9×13 pan. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with chopped cilantro.
- Serve warm! Enjoy with more cilantro, sour cream, salsa, Spanish Rice, and avocado.
Tips & Variations
- Protein – Change up the protein. Add ground beef, pulled pork, carnitas, or go meatless using a vegetarian meatless crumble.
- Bean – Add additional beans like white beans. You can even use chickpeas or lentils.
- Sauce – Try a green enchilada sauce to kick up the heat a bit or try a white enchilada sauce to give more of a cheese taste. There’s a lot you can do to put your own spin on classic chicken enchiladas. Instead of using red enchilada sauce, try a green enchilada sauce to kick up the heat a bit or try a white enchilada sauce that is deliciously creamy and cheesy.
- Fillings – There are so many different fillings you could use for making your authentic chicken enchiladas. If you prefer more veggies, red and yellow bell peppers are the perfect sweet and crunchy addition to this recipe.
How do I make my enchiladas crispy?
I often hear that people love chicken enchiladas from their favorite Mexican restaurant… But when they try to make enchiladas at home, they turn out gooey and soggy. Here are my top tips for making crispy chicken enchiladas:
- Don’t soak the tortillas in the enchilada sauce for too long and make sure the excess drips off. If the flour tortillas absorb too much moisture, they will break down.
- When you pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top of your assembled chicken enchiladas, leave the edges exposed. Only pour the sauce down the middle so the ends of the tortillas cook more.
- You could consider using corn tortillas instead of flour ones. These are more resistant to moisture from the sauce.
- After baking your chicken enchiladas in the oven for 20 minutes, put them under the broiler for a few more minutes. This will ensure the top does nice and crispy!
Proper Storage
- Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 days
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken enchiladas can also be made in your crockpot or instant pot if you want your meal to be ready and waiting when you get home. Simply put all the ingredients, aside from the tortillas, into your crock pot and cook on low. When you’re ready to eat, simply assemble your chicken enchiladas and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
– Dipping the tortillas in the enchilada sauce is key to good enchiladas
– Don’t over stuff the tortillas
– Don’t use too much sauce
While we don’t do this in our recipe, if you really want to make sure your enchiladas don’t get soggy, quickly fry them for about 10 seconds on each side just until it starts to get a little bit crispy.
If you find the cheese is browning too fast, you can cover them towards the end of baking with tin foil.
What to Serve with Enchiladas
- Honey Butter Skillet Corn
- Homemade Olive Garden Salad
- Spanish Rice
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn on the Cob)
More Great Dinner Recipes
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Ground Beef Taco Ring
- Walking Tacos
- Instant Pot Lasagna
- Cauliflower Pizza
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Baked Burritos
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
Best Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8 flour tortillas soft shell size
- 2.5 cups shredded chicken I love to buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that up!
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup corn
- 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 small cans red enchilada sauce
- 4 oz cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded , divided
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl mix together chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices.
- Divide cheese evenly into 2 separate bowls. Set one bowl of cheese to the side, you will use it for topping once all the enchiladas are assembled.
- Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and spread evenly.
- Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, covering both sides with sauce. Let the excess drip off. Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla and top with cheese. Roll tortilla around the chicken mixture and place seam side up in the baking dish.
- Assemble remaining enchiladas and place them all in the 9×13 pan. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with chopped cilantro.
- Serve warm! Enjoy with more cilantro, sour cream, salsa, tomato and avocado.
Jenn’s Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This was good snd super easy. Another go to recipe on a busy week night.
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it!
Super easy, super delicious
A big hit!! Super easy to make!
Family loves this and easy to make
I make this recipe quite a bit
THESE LOOK GOOD. SO I,M GOING TO TRY THEM.
I have cooked chicken enchilada recipe with ghee with moderate use of cheese. I get the ghee flavor in the recipe, which I like a lot like my other family members. It is a baking recipe hence baking with ghee ensures better safety for its high smoke point.
I prefer using Milkio grass-fed ghee for all my recipes.
I feel like a less messy and faster meal is to just put a tablespoo or so in the tortilla and then on top rather than dipping and getting hands all messy. Love all the options you shared and the basic recipe though:) Thank you!
can you use corn tortillas instead?
I haven’t made them with corn tortillas before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
I’m assuming you place half the cheese in the chicken mix. The recipe doesn’t clarify that. I’m adding fresh cilantro and fresh chopped green onions as well as 1/2 cup sour cream to the chicken mix to bind it all together. It looks delicious so far!!!!
Hey Karen, Check out step 5
“Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, covering both sides with sauce. Let the excess drip off. Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla and top with cheese. Roll tortilla around the chicken mixture and place seam side up in the baking dish.” and then in step 6
“Assemble remaining enchiladas and place them all in the 9ร13 pan. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.”
Hope that helps!
Easy and delicious