If you love Mexican food then look no further than my ultimate chicken enchiladas! Soft tortillas filled with a juicy and succulent chicken filling, plenty of cheesy goodness, and a flavor-packed red enchilada sauce. I love to top my enchiladas with slices of avocado, sour cream, and cilantro, it’s the perfect comforting family meal and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this recipe.
Oh and if you love Mexican-inspired recipes as much as I do then you’ll also love my Nachos Recipe, Mexican Pizza, Chicken Tortilla Soup and Shrimp Tacos!
What you’ll need to make this recipe
Tortillas – I used soft flour tortillas because they are much easier to roll than corn which tend to crack and tear.
Shredded chicken – This is such a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If you’re cooking chicken especially for this recipe then see the recipe notes below on how to cook chicken breasts or follow my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe!
Enchilada sauce – If you’re wondering what makes the best chicken enchiladas it’s the sauce! Follow my recipe for the best enchilada sauce, once you taste it you’ll never go back to the canned stuff!
Cheese – I use a Mexican cheese blend for this recipe, let’s face it the more cheese the better! If you don’t have Mexican cheese a sharp cheddar will also work well.
How to make Chicken Enchiladas
1. Add olive oil to a large pan and saute the onion until translucent.
2. Add the garlic for a minute then add the shredded chicken and some of the enchilada sauce, cook for a few minutes then set aside.
3. Spread each tortilla with some enchilada sauce.
4. Sprinkle each tortilla with the chicken mixture then cheese.
5. Roll each tortilla and place in the baking dish then top with more enchilada sauce.
6. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake.
Pro tips for making this recipe
- Don’t forget to follow my recipe for homemade enchilada sauce it really takes this recipe to a whole other level and can be made in advance and frozen!
- Looking for topping ideas? These enchiladas are so delicious topped with sour cream, slices of avocado or guacamole, cilantro, diced red onion, or jalapenos!
- To make this meal super quick use rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken.
- If cooking the chicken yourself make sure not to overcook it or your filling will seem too dry.
- Be sure to not overfill your tortillas so they are easy to roll.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can I fill my enchiladas with?
There are so many options for filling your enchiladas such as cooked chorizo, black beans, chili, and more! Experiment with your favorite Tex-Mex ingredients to create your own.
What can I serve these with?
Chicken enchiladas are so delicious served with some spicy Mexican rice, an avocado salad, guacamole, sour cream, or some salsa!
Can I prepare these in advance?
Yes, you can prepare these enchiladas ahead of time. Assemble the tortillas and place in the baking dish but don’t pour over the enchilada sauce until you are ready to bake them. The tortillas will absorb a lot of liquid and turn soggy if left for too long.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, I recommend wrapping each enchilada in aluminum foil then when you want to use them remove the foil, place them in an oven dish, pour over the enchilada sauce and bake from frozen.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried these Chicken Enchiladas then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chicken enchiladas
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves of garlic minced
- 1.5 pounds cooked shredded chicken breasts
- 8 large 8" flour tortillas
- 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
- 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce or 1 10oz container
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir over heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the garlic in and cook while mixing for a minute or until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper to taste then add the shredded chicken along with 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce. Mix over heat for 2-3 minutes then set aside.
- Spoon a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce over a tortilla then add a generous amount (1/8 the total) of the chicken mixture and top with cheese. Roll and place in your casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
- Spoon the enchilada sauce over the tortillas then top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350F or until the cheese is melted.
- Top with optional cilantro as well as whichever garnishes you enjoy.
Notes
- Don't forget to follow my recipe for homemade enchilada sauce it really takes this recipe to a whole other level and can be made in advance and frozen!
- To make this meal super quick use rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken.
- If cooking the chicken yourself make sure not to overcook it or your filling will seem too dry.
- Be sure to not overfill your tortillas so they are easy to roll.
- Garnish ideas: fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream, or diced red onion.
- How to cook chicken breasts: Rub the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a large skillet or pan and fry on one side for 4 minutes, flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you can follow my instant pot shredded chicken recipe!
Your home aid enchilada sauce link doesn’t work.
Oops! Just fixed that, thanks for pointing it out!
Hi dear John,
we would really like to try this recipe, it looks fabulous!!! But unfortunately we could not find your enchilada sauce…
Best wishes from Germany!
Hi Anne, Just fixed that link, thank you!
Just wondering about the elusive “Enchilada sauce”. The link doesn’t work 🙂
Just fixed that link! Thank you.
John-where is the page for the enchilada sauce? The link is broken. Really looking forward to making this. Thanks!
I just fixed that link, thanks Barbara!
Thanks for the recipe. I can’t seem to find the ‘enchilada sauce’ recipe. The link doesn’t seem to work?
Hi Reiss, I just fixed that link, thank you!
Thanks mate, appreciate that. I have page marked to try this over the weekend.
P.S What a handsome website this is, everything is done ‘just-so’ almost to perfection. I tried the German Chocolate Cake and the less said about it, the better! Totally blew me & my mates away! Absolute perfection, just like the chef himself. Wonderful presentation always. I can’t wait to try out some more of your fantastic recipes!