Chicken enchiladas are a quick and simple dinner perfect for busy weeknights. Your family will love the seasoned chicken filling, incredibly flavorful sauce, and melty cheese. They’re also a fantastic way to use up leftover chicken, which saves you even more cooking time! You can even make a double batch and freeze half for later, making meal prep a breeze.
While you don’t need much else alongside enchiladas, feel free to add a side of rice or beans. Sliced avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro make wonderful toppings. Read on for plenty of ideas on how to serve enchiladas. And for more Mexican dinner recipes, try my ground beef tacos, chicken enchilada soup, and Mexican lasagna.
You Need 4 Main Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients to make this easy chicken enchilada recipe! The full recipe with all of the ingredients is in the recipe card below.
Chicken — you need cooked, shredded chicken breasts. This is also a great opportunity to use up any leftover chicken you have in your refrigerator! See the FAQ section for more ideas.
Tortillas — 8-inch flour tortillas are my preference, as they tend to hold up better coated in sauce and don’t tear easily like corn tortillas can.
Cheese — Mexican-blend shredded cheese adds gooey goodness to the chicken enchiladas. Pepper jack is also a great cheese to use for a little spicy kick!
Enchilada sauce — you can use your favorite store-bought brand or a homemade enchilada sauce.
Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch baking pan or casserole dish
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced (225g)
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ pounds cooked shredded chicken breasts (675g)
- 8 large 8-inch flour tortillas (567g)
- 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese (340g)
- 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce or 2 (10-ounce/285g) cans, divided
- Optional toppings: fresh chopped cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook while mixing for one more minute or until fragrant. Add the shredded chicken and ⅓ cup (80mL) of enchilada sauce. Stir gently and cook to warm through for 2 to 3 minutes, then set aside. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce over a tortilla. Add a generous amount (1/8 the total) of the chicken mixture and top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese. Roll and place in the prepared casserole dish seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas then top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are warm in the center.
- Top with optional toppings before serving, if you like.
Notes
- Use a ceramic or glass baking dish. A metal pan can cause the sauce, cheese, and tortillas to turn crisp or hard around the edges and on the bottom. A more insulating dish made of ceramic or glass will bake the enchiladas the best.
Nutrition
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas
1. Add the onion, salt, and pepper to a hot large skillet. Cook until the onions are translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Add the shredded chicken and some of the enchilada sauce. Stir and warm through for a few minutes and set aside.
3. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce over a tortilla. Add ⅛ of the chicken mixture.
4. Top with a few tablespoons of cheese. Roll it up and place it in a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
5. Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the prepared tortillas.
6. Add the rest of the shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350°F until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are warmed through. Serve with any desired toppings.
Are Enchiladas Better With Flour Or Corn Tortillas?
I like flour tortillas because they’re less likely to crack and tear once they absorb the sauce; however, you can use corn tortillas for this recipe if you prefer. Because corn tortillas are often smaller (6 inches), you will need 10 to 12 of them to use all of the filling and fill up the casserole dish.
Recipe Variations
- Use a different sauce: Try a green enchilada sauce, salsa verde, or a cheesy white sauce instead of red enchilada sauce.
- Switch up the meat: Fill the enchiladas with different meat like Instant Pot pulled pork, carnitas, birria, or cooked shrimp.
- Add vegetables to the filling: Sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and lightly cooked spinach all work very well.
- Add black beans or pinto beans: I like to make a version of these enchiladas with beans added to the filling! Reduce the amount of chicken to 1 pound, then mix in 1 (15-ounce/ 425g) can of black beans (drained and rinsed) to the skillet with the chicken and sauce in Step 3.
What To Serve With Chicken Enchiladas
There are so many options! Here are a few ideas:
- Mexican rice
- Cilantro lime rice
- Instant Pot black beans
- Refried beans
- Chips, queso, and salsa
- Guacamole
Storing And Freezing Enchiladas
Refrigerating leftovers: Store leftover chicken enchiladas in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing leftovers: I like freezing individual enchiladas so I can just grab however many I need later on. Once completely cool, wrap each enchilada in a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then place in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for several hours, remove the foil, and reheat in the microwave.
Reheating leftovers: You can reheat leftover enchiladas in the microwave or in the air fryer or oven at 350°F. Air fry for 5 to 8 minutes or bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Have fun with the toppings! Chicken enchiladas are so delicious topped with sour cream, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, pickled red onions, or jalapeños. Any kind of taco topping will be good on enchiladas, so choose your favorites!
- Use homemade enchilada sauce. While you can use store-bought enchilada sauce, my homemade sauce is ready in just 10 minutes! Give it a try. It will make these chicken enchiladas even better!
- Don’t overfill the tortillas, or they will be difficult to roll up and may tear or unroll in the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can try my Instant Pot shredded chicken, pull the meat off of a roasted chicken, shred air fryer chicken breasts, or purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat from that.
Yes, just use gluten-free tortillas to make these chicken enchiladas instead! Check that the enchilada sauce is also gluten-free. If making my homemade enchilada sauce recipe, be sure to follow my gluten-free variation!
You can, but hold off on adding the sauce and cheese on top until you’re ready to bake them. To do so, finish through Step 4, cover the baking dish, and refrigerate the assembled enchiladas for up to 24 hours before continuing with Steps 5 and 6.
If you’ve tried this chicken enchiladas recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
