The BEST Chicken Enchilada Recipe

The Best Chicken Enchiladas are easy to make and customize with your favorite fillings! Topped with enchilada sauce and ready in 30 minutes!

I’ve always been a huge fan of delicious, simple suppers. I think most of you are with me on that one, right? Well, friends, these enchiladas most certainly fit that criteria! In fact, I’ll go so far as to say these are the BEST Chicken Enchiladas I’ve ever tasted!

And they are so easy to make! Simply put, tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken, cheese, and your favorite fillings and then topped with a delicious homemade red enchilada sauce and cheese and baked for 20 minutes. These classic chicken enchiladas make a great quick and easy weeknight dinner, yet are still a favorite choice for weekends as well.

Chicken Enchilada Ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll just need four basic ingredients.

• Tortillas – You can use your favorite corn or flour tortilla for this recipe. If you are using corn tortillas, I’ve found that warming them in the microwave in a damp paper towel for a few moments makes them more easily pliable to prevent any tearing as they are filled and rolled. If you are using flour tortillas, they are generally pliable enough to use without warming them.
• Cheese – These enchiladas include cheese in the filling of the enchilada as well as are topped with more cheese for baking. I typically like to shred my own cheese straight from the block to use in recipes, but you can also use pre-shredded store-bought cheese if you prefer. For the cheese, I like to use Monterrey Jack cheese. If I use store-bought shredded cheese, I also like to use a Mexican-blend cheese.
• Enchilada Sauce – I use my easy homemade enchilada sauce for this recipe. It is so quick and easy to make in your blender. If you prefer, you can also use your favorite store-bought.
• Chicken – For this recipe, you’ll use 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken. Here’s where the options are fairly endless. It is a great way to use whatever leftover chicken you may have like baked chicken. You can also use my easy shredded chicken recipe (which is great for meal prep!). You can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken that you then shred.

Optional Fillings and Toppings

I also love to include other fillings and toppings to these basic ingredients from time to time.

• Onion – diced onion adds additional flavor and texture to these enchiladas.
• Green chilis – the flavor of the green chilis reminds me so much of my favorite Mexican restaurant chicken enchiladas. A small can of drained green chilis is all you need.
• Black beans – we love to add a can of drained and rinsed black beans to this recipe from time to time. It stretches the recipe and allows you to reduce the amount of chicken by half that is called for in the recipe in a pinch, too.
• Toppings: Sour cream, diced green onions, shredded lettuce, and chopped tomatoes all make delicious topping options.

How to Make Chicken Enchiladas

1. Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F and spray a 9 x 13 – inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. If using corn tortillas, warm tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel or tea towel in the microwave until easily pliable, about 30 seconds. If using flour tortillas, there is generally no need to warm them.
2. Assemble chicken enchiladas. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked, shredded chicken, ½ cup enchilada sauce and any additional fillings such as onion, green chilis, or black beans desired. Spoon chicken mixture into the center of the warmed tortilla and top with about ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Tightly fold the tortilla around the mixture and place seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all of the enchiladas have been assembled.
3. Bake the enchiladas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the assembled enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
4. Top and serve. Top with your favorite toppings and serve.

You’ll also notice in the recipe video that I love to sometimes toss the ingredient fillings (chicken, enchilada sauce, onions, green chilis) into a slow cooker and let it cook in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low if I do not have shredded chicken ready to go. Once cooked, I then shred my chicken in the slow cooker and fill my tortillas, top with cheese and proceed with the recipe. The chicken when cooked all day with the enchilada sauce, onions and chilis has an incredible flavor that I highly recommend you try!

What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas

Here are a few of our favorite dishes to serve alongside this recipe.

Chips and Salsa and Guacamole

Cilantro Lime Rice

Refried Beans

House Salad

How to Store and Freeze Enchiladas

Refrigerate – Allow the enchiladas to cool. Wrap with your favorite plastic wrap or foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freeze – Allow to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container or if the baking dish is also freezer-safe, simply wrap well with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, transfer from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow to thaw in overnight. Reheat in a 350º F until warmed throughout and the cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Other Enchiladas To Try

If you love enchiladas like my family does, then you may want to give some of my other recipes a try:

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas

Beef and Bean Enchiladas 

White Chicken Enchiladas

If you are looking for a simple, delicious supper recipe then you’ve just got to try this! I promise, it’ll knock your socks off!

Here’s my Chicken Enchilada Recipe. I think you are going to LOVE them!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.