Chicken Enchiladas

When the need for a straightforward weeknight dinner meets the craving for satisfying comfort food, chicken enchiladas are a guaranteed winner. They’re easy, filling, and take less than an hour to prepare from start to finish. My classic recipe not only perfects the staple chicken dinner, but is a perfect jumping off point to experiment with and make them completely your own. Keep reading on for all of my top tips you need to know to perfect these enchiladas:

What People Are Saying:
“This was the best enchilada recipe we have ever had!!! Highly recommend!!!” - Fortyluvcari

“Love it. Actually, this is the second time I've made this recipe. The first time I made this recipe, I never bothered reading the reviews and just got lazy with the store bought sauce. However, I had a bit more free time this time around and... WOW!! What a huge difference. So much better with the homemade stuff.” - klas74

How To Make Chicken Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS

• Veggies: Garlic, red bell pepper, and a yellow onion start our enchiladas off. Instead of just chopping and cooking them down in the pan, pulse them in a food processor. This will ensure that all of your veggies are evenly, finely chopped.
• Cumin: We’ve got plenty of flavors going on here, so all you need is a bit of cumin to season the veggies.
• The Sauce: I highly recommend making our homemade enchilada sauce in this recipe. It only takes 20 minutes to come together and really takes these enchiladas up a notch in the flavor department. But if you’re pressed for time, you can use store-bought in a pinch.
• Crushed Tomatoes: Our sauce is smooth, and a can of crushed tomatoes adds an extra sweet texture and flavor to these enchiladas.
• Chicken: To make these enchiladas even easier, I cook and shred the chicken breasts ahead of time, making this an ideal make-ahead meal. After cooking, store your shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, up to 5 days. Follow our guide to how to shred chicken perfectly for everything you need to know.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is always a welcome addition, and does wonders here. It not only flavors our chicken filling, but is the perfect garnish.
• Cheese: I like to use a blend of two cheeses here: cheddar and Monterey Jack. If you want to just use one or the other, you can, but double the cheese means double the flavor. I highly recommend freshly shredding your cheese for the best possible melty texture.
• Tortillas: Corn tortillas are my preference—they have more flavor than flour and are more traditional. If you prefer flour tortillas, you can use them instead! Whatever tortillas you use, make sure you warm them slightly before filling. This will help soften your tortillas and make them easier to roll.
• Toppings: I love serving these enchiladas with sour cream, lime, and fresh cilantro, but feel free to experiment with your toppings. Add sliced avocado for added creaminess, or your fave hot sauce to amp up the heat.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

After preheating our oven, we’ll first cook down our veggies. After coarsely chopping your garlic, bell pepper, and onion, add them to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Once finely chopped, set aside while you heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion-pepper-garlic mixture and cook until softened (making sure to stir occasionally). Add the cumin and give it a stir to fully coat the veggies, then cook until fragrant—only about 1 minute more.

Then you can add the homemade (my preference) or store-bought enchilada sauce along with the crushed tomatoes to the pan, and cook over medium heat. Cook while stirring until warmed through, then reserve ¾ cup of the sauce mixture to later top the enchiladas.

Now we can work on our filling. In a bowl, combine the chicken, cilantro, half of the cheddar, half of the Monterey Jack, and 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Toss everything together to fully combine, then season to taste with salt.

Don’t worry—we aren’t forgetting about what’s left of the sauce. Spread what’s remaining of the sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Now we can move onto my favorite part: filling the tortillas. First, it’s important to slightly warm your tortillas to make them more pliable while rolling—we don’t want any breakage. Spoon about ⅔ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of your tortilla, then roll up the tortilla and arrange them seam-side down on top of the sauce in your baking dish.

Then, repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas, placing them next to each tortilla to form a row along the length of the dish. Once your row is complete, spread your reserved sauce mixture on top of the tortillas, then add your remaining cups of cheese.

Now, we can bake! Add them to the oven, and bake the enchiladas until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Once melty and incredible, top them however you please! I love fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges, but you do you.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• All about enchiladas. Originally a Mexican street food, enchiladas began simply as rolled tortillas dipped in chili sauce. As Mexican immigrants moved into Texas, also known as Tejanos, they brought their culinary traditions with them, adapting them along the way to create the Tex-Mex cuisine we know and love today. These enchiladas fall somewhere in between, but they're definitely Tex-Mex at their core. They may not be authentic by, well, anyone's standards, but they're quick, easy, filling, and delicious.
• Filling variations. If you're looking to expand beyond these classic chicken enchiladas, we've got plenty of options for you. If you're not feeling chicken, then our vegetarian enchiladas or green chili white bean enchiladas are a perfect meatless option, or you can turn to our beef enchiladas if that's more your thing.

What To Serve With Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas are a hearty meal on their own, but if you're serving a crowd, some elote, black beans, or Mexican rice would make for A+ sides. Serve them with some sour cream and lime wedges, or add some guacamole, salsa, or salsa verde to the spread.

Storage

Kept covered in the fridge, leftovers will last 3 to 5 days. Reheat in an oven heated to 350° until warmed through.