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Chicken Enchiladas

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My favorite chicken enchilada recipe is easy to make, customizable with your favorite fillings, and made with my favorite homemade enchilada sauce. It’s always a crowd fave, and perfect for meal prep and freezing too!

Chicken Enchiladas

Say hello to my all-time favorite chicken enchiladas. ♡

This chicken enchilada recipe was actually one of the first-ever posts that I shared here on Gimme Some Oven back in 2009. And now, more than a decade later, it still continues to be one of the recipes I make most often for dinner here in our house — and one of the recipes that our readers make most often too! I’m so happy you all continue to enjoy it!

For those of you who are new to this recipe, these Tex-Mex style chicken enchiladas are easy to make with a basic filling of sautéed chicken, green chiles, onions, beans and shredded cheese. Then they are rolled up in your choice of either flour or corn tortillas, baked until hot and melty, and sprinkled with lots of fresh toppings. But I have to say that the real magic of this recipe lies in the homemade red enchilada sauce that brings it all together. This red enchilada sauce only requires a few extra minutes of prep time, but the flavor that it adds to these enchiladas is major. Sooo much better than the canned stuff!

I’m also a big fan of these homemade chicken enchiladas because they are easy to make ahead (perfect for meal prep), the leftovers freeze beautifully (which is why I usually go ahead and make a double batch while I’m at it), and they are also a wonderful meal to pack up and bring to friends who may be in need of some cozy comfort food (another good reason to make and freeze a second batch ♡). This recipe can also easily be adapted to be gluten-free or customized with your choice of protein, beans or cheese. And if you’d really like to make the prep quick and easy, I’ve included a few additional time-saving shortcuts below too.

Bottom line, these chicken enchiladas have been one of my go-to recipes for years and years, and they are always a hit when we serve them to friends and family. So if you have yet to give this recipe a try, I say that it’s time we make some enchiladas together!

Chicken Enchilada Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Enchilada Sauce Recipe

The History of Enchiladas

We have the rich food traditions of Mexico to thank for bringing enchiladas to the world. ♡ Historians believe that the origins of enchiladas actually date back to Aztec times, when the tradition of rolling or folding food into corn tortillas is believed to have begun. (The word enchilada is derived from the Spanish verb enchilar, which means “to season with chili.”)

In the centuries and decades since, dozens of different varieties of enchiladas have become traditional in different regions around Mexico, as well as in various nearby countries in Latin America (such as Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala). And of course, they have also become wildly popular in the United States as well, especially in New Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine.

This particular chicken enchilada recipe probably most closely aligns with Tex-Mex and New Mexican styles of enchiladas, especially being made with flour tortillas (although you are welcome to use corn tortillas), filled with green chiles and soft shredded cheese, and made with a tomato-free red chile sauce. But if you are looking to try authentic Mexican-style chicken enchiladas, I would encourage you to consider this traditional recipe. So many delicious enchilada recipes to try!

Step by Step of How To Make Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below for how to make chicken enchiladas, here are a few notes about the ingredients you will need to make this easy chicken enchilada recipe…

  • Chicken: I typically sauté diced boneless skinless chicken breasts for the enchilada filling. But feel free to use pre-cooked chicken (such as a shredded rotisserie or any leftover diced/shredded baked chicken) if you would like to save some prep time.
  • Onion and diced green chiles: White, yellow or red onion will work for the enchilada filling sauté. Then I always like to add in a can of diced green chiles too for extra flavor.
  • Beans: I typically add a can of black beans or pinto beans to the filling for extra protein. But white beans, lentils or chickpeas would also work well here.
  • Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditionally used in Mexican-style enchiladas, but I typically use flour tortillas (which are more commonly used in Tex-Mex and American-style enchiladas) since they are much easier to roll. That said, just about any style of tortillas will work in this recipe.
  • Cheese: I most often use either Asadero, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican-blend of shredded cheese for these enchiladas. But feel free to use any type of shredded cheese that you love best.
  • Toppings: When it comes to enchiladas, I vote the more toppings the merrier! Any combination of chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion (or quick pickled red onions), sliced radishes, fresh or pickled jalapeños, sour cream or Mexican crema, and/or extra cheese would be delicious!
  • Enchilada sauce: Finally, you can use any type of enchilada sauce that you prefer for this recipe, but I highly recommend using my favorite homemade enchilada sauce! It only takes a few extra minutes to prep and can simmer on the stovetop while you prepare the rest of the enchiladas. It’s made with simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry (oil, flour, a handful of spices, and chicken stock). But most importantly, it’s incredibly delicious and tastes a million times better than the store-bought canned stuff. Thousands of our readers have made and loved it over the years, so I highly recommend giving it a try!

Homemade Enchiladas Unbaked In Pan

Chicken Enchilada Recipe Variations

As I mentioned above, this chicken enchilada recipe is incredibly flexible, so please feel free to customize it however you would like! For example, feel free to…

  • Use corn tortillas: To make Mexican-style enchiladas, use corn tortillas (homemade or store-bought) in place of flour tortillas. Since corn tortillas are typically smaller, you will likely need to use nearly double the quantity of tortillas. (Just arrange them in the pan however you’d like.) Then to bring out that toasty corn flavor and prevent the corn tortillas from tearing, I recommend either flash-frying the tortillas for about 10 seconds per side in a skillet that has been lightly drizzled with oil. Or alternately, you can just dip the tortillas briefly in the warm enchilada sauce before rolling them up.
  • Use green enchilada sauce: Instead of red enchilada sauce, try making green chicken enchiladas with my homemade green enchilada sauce recipe. It’s also very simple to make and brings the most delicious savory green chile flavor to this dish.
  • Use a different protein: I most often make these enchiladas with chicken, but they would also be delicious with ground or shredded beef, shredded pork (especially carnitas), shrimp, or any other protein that you prefer.
  • Use different beans: As I mentioned above, white beans, lentils or chickpeas would also work well here in place of pinto or black beans.
  • Make vegetarian enchiladas: To make these vegetarian enchiladas, simply omit the chicken and replace it with veggies (such as roasted cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, etc), extra beans, or any other vegetarian fillings you prefer. To make vegan enchiladas, use a vegetarian filling as well as vegan cheese.
  • Make gluten-free enchiladas: To make gluten-free enchiladas, use gluten-free corn or flour tortillas. And also be sure to use a 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend (in place of all-purpose flour) in the homemade enchilada sauce recipe.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Cheese

What To Serve With Chicken Enchiladas

Looking for some recommendations for side dishes to round out your meal? Feel free to check out our Mexican recipe archives for inspiration, or consider some of these favorite recipes…

Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

More Favorite Enchilada Recipes

Looking for more awesome enchilada recipes to try? Here are a few of my faves…

Best Chicken Enchiladas

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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 669 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

My all-time favorite chicken enchilada recipe! See notes above for possible ingredient variations.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
  • 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
  • sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 8 large flour tortillas
  • 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
  • 1 batch red enchilada sauce
  • optional toppings: fresh cilantro, chopped red onions, diced avocado, sour cream, and/or crumbled cotija cheese

Instructions

  1. Prep oven and enchilada sauce. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare your enchilada sauce.
  2. Sauté the filling mixture. In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced chicken and green chiles, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Sauté the mixture for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Add in the beans and stir until evenly combined.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.
  3. Assemble the enchiladas. To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  Add a generous spoonful of the chicken mixture in a line down the center of the tortilla, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Assemble the remaining enchiladas.  Then spread any remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, followed by any extra cheese.
  4. Bake. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the enchiladas are cooked through and the tortillas are slightly crispy on the outside.  Transfer the baking dish to a wire baking rack.
  5. Serve. Serve the enchiladas immediately while they’re nice and hot and melty, garnished with lots of fresh toppings. Enjoy!


Notes

Storage instructions: Leftover (cooked) enchiladas can be transferred to a sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Make ahead instructions. If you would like to make a pan of enchiladas in advance, follow the recipe instructions through step 3 (assembling the enchiladas). Wrap the pan tightly with foil. Then you can either refrigerate the enchiladas for up to 3 days, then bake as directed. Or you can freeze the enchiladas for up to 3 months, then let them thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then bake as directed.

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2,001 comments on “Chicken Enchiladas”

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  1. WOW. That’s all I can say. I am sitting here staring at my empty plate. This was amazing. I added some seranos to the top for extra heat… and these enchiladas are to die for. Better than any restaurant, hands down! And so surprisingly easy to make! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I am in enchilada heaven!!!






  2. About how many cups of chicken is this?

  3. Delicious: I used I can of retried black beans.
    Flavor was perfect.






  4. Me and my boyfriend moved in together so I’ve really been enjoying cooking every night in our kitchen. He mentioned earlier today that he had a taste for some enchiladas. So of course I go to the internet and do a search. I came across this recipe, and seemed to have the best reviews out of all the recipes I found, so I decided to give this recipe a try. (Mind you, my boyfriend is THE PICKIEST eater I’ve ever met in my entire life.)
    We only had corn tortillas here at the house, so I decided to make more of an enchilada casserole. I used a 7 oz can of green chilies instead of a 4 oz can, and used black beans for the recipe. I made and used the red enchilada sauce based on the recipe provided on this website. This recipe is definitely a KEEPER! The sauce was AMAZING, the flavor of the chicken with the green chilies absolutely perfect. I will absolutely be making this again.
    My boyfriend was drooling the entire time I was making it, because the aroma flowed through the whole apartment. By the time the plate was placed in front of him, it was gone in a matter of minutes! I will continue to look around this website for some amazing recipes, because now you have me SOLD. Thank you!






    • Thank you for sharing, Joy, we’re so happy you and your boyfriend loved these! :D

  5. Love love love this! So easy and my hubby love it to! Winner winner, chicken enchilada dinner!!






  6. Hi! These look delicious! I want to take them to a friend in the morning, for her to bake in the evening. Whenever I have made enchiladas I do not put sauce on the inside (only the top) that way if I take them to a friend they can pour on the sauce right before they bake them. Sauce on the inside seems delicious, but do you think the tortillas will get soggy if I put sauce inside? Thanks!!!

    • Thank you, Jenny, we hope your friend enjoys them! And the sauce on the inside shouldn’t make them soggy if you’re preparing them in the morning to be baked that night. If making them any more in advance though, the sauce might make the tortillas soggy. We hope this helps!

  7. I’ve made this so many times!! It is my husbands favorite enchilada recipe!!!!






  8. Yum!! Seriously the best chicken enchiladas ever. The sauce is delish!






    • Thank you, Madi, we’re so glad you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas!

  9. Just made these for the family and they are amazing!!! Don’t usually rate things, but my brother thought they were so good that he had me show him how to rate it. Also, spend the extra time making the sauce so worth it.






  10. These definitely are the best enchiladas!! We make a lot of Mexican food at home and these are a favorite go to for us! So happy about the sauce recipe as well because I like knowing where my ingredients come from. Well done on this recipe!! Thank you for sharing. My husband thanks you too ;-)






  11. Hmmm, delicious!






  12. It didn’t look as pretty as yours, but it sure tasted great!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe






  13. Loved it! I liked it better the next day after reheating in the microwave as it made the cheese more crispy. My husby liked it a lot too so I’m happy to have found this recipe

  14. Made the sauce, yummy! The remainder looks great….cant wait to try it out tonight!






  15. Tried it for the first time last night. My 14 yr old twin boys devoured it and came back for seconds!! Super easy to make and the sauce absolutely makes this a killer dish. Thanks a ton.






  16. THE BEST ENCHILADAS EVER!!!!! The sauce was the real gem of this recipe Thank you for sharing






  17. These are delicious and delightfully simple! I’ve taken the liberty of adding a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the sauce to give it a nice umami note.






  18. Oh my tastebuds. I’ve made this recipe as is many times and it is always uh-may-zing. But, tonight I made it with Costco marinate chili lime chicken that had been baked and then shredded in my stand mixer. I tossed the shredded chicken with usual onions and green Chiles. I could probably eat the whole pan. I’m eating for two so this is still a possibility. Thank you so much for the recipes! This sauce is other worldly.






  19. Just made these – used some ground turkey instead of chicken. They were awesome!! If you have not made the enchilada sauce, I highly recommend it – I will never use the canned stuff again. My husband could not stop raving about the sauce.






  20. Just made the sauce and enchiladas…AWESOME!!! Followed the recipe the letter. I will NEVER buy jar sauce again. The enchiladas themselves were perfect. The kids scarfed them up…quickly! Thank you for a great recipe!!!






  21. This was so yummy def making this again






  22. These were excellent. I did use cilantro and added sour cream and green onions before serving. A new favorite recipe!






  23. I made this recipe 2 years ago and I loved it! I was so happy to find it. I will be making it again soon!

  24. Everything about the recipe is yummy except the flour tortillas. Yuck!! Texture is all wrong. They are gummy. Enchiladas should be made with corn tortillas.






    • Glad you liked the recipe, and feel free to use corn tortillas next time. :)

    • I personally can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds yummy!… As a side note not everyone likes corn tortillas. Also, as a F.Y.I.: when searching for chicken enchilada recipes quite a few listed flour instead of corn… =) Somebody must like them that way!

  25. I’ve been tardy in posting my comment. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! Even looking at the pictures now make me want to go make so. It is truly the best chicken enchilada recipe I’ve seen. Everything was so easy, even making the sauce. I whipped up a batch of Mexican rice and some pico de gallo and I was set.

    Thanks for much for this recipe!






  26. Tasted like an enchilada

  27. Our family is obsessed with this one. We make it at least once a month!






  28. Hi! Can I freeze this as a make-ahead meal?

  29. Hi Ali! Love all of your recipes, but this enchilada sauce is my favourite. Have you tried making it with vegetable stock instead of chicken? Vegan now – :)

  30. I have mad early these a million times, by recently I made some and froze them for a friend of mine who just had her second baby. Any advice I could give her as to how to cook them up as they are frozen? TIA?

  31. This busy gal skipped making her own sauce and used rotisserie chicken and it was still great!






  32. Oh Yumm! I made this recipe with a change. I used green sauce instead of the special red sauce. It was a hit all the way around! I will try it with the red sauce too. My batch made a 13 x 9 and the next size down serving dish. Plenty to share and keep for my self! Have had requests to make it again, already!






  33. I never post reviews, it’s that good. We eat a lot of Mexican food and this is definitely a five-star recipe. The only change made was we used corn tortillas to keep things a bit more traditional and opted for shredded chicken. The homemade enchilada sauce really made a difference, store bought is now on the out list. The only complaint was one pan of Ali’s enchiladas are not enough, tonight it’s two pans and homemade margaritas on the back porch. Thanks for the recipe






  34. I have made these several times, including the enchilada sauce and my family LOVES it!! When served to guests they always ask for the recipe.
    I did find a recipe for homemade chili powder to use too, as I thought the store bought was too salty.
    These are amazing!! Thank you!!






  35. Have made this many times. Perfection!






  36. Ali, this recipe rocks!! It tastes amazing and so simple even a mechanic can’t screw it up. Any suggestions for a dairy free enchilada? Thanks

    • Sure thing! I sometimes love to use lentils in place of cheese. Or you can make a dairy-free cheese sauce…or also totally just leave it out. :) Enjoy!

  37. I made it with some Spanish rice and it turned out like something you would order at a restaurant. The Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce lived up to the hype, it was the star of the dish. Thrilled that I decided to make it instead of just grabbing a can of enchilada sauce.

    Terrific recipe!






  38. Oh….my god. This is sooooooooooooo good. I’ve made this twice, now going to be thrice. At first when I made the sauce I thought it was a bit spicy for an enchilada but later on when I added the other things and cooked it, it was disgustingly beautiful.
    ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆






  39. LOVED IT

  40. Made these tonight for dinner and they were very good. Never knew how easy it was to make the sauce myself. Thanks for sharing, my boyfriend loved them!!






  41. This recipe was a big hit with my husband and kids! I used corn tortillas (12 in a large casserole dish) because that’s what we had on hand, and added a bunch of fresh, chopped spinach to the onion & chicken part of the fill just to up the nutritional value. These were easy to make a delicious. Thank you!






  42. We experimented with the sauce a little and added a half round of melted Mexican chocolate (Abulelita or Ibarra) to the sauce…seems to smooth out the flavor a little. This is a great recipe!






  43. Loved the recipe. You were right about the sauce; much better than the tomato based one I use. I thought it would be too runny but it thickened up and got soaked up by the enchiladas.
    I like my enchiladas a little spicier, so I replaced the green chilies with 1/2 can of chopped chipotle peppers and some chopped pickled jalapenos. I like some cheese in the filling.
    Great touch with the black beans. First time I have used them and they added a nice texture.
    A friend dropped by just as I finished baking and had very favourable comments.






  44. I just made these enchiladas and the special sauce it is with out a doubt the best I have tasted and will make again






  45. These were the best chicken enchiladas I have ever eaten! My husband loved them! So tasty spicey and good! Since I was just cooking for two, I froze the leftovers. I even made the enchilada sauce, better then can store bought. Thank you for this great recipe.






  46. Made these tonight and I must say that they are Delicious! So much flavor. Next time, however, I will double up on the homemade enchilada sauce. What Can I say? I’m a sauce girl and I want more!!!!






  47. Ali,
    I have made several different recipes for Chicken Enchiladas and always felt they were bland. I attempted your recipe along with your homemade Red Sauce as the comments all said the sauce made the Enchiladas. The Red Sauce came out famously and I will always make this in place of buying a canned version from a store. My family loved the Enchiladas and Red Sauce, as well as your BEST Apple Pie Ever!
    Thanks for great recipe’s and easy to follow instructions!

  48. These are amazing! My husband couldn’t stop praising these. Some of his comments: “These are better than the ones at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. “ and “You hit a home rum, touchdown and an extra point with these!” This recipe is a keeper!

  49. Where’s the recipe for the red sauce?

  50. I really enjoyed it. It’s the new go to.??