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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. Loved this recipe! I made this following the recipe exactly as printed, and it turned out perfectly. The Red Enchilada Sauce was very easy to make and is so much better than store bought!

    I’m making this for dinner tonight but am using leftover chicken from the smoked chicken that my husband made the other night. I’m sure it will be just as good!






  2. Made this for the fam tonight and they said they were the best enchiladas they’ve ever had – and my mom’s from Texas so you know that means something. I’m vegetarian so I kept one portion of the chicken mix completely normal but then for my portion I sauteed the onions in oil, added the canned green chiles and beans then turned off the heat and added some zucchini and red bell peppers. I didn’t want to cook the extra veggies in the pan in case they became too mushy so I simply mixed everything together without heat and then added the mixture to the tortillas. After baking, the veggies turned out perfect and all the flavors were there. These are some serious kick ass enchiladas – even for the vegetarians!






  3. Made a single batch the first time now my whole apartment building there’s like 20 of us can smell the scratch sauce as soon as I start making it. This is the beat out there.

  4. These are amazing! It was my first time making enchiladas and it was a great, straightforward recipe. As there were just the two of us eating them we had leftovers and I decided to heat those in the air fryer – took this recipe to a whole new level! They were crispy, cheesy, restaurant quality. I think next time I will do them in the air fryer from the beginning. Yum!






  5. I made chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight. They were easy, and tasty. I will definitely do this recipe again. I was also surprised how easy it was to make the sauce.






  6. My daughter is visiting an making this for dinner. Cannot wait to try it. Looks amazing






  7. I just made these for my parents and they were AMAZING! I think the homemade sauce really makes it come together! Great recipe! Thank you!!






  8. If you were to make this ahead of time would you cook it, refrigerate/freeze, then reheat? Or would you assemble, refrigerate/freeze, then cook as directed?

  9. Awesome recipe! My family loves it spicy so added chillies in adobo sauce and more chilly powder but the recipes as is is just perfect. Thank you!

  10. Hi there,do you know if crushed red pepper flakes would work as a substitute for the chilli powder? I simply cannot find the chilli powder recommended in this recipe in Western Australia
    TIA

  11. Thank you so much for this recipe! I made these last night, just as directed, and the entire family gave them a big thumbs up. They will be a regular addition at our house. Even my son, who does not like my ground beef enchiladas, really enjoyed these.






  12. Haven’t made yet but looks amazing! Of course with traditional corn tortillas you’d need to dip them in the warm sauce to soften to roll them…have you ever done this, and if so, frozen them? Id like to make several single servings to freeze, just not sure if I should freeze before or after baking. Thoughts?






  13. I want to serve this for Sunday lunch but will have a very short window of time between church and lunch, so I don’t think I could do the full assembly in between. I don’t want the tortillas to get overly soggy, so I wonder if it would be okay to do most of the assembling (leaving off the final layer of sauce/cheese) several hours ahead of time and reserving the final liquid until right before popping it in the oven.

    • Ashley, I’ve made these several times in advance and they didn’t get soggy.

  14. These are FIRE. I’ve made them twice now – delicious every time. Thank you!






  15. Hello —
    Can I substitute ground beef for chicken? Will that change the other ingredients or amounts?

    Thank you!

    Jess

  16. This is my go to recipe for something quick and filling… A++! The sauce has an array of seasonings that, when mixed with oil and broth, make the entire experience something truly special. You’ll make this meal again and again. No variations required, in my opinion. and I’ll admit to playing around with using the sauce for other meals… ;)






  17. Is this mild medium or hot?

  18. This is by far the best enchilada recipe I’ve had. Made it tonight for hubby and I and it is now officially my “go to” enchilada recipe. Do yourself a favor and make the enchilada sauce from scratch. Totally easy and totally worth it. Outstanding flavor and so much better for you than store bought sauce. I was pressed for time tonight so bought a supermarket rotisserie chicken and used that for the enchiladas. Effing delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.






  19. OMG, I made these the first time as a shelter in place experiment. WOW! They were fantastic, I’ve since made them again almost every week. And, have shared the recipe with anyone who’ll listen!

  20. If using pre-cooked chicken, how much should be used?

  21. I made these with the sauce tonight for dinner and they were really really delicious. I’m Mexican, and I have my old standby recipes but I like to experiment and try new recipes pretty often. These are exceptional. I made them for my old school 99 year old grandmother and one of my uncles, and they loved them too. So well done, and thanks for sharing! These are probably going into the regular rotation for awhile.






  22. Absolutely delicious, a regular meal at our home






  23. Bland. Unflavored. Unspiced. The insides, the chicken has no flavor. It tastes like boiled chicken and boiled onions with boiled beans, and yeah there’s chillis and sauce, but it doesn’t permeate it at all.
    It’s a little better reheated the next day.






  24. I served the chicken enchiladas with your red sauce, and it was fantastic. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!






  25. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!

    I made it a few times now, and always tweak it a little to my taste, it’s really adaptable. After a few months in quarantine I started cooking for elderly people in my town in the Netherlands who can’t go outdoors too much bacause of covid, and this old married couple happened to live in California and Mexico for 30+ years, and they absolutely loved these enchiladas! They told me it was better than they had in good restaurants in California.

    You have a fantastic website and great sense of taste!






  26. This recipe is soooo good! Thank you very much






  27. These were amazing! Will be making them again … often.






  28. First time trying. Surprised and delighted how easy it was snd how delicious this dish is! Homemade Enchilada Sauce is out of this world!






  29. SO TASTY and SO EASY! It was so fun to make this, but even better to eat. :)






  30. This was DELICIOUS. I will never ever use store bought sauce again!






  31. Sounds delicious

  32. The whole family loved these enchiladas. I’ll use the sauce forever!






  33. These chicken enchiladas and sauce were very good. Thank you for the recipe.






  34. Are the green chiles spicy? Usually when I cook food at home, I have to give my mom is she really can not have alot of spicy foods. Any ideas?

    • I just made the enchilada sauce……. I love spicy and boy was my mouth on fire! I substituted green jalapenos for the chilis and they are quite mild compared to the sauce. So for your mom, the chilis are the least of your hot problem!?

  35. My message got deleted…

    I followed the recipe to the T & it ruined the enchiladas. Please don’t make it.






    • With over 2000 reviews and an average of close to 5 stars, I have to think it is your cooking and not the recipe that failed you.






  36. Just got finished making and eating it! Delicious!! My family loves it. I thought they would complain about the enchilada sauce but they did everything but lick the pan! A definite go to from now on!






  37. Loved this recipe. I added hot and sweet jalapeños in the filling and on top. I also minced some habanero garlic for the chicken. I ended up cooking in the crockpot for an hour and turned out very delicious!






  38. Yum yum yum. We have made this several times and it’s a big hit every time. LOVE your homemade sauce. We’ll be trying the roasted cauliflower version next. THANK YOU!!






  39. I’ve made this multiple times and it’s a fan favorite every time. Thanks for sharing!

  40. Super fantastic and super easy. A family favorite! Thanks.






  41. Great recipe …easy to follow and an absolute tasty dish my family love. The secret really is with the homemade enchilada sauce






  42. Hi I was wondering, what should I substitute for black beans (legume allergy)? Or if there isn’t something to substitute with how should I alter the recipe to ensure they are full and just as good? Thank you!

  43. I have made this recipe twice in the last 2 weeks. The first time I used a can of Enchilada sauce, the enchiladas came out pretty good, but nothing to write home about. The next time, I tried making the linked Homemade Enchilada Sauce that she uses and OMG I will never buy enchilada sauce again! This will forever be my go-to enchilada recipe! Love love love!!






  44. Excellent and easy enchiladas recipe! Only change I will make next time is to make/use a double batch of sauce. (or not let it reduce as much as I did this time)






  45. My boyfriend and I made this tonight, low carb version, and it was absolutely incredible! I have never left a review but felt I had to with this one. Absolutely amazing.






  46. These are really amazing! The only addition I made was to add 1 chopped jalapeno when I sauted the onion.

  47. If using lentils instead of beans would I need to pre cook the lentils before adding to the chicken

  48. The family loved it!






  49. Great!

  50. Made these tonight and they are seriously AMAZING! The sauce is just perfect. This will be a regular in my house, thanks so much for the recipe!