These Chicken Enchiladas are a classic Mexican-inspired dish made with shredded chicken and a homemade (no cook!) red enchilada sauce. This is one of our favorite go-to recipes for an easy weeknight dinner. You can customize this recipe by spicing it up, with your own meat and vegetable choices, and using any toppings you like. It’s always a hit! We love Mexican food, and some of our other favorite recipes are this Slow Cooker Three Bean Beef Chili, my Mexican Shepherd’s Pie, and this Dorito Taco Salad. I’ll never claim to recreate authentic Mexican dishes, but I love being inspired by the spices and ingredients and making these dishes my own. This Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a deconstructed version of these chicken enchiladas you’ll also love! If you prefer beef over chicken, try my Beef Enchiladas recipe. Check out this list of Easy One Pot Meals You’ll Actually Want To Eat for more weeknight dinner ideas!
Ingredients Needed:
Enchilada Sauce
Tomatoes: canned crushed tomatoes are perfect for making enchilada sauce, be sure to use ones with no added salt, so you can control the saltiness of the sauce. You’re looking for smooth crushed tomatoes (no chunks) or a plain tomato sauce. Seasoning: use garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and chipotle powder for a flavorful sauce. You can add a pinch of cinnamon if you prefer. Sugar: use brown sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce if needed. You can use honey if you prefer.
Chicken Enchiladas
Oil: use olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil to sauté the vegetables. Onion: adds a great savory flavor base for this dish. Pepper: a green bell pepper will add some color and a burst of freshness to these enchiladas, but you can use a yellow or red pepper if you prefer. Chicken: use boneless chicken breast to make the shredded chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs also work well! Tortillas: we normally use flour tortillas because we prefer them, but corn tortillas are a more traditional choice. Make sure they’re about 7″ in diameter, or that they fit well in the pan you are using. Cheese: use a block of Monterey Jack cheese that you shred yourself for the best flavor (and stretchy cheese!). You can swap this for Mozzarella in a pinch. Garnish: use pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, or freshly cut lime wedges for garnish.
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas
This recipe is quick and easy to make! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Tips and Notes
Tortillas. Yellow corn tortillas or flour tortillas will work great, although corn tortillas tend to be a little more finicky to work with. Sauce: This recipe makes 4 cups of enchilada sauce. To save time you can also use about 4 cups of prepared enchilada sauce.
Chicken Enchiladas Variations
Meat. Try using a different meat for enchiladas, like my Instant Pot Pulled Pork. Vegetables. Swap the bell peppers and onions with other vegetables you enjoy, or add to them. Simply saute whatever you would like to use in the pan before adding the sauce and chicken. This is a great time to add beans as well! Beans. Refried beans and black beans are a great way to add more protein to these enchiladas. Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great as well. You can also substitute this for prepared Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken if you have some on hand! Cheese. Use cheddar cheese, Colby Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend for different flavors. Add heat. Make these enchiladas to your preferred spice level, by adding in some cayenne pepper, green chilis, jalapenos, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce to the chicken when cooking it, or to the wraps as you assemble them.
Serving Suggestions
These Chicken Enchiladas are filling and delicious all on their own but served with some sides they can go a bit further and add some variety. Serve with some vegetable side dishes for added nutrients, like Air Fryer Broccoli, Corn on the Cob, or Air Fryer Green Beans. You can also serve enchiladas with carby sides like Instant Pot Brown Rice, Garlic Bread, or even Homemade Crescent Rolls.
More Mexican-Inspired Dinner Ideas
Southwest Grilled Corn Chowder
Taco Casserole
Easy Taco Soup recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe
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