Easy Chicken Enchiladas

These Easy Chicken Enchiladas will be your new go-to for a simple weeknight dinner. Packed to the brim with tender chicken, lots of cheese, homemade enchilada sauce and even more cheese. This is the homemade comfort food you’ve been craving, plus it’s totally customizable!

Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

On busy weekdays, there’s not much time for cooking. Sometimes I’ll take shortcuts and I’ll end up ordering some enchiladas or burritos for takeout. Once I discovered these chicken enchiladas, though, that all changed! They take almost no effort to make and I typically have everything I need to make them already in my kitchen.

These enchiladas are so saucy, cheesy, and they fulfill that craving for Mexican food! I used a rotisserie chicken to make these because, well, I just love them. But, I’ll also make these using up some leftover chicken from the night before. Nothing like sneaking leftovers into dinner without anyone noticing!

• Olive oil – We need a little bit of olive oil to cook the chicken breast in. Other oils can be used as well such as vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
• Chicken – I used about 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts that I cooked and chopped up into cubes. You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken to save up time. You can shred up any pre cooked chicken; it’s a great way to use up leftovers.
• Taco seasoning – I love to add a little extra flavor into my enchiladas, but this ingredient is totally optional.
• Cheese – I used a Mexican blend shredded cheese which includes Monterey Jack, cheddar, Asadero and queso quesadilla cheese. If you can’t find you can also mix your favorite cheeses. Some that will work are marble, provolone, Tex Mex, Monterey Jack, or even some gouda.
• Green chiles – These are the canned kind and they come already chopped. If you’re worried about spiciness, don’t. I don’t find them spicy at all, however feel free to use as much as you like.
• Onion and garlic – You’ll want a nice large onion here and as much garlic as you like.
• Flour tortillas – Store-bought or homemade. You can also use corn tortillas instead.
• Enchilada sauce – Use store-bought or homemade.
• Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
• Parsley – Freshly chopped for garnish. Cilantro will work too.

How to make chicken enchiladas

1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Make the filling: Season the chicken breasts generously with taco seasoning on both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet then add the chicken breasts. Cook on both sides for about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through and browned. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut into small cubes. In the same skillet, add the onion, a bit more taco seasoning if you want, and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the green chiles, garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chicken back to the skillet and about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir everything together, and cook for 2 more minutes until the chicken heats through.
3. Roll: Place the tortillas on your work surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla, then about 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and roll them up. Spoon about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it around a bit. Place the enchilada rolls, seam-side down, in the prepared casserole dish (it should be a tight fit). Pour the remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Bake: uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese has melted. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve.

Enchilada fillings

I wanted to make this recipe basic, made with staples in your kitchen that can be thrown together any night of the week. If you want these enchiladas to be a bit more loaded up or even add some nutritional value with veggies, there are tons of great ingredients you can add. Keep in mind the more add-ins you mix in, the more filling you’ll have. You may need an extra tortilla or two.

• Corn or esquites
• Peas
• Tomatoes
• Hot peppers
• Bell peppers
• Olives
• Cilantro
• Beans
• Other meat such as carnitas, barbacoa, or (cooked) ground meats.

How to serve chicken enchiladas

I like to offer up some toppings for my enchiladas. Some sour cream, hot sauce, freshly chopped lettuce, guacamole, and pico de gallo make for a wonderful spread. If you’d like to serve your enchiladas with some sides or finger foods, here are some of my favorites:

• Beef Empanadas
• 3 Ingredients Mexican Rice
• Super Easy Taco Dip
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Antojitos
• Black Bean Corn Avocado Salsa
• Tex Mex Potato Salad
• Avocado Shrimp Salsa
• Homemade Salsa

Of course, no great meal is complete without a drink. Try a homemade mojito, piña colada, or margarita!

How to store leftovers

Make sure your enchiladas have fully cooled down to room temperature before storing. Transfer to an airtight container or cover the baking dish well with wither plastic wrap or bees wrap. Leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge.

You can reheat at 20-30 second intervals in the microwave. It may help to cut the enchiladas in half width-wise to ensure the middles reheat. You can also reheat in the oven, covered, at 325F for 10 minutes or until heated through.

How to freeze chicken enchiladas

If you’d like to turn this into a freezer-style meal, you can prep a pan ahead to make week night dinners easy. To freeze:

Unbaked enchiladas

Prepare the enchiladas in the baking dish, and leave out the sauce and cheese. Wrap the baking dish well with both plastic wrap and foil. They will last 6-8 months frozen. To bake, let the enchiladas thaw overnight in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge for 1 hour before baking to let them come to room temperature. Top with the enchilada sauce and cheese, then bake as per the recipe instructions.

Baked enchiladas

If you want to freeze some already baked leftovers, make sure they fully come down to room temperature before freezing. You can wrap the baking dish well with both plastic wrap and foil, or transfer them to an airtight container. Let the enchiladas thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Follow the reheating instructions in the previous “How to store leftovers” section.

Looking for more recipes like this?

• White Chicken Enchiladas
• Easy Chicken Fajitas
• Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
• Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Enchilada Taquitos
• Enchilada Meatball Bake
• Cheesy Beef Quesadillas
• Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas