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These certainly are the best chicken enchiladas ever!
At first glance, these enchiladas are very typical – just sautéed chicken, onion, and green chiles rolled up with beans and cheese in your choice of tortillas. But the moment anyone takes a bite, they come to find that the magic lies entirely in this traditional Red Enchilada Sauce. It packs the most delicious, rich, and complex flavors that make these enchiladas taste like you’ve been working on them all day. But in reality, this simple sauce only takes a few short minutes to prep.
Chicken Enchilada Ingredients
This easy chicken enchilada recipe is extremely flexible when it comes to ingredients. Feel free to get creative and customize your chicken enchiladas however you like. In general, you will need:
- Chicken: I typically use diced boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use pre-cooked chicken, such as a shredded rotisserie or any leftover baked chicken, if you would like to save time.
- Onion and diced green chiles: These are added to the filling for flavor.
- Beans: Black beans, pinto beans, white beans, or lentils would all work great here.
- Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional in enchiladas, but I typically use flour tortillas since they are much easier to roll. Any of your favorite tortillas will work though.
- Cheese: I like to use Mexican-blend shredded cheese for these enchiladas, but cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, or other shredded cheeses would also do.
- Toppings: Chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion, sour cream, guacamole, crumbled cotija, or whatever else sounds good! When it comes to enchilada toppings, the more, the merrier.
The Traditional Enchilada Sauce
Finally, there is one more essential ingredient we must discuss, this traditional Red Enchilada Sauce.
This enchilada sauce is quite literally the secret sauce that makes these enchiladas the hands-down best. It tastes a million times better than anything in the can. It’s quick and easy to make while you prepare the rest of the enchiladas and definitely worth the extra few minutes to whip up a batch from scratch.
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas
Now that we have our ingredients all ready to go, let’s talk about how to make enchiladas.
- Prepare your sauce. Soak your dried chiles for the Red Enchilada Sauce while you prepare the enchilada filling.
- Prepare your filling. Sauté the onion, followed by the diced chicken and green chiles. Season with salt and pepper. Then go ahead and stir in the black beans to complete your filling.
- Assemble your enchiladas. Lay a single tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a generous spoonful of enchilada sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Then spoon your filling mixture in a line down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up.
- Arrange the enchiladas in a baking dish. Coat the bottom of your baking dish with a small amount of enchilada sauce. You can then either place the chicken enchiladas seam-side-up or seam-side-down in the dish. Pour any remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle on some extra cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas. Bake uncovered until the enchiladas are cooked through and the edges of the tortillas get slightly crispy. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with your favorite toppings, and…
- Serve warm. And enjoy!
What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas
Looking for some delicious side dishes to round out your meal? Any of these Mexican favorites would be delicious served with these easy chicken enchiladas.
- Mexican Street Corn Cups (Esquites)
- Frijoles de la Olla
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Margaritas
The Best Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- Large sauté pan
- 9 x 13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into small 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 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 chopped
- avocado sliced
- guacamole
- sour cream
- cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your enchilada sauce.
- 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.
- Spread 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- 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 the 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.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until the enchiladas are cooked through and the tortillas are slightly crispy on the outside. Remove pan from the oven and serve the enchiladas while they’re nice and warm, garnished with lots of toppings.
- Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
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