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These Chicken Enchiladas will soon become your new favorite recipe! Using only a handful of simple ingredients, these enchiladas are packed with lots of flavor!
These Chicken Enchiladas are SO easy to make, they require very little effort to throw together and the flavor is unbelievable! Made with simple ingredients you will probably have already on hand, this is a perfect weeknight dinner to add to your rotation!
These enchiladas are saucy, cheesy, and absolutely one of my favorite dishes to make! I wanted to make this recipe simple and basic, easy enough for anyone to cook. Packed FULL of tender, shredded chicken, yummy Monterey Jack cheese, and my homemade enchilada sauce.
What’s an enchilada?
For those of you who have never experienced the greatness of this delicacy:
An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and smothered with a savory sauce (typically enchilada sauce, of course). They can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, and veggies! Meaning, you can really be versatile with the ingredients you use.
You may be thinking, isn’t that basically a burrito? Well yes and NO.
Enchiladas VS Burritos
One of the main differences between enchiladas and burritos is that an enchilada is made with CORN tortillas, whereas a burrito is made with FLOUR tortillas.
The second difference between the two is that burritos can be a hand held food, you absolutely need to eat enchiladas with a fork because they are smothered in sauce. I’d like to see someone eat them with their hands to be honest, what a mess!
So there you have it, let’s get started!
Ingredients
- Enchilada Sauce – You can use my homemade enchilada sauce or store bought!
- Cream Cheese – Packaged cream cheese.
- Chicken – Cooked and shredded, to save time you can also buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it!
- Beans – Black beans, canned – drained and rinsed.
- Tortillas – I used flour tortillas because I find they work best for this dish, but you can use your preference! You can even make your own using my recipe here.
- Cheese – I used Monterey Jack cheese, shredded – again, you can use your preference!!
- Cilantro – Freshly chopped.
- Green Onions – Chopped.
How to make chicken enchiladas
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Make the Base: Add 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and cream cheese to a skillet over medium heat. Whisk until smooth, then mix in the chicken and black beans.
- Make the Enchiladas: Spread another cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13″ pan. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the mixture, and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken.
- Finish Assembling: Top the tortillas with the remaining cup of enchilada sauce and top with cheese.
- Bake & Serve: Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and serve.
Can I make chicken enchiladas in advance?
Yes of course! Transform your enchiladas into an easy freezer meal, which will save you big time on those busy weeknights! There are two options, you can leave them unbaked or bake them ahead and freeze. Here’s how:
Freezing UNBAKED enchiladas:
Prepare the enchiladas, leaving out the sauce and cheese. Wrap with both plastic wrap and foil, then store in the freezer. They will last 6-8 months frozen.
When ready to serve, let the enchiladas thaw overnight in the fridge and then take them out of the fridge for about an hour before baking (let them come to room temperature). Finish by topping with the enchilada sauce and cheese, then bake as per the recipe instructions.
Freezing BAKED enchiladas:
If you’ve already made your chicken enchiladas and want to freeze the leftovers, make sure they fully come down to room temperature before freezing! Store them in an airtight container in the freezer for 6-8 months.
When you’re ready to serve, let thaw overnight in the fridge. (See below for reheating instructions)
What else can I add to my enchiladas?
If you want to load up your enchiladas with some extra additions, there are a ton of great ingredients you can add! Keep in mind the more ingredients you do add, the more filling you’ll have! You don’t want the enchiladas to explode. Try these additions:
- Try a different protein such as carnitas, barbacoa, or cooked ground beef.
- Jalapenos or other Hot peppers
- Corn or esquites
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Bell peppers
- Olives
- Try using different cheeses as well!
It’s an easy dish to make your own, don’t be afraid to experiment!
How to serve
Occasionally I like to add a few toppings to my enchiladas. I like using the traditional go-tos for Mexican food cream such as sour cream, hot sauce, freshly chopped lettuce or slaw, guacamole, and some fresh pico de gallo!
Feel free to use whatever toppings you’d like or keep them as is! Simple, yet extraordinarily good.
Leftovers
Make sure to fully cool your leftover chicken enchiladas before storing. Keep in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
You can reheat your chicken enchiladas in the microwave for 20-30 second intervals or you can reheat in the oven, covered, at 325F for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Did you like this recipe? Try these!
- Beef Enchilada Stuffed Peppers
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Taco Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Street Tacos
- Cheesy Beef Quesadillas
- Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Super Easy Taco Dip
- Easy Mexican Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Bake
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 cups enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 15 ounce black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 12 medium flour tortillas or corn tortillas
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon cilantro freshly chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Make the Base: Add 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and cream cheese to a skillet over medium heat. Whisk until smooth, then mix in the chicken and black beans.
- Make the Enchiladas: Spread another cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13" pan. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the mixture, and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken.
- Finish Assembling: Top the tortillas with the remaining cup of enchilada sauce and top with cheese.
- Bake & Serve: Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Make sure to fully cool your leftover chicken enchiladas before storing. Keep in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- You can reheat your chicken enchiladas in the microwave for 20-30 second intervals or you can reheat in the oven, covered, at 325F for 10 minutes or until heated through.
