These Chicken Enchiladas are packed with juicy chicken and gooey cheese! They’re incredibly easy to make, so delicious, and bonus: kid approved!
These chicken enchiladas are pretty much perfection. They are packed with a creamy chicken and veggie filling, topped with ooey-gooey cheddar cheese, and drenched in sweet and spicy enchilada/taco sauce blend.
SO. DARN. YUMMY!
Ingredients
What makes these enchiladas the best? The chicken gets baked in taco seasoning for extra flavor!
- Olive Oil – used to cook the chicken breasts to help keep them moist.
- Chicken Breast – chicken thighs would also work for this recipe but cook time may be affected. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.
- Onion and Bell Pepper – the classic veggie combo. Use red pepper, green pepper—or both! I love the additional nutritional value, flavor, and texture onions and peppers give!
- Taco Seasoning – feel free to use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning packets or whip up some of my homemade seasoning (use 3 tablespoons for each packet—so in this case, 6 tablespoons!)
- Sour Cream – makes the filling creamy and tangy to balance out the smoky taco seasoning.
- Flour Tortillas – I prefer flour tortillas over corn for flavor and texture in this recipe. They’re heartier than corn, so they hold up better to the filling. You could use corn tortillas, but I find them extremely hard to work with.
- Taco Sauce – one of my secret ingredients! I love the smoky, rich flavor this brings to the filling.
- Enchilada Sauce – you can’t have enchiladas without it! Use your favorite store-bought brand for this awesome semi-homemade dinner!
- Cheddar Cheese – I use sharp cheddar cheese, because I love the bold flavor and it melts really well, but use your favorite cheese or a blend of different kinds.
- Salt – enhances the other flavors in the enchiladas.
- Lime Juice – gives a little tangy kick and cuts through the smoky flavor of the taco and enchilada sauce.
How to make
Bake the chicken and veggies, assemble, bake, and dig in! These chicken enchiladas couldn’t be easier or more flavorful!
- Toss your chicken, veggies, and taco seasoning together on a baking sheet, then bake until the chicken has cooked through.
- Pour the cooked chicken and veggie mixture into a large mixing bowl then stir in salt, lime juice, and sour cream.
- Fill each tortilla with taco sauce and chicken mixture.
- Roll, then place seam-side down in a prepared baking dish.
- Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake, serve, and enjoy!
Can you use corn tortillas?
You can use corn tortillas, but I find them extremely hard to work with. Corn tortillas are more stiff so they are more likely to break when you roll the enchiladas.
I highly recommend flour tortillas in these enchiladas. The flavor and texture just works better in this recipe. They’re heartier than corn, so they hold up better to the filling and they don’t break as easily.
If you’d like, you can try using a blended tortilla made with corn and flour. Those tend to hold up better than an all corn tortilla, but gives you that corn flavor!
Can you use pre-cooked chicken?
You can use pre-cooked chicken in these enchiladas, but I highly recommend making the recipe as directed. I love to cook my own chicken for these enchiladas so it’s extra flavorful and moist. It’s worth the extra step, I promise!
If you want to use pre-cooked chicken, you can cook the veggies as directed, then toss the cooked veggies with taco seasoning and the pre-cooked chicken before proceeding from step 5 in the recipe card.
How to keep enchiladas from getting soggy?
A great way to keep your enchiladas from getting soggy is to briefly fry the tortillas in a little oil before filling and rolling the enchiladas. The oil creates a barrier so the tortillas don’t soak up too much of the sauce and get mushy. (*not tested).
Personally, I’ve never done this and I’ve never had a problem with my enchiladas getting soggy!
What’s the difference between taco sauce and enchilada sauce?
Taco sauce is tomato based while enchilada sauce is chili pepper based. They provide different but equally delicious flavors. I absolutely love the combination of flavors in this recipe.
If you only have one or the other, feel free to use what you have, but you will miss out on some of the flavor!
How to make vegetarian
You can easily make these enchiladas vegetarian.Leave out the chicken and instead, roast other veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, or broccoli along with your onion and pepper mixture.
Roasting time will vary depending on the vegetables used and be sure to taste and re-season as necessary!
What to serve with chicken enchiladas
Enchiladas are a meal on their own, but if you’d like to bulk it up, here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with them:
Don’t forget the toppings! Fresh cilantro, extra sour cream, sliced jalapeños, and pico de gallo are all delish!
Can you make enchiladas ahead of time?
I don’t recommend assembling the enchiladas ahead of time, because the tortillas will start to break down and get soggy. You can, however, prep most of this recipe in advance:
- Bake and stir together the veggie and chicken filling. Store in a sealed container in the fridge up to a day in advance.
- Shred your cheese. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Then, assemble and bake as directed when you’re ready! You may need additional bake time to warm the filling.
How to store
Store your leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
If frozen, let them thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
– Jennifer
Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts cubed
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 large bell pepper diced (green or red)
- 6 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 2 (1.5 oz) packets store-bought taco seasoning
- salt to taste
- lime juice to taste
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10 (8 inch) flour tortillas sometimes labeled as "taco size"
- 1 (12 oz) jar taco sauce
- 1-2 (15 oz) can(s) enchilada sauce
- 1 (8 oz) block cheddar cheese shredded, + more if desired
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, and grease 2 (9x13 inch) baking pans with cooking spray.*
- Toss together oil, cubed chicken, onion, pepper, and taco seasoning on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken has cooked through.
- Remove from oven, and cut chicken into smaller pieces, if desired.
- Pour into a large bowl, then add salt, lime juice, and sour cream. Taste and re-season, then set aside.
- Pour a thin layer of the enchilada sauce into each of the prepared pans.
- Take one tortilla and spread 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of taco sauce in the middle of the tortilla, then place about 1/3 cup of filling into the center, roll, and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas (you should have 5 tortillas in each pan).
- Top with enchilada sauce then cheese.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes or until the filling is warm and the cheese has melted.
- Cool 10 minutes before serving.
- Top with cilantro, sour cream, jalapeños, pic de gallo, etc. and enjoy!
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Notes
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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