These easy Chicken Enchiladas are quick to make with a filling from shredded chicken, black beans, corn and enchilada sauce. They are filling and delicious – the perfect family dinner!
Chicken enchilada recipe
- Make these as convenient or as homemade as you like – with store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce, with rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken made from scratch!
- This is a great meal to make a day ahead of time, or to stash in the freezer for busy days!
- The filling includes shredded chicken, black beans and corn – for a filling and satisfying meal.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Corn tortillas: I highly recommend using corn tortillas or corn/wheat blend tortillas in this recipe. They are sturdier than pure flour tortillas and will hold up better in the casserole with the sauce added. I love flour tortillas for dishes like chicken quesadillas, but I always use corn/wheat blend tortillas for my red chicken enchiladas. They roll easier vs pure corn tortillas, but are sturdy enough to hold up in the casserole.
- Shredded chicken: Feel free to use store-bought shredded chicken, or shred a rotisserie chicken for convenience. You can also roast a whole chicken yourself if you catch one on sale – it yields amazing flavor! Or make shredded chicken on the stove.
- Enchilada sauce: I used my homemade enchilada sauce, but canned is perfectly fine!
- Black beans: If you want to cook your own black beans, I highly recommend making them in the instant pot!
- Cheese: I used a Mexican cheese blend, but a cheddar blend or Monterey Jack are also great.
- Onion: White onion is my favorite for this recipe, but yellow or even red both work, too.
- Green chiles: If you have very young children or family members very sensitive to spicy food, I recommend leaving these out (despite being called mild, my 2/4/6 year old children don’t tolerate them well). If you leave them out, I very highly recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar or pickle juice to the enchilada filling, to balance the flavors.
How to make chicken enchiladas
This is a walk-through of the recipe with step photos. Skip to the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact times and temperatures.
1. Start by cooking the chopped onion in olive oil until fully softened – you don’t want it to brown, so use medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
2. Finish the filling by stirring in all other filling ingredients until fully combined and covered in sauce.
cook onions add other filling ingredients
3. To start assembling, warm the corn tortillas and spread a couple tablespoons of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
warm tortillas spread layer of sauce in dish
4. Fill and roll each enchilada: Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the middle of a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese, then fold sides over the filling. Place the enchiladas, seam down, snuggly into the casserole dish.
lay out ingredients add enchilada filling sprinkle with cheese fold one side and the other place in dish
5. I tuck the end of the enchiladas in like shown in the image to the left right below (to make the two enchiladas on the side fit, and to keep the filling from spilling out). Spread with the remaining enchilada sauce.
enchiladas in dish spread with sauce
6. Sprinkle with cheese and bake around 20 minutes, until bubbly.
before baking after baking
7. Serve with your favorite toppings!
Recipe tips
- Do not skip spreading some sauce in the bottom of your dish, otherwise your enchiladas may come out too dry.
- There may be more complicated/thorough/authentic methods to roll up chicken enchiladas – but I’m usually just too short on time, so I do them quick and dirty like shown in the pictures above. I just tuck the ends a little once they are in the dish, to keep the filling from oozing out. I find this works just fine for this very busy and tired season I am in. Feel free to roll yours more professionally. I will too, once I no longer cook with a toddler glued to me ?
- The enchiladas are very snug in the casserole dish, which is important. That way, they stay rolled up and the filling doesn’t have much space to fall out.
- If you’re using canned enchilada sauce, you’ll be an ounce or two short compared to homemade sauce. I recommend you only spread ⅓ cup (vs ½ cup) of sauce in the dish initially, otherwise you will not have enough left to spread over the assembled enchiladas.
Enchilada FAQs
Corn tortillas are commonly used in more authentic enchiladas, while Tex-Mex recipes often use flour tortillas. I do find that flour tortillas don’t hold up as well in enchiladas, but corn tortillas are more difficult to roll.
My favorite tortillas for enchiladas are those made from a corn and wheat blend – sturdier than flour tortillas, but easier to roll than corn tortillas. They can be harder to find, but are worth the extra effort.
At the end of the day, you can use either corn or wheat (or half-and-half style) tortillas. Just know that each variation comes with its drawbacks.
Yes, you have to warm up the tortillas to soften them enough so they can be rolled up easily.
Many recipes call for cooking the tortillas in a skillet in oil. This definitely helps to increase their flavor and makes gold star, perfect enchiladas. However, I hardly ever have the time and/or patience to do it this way. Mea culpa, but I really need quick and easy these days – and you can make enchiladas without frying the tortillas, even if the taste may be minimally less perfect.
I usually wrap the tortillas in aluminium foil and stick them in the preheating oven for a few minutes. Alternatively, warm them in the microwave (NO FOIL in the microwave! Microwave instructions can be found on most tortilla packages).
Actually, I like my tortillas a little soft in enchiladas, ahem. If you want them more crisp, you will need to cook each tortilla in a little oil before filling and rolling them. Alternatively, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave like I said above; then lightly brush each with a little olive oil before filling and rolling.
I never do. Enchiladas only take 20-25 minutes to bake, which is not nearly enough time to even begin to darken them too much on top.
Yes, absolutely! You can refrigerate assembled, unbaked enchiladas for up to 24 hours, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Make ahead tips
Assemble the enchiladas as directed in the recipe, then tightly cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
To bake, remove from the fridge and uncover. Allow to sit on the counter while the oven preheats, then bake them as directed in the recipe (they may need 5 minutes longer, since they are cold from the fridge).
Freezer instructions
Assemble the enchiladas as directed in the recipe, then tightly wrap the casserole dish first in plastic wrap, then in aluminium foil. Label with the name and date, then freeze for up to 3 months.
Place the frozen casserole in the fridge to defrost overnight. Fully unwrap an allow to sit on the counter while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in the recipe, adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time to allow the enchiladas to fully heat through.
Serving ideas
We enjoy the enchiladas with a good helping of sour cream, diced avocado and fresh salsa.
If you need to round out your meal, I recommend making a chunky avocado salsa (or a tomato, cucumber avocado salad) to go with the dish. If you need something more substantial to feed more people, a Mexican bean salad or instant pot Mexican rice are both great with the enchiladas.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 2 cups enchilada sauce homemade; or one 15-oz can
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion diced
- 1 (4-oz) can diced green chiles
- 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 10 (6 to 8-inch) tortillas
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce (⅓ cup if usig canned) in the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large skilet over medium heat. Add onon and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in green chiles, chicken, beans, corn and 1 cup enchilada sauce.
- Warm tortillas (fry in skillet in oil OR warm in oven OR warm in microwave – see notes).
- Fill each tortilla with 2 heaping tablespoons chicken mixture and 2 heaping tablespoons cheese, roll up and arrange, seam-down, in prepared casserole dish. Enchiladas must be snuggly fitted, close toegther in dish.
- Spread with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Corn tortillas: I highly recommend using corn tortillas in this recipe, they are sturdier than flour tortillas and will hold up better in the casserole with the sauce added. I love flour tortillas for dishes like chicken quesadillas, but I always use corn tortillas for my red chicken enchiladas.
- Shredded chicken: Feel free to use store-bought shredded chicken, or shred a rotisserie chicken for convenience. You can also roast a whole chicken yourself if you catch one on sale – it yields amazing flavor! Or make shredded chicken on the stove.
- Enchilada sauce: I used my homemade enchilada sauce, but canned is perfectly fine!
- Black beans: If you want to cook your own black beans, I highly recommend making them in the instant pot!
- Cheese: I used a Mexican cheese blend, but a cheddar blend or Monterey Jack are also great.
- Onion: White onion is my favorite for this recipe, but yellow or even red both work, too.
- Green chiles: If you have very young children or family members very sensitive to spicy food, I recommend leaving these out (despite being called mild, my 2/4/6 year old children don’t tolerate them well). If you leave them out, I very highly recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar or pickle juice to the enchilada filling, to balance the flavors.
Recipe tips
- Do not skip spreading some sauce in the bottom of your dish, otherwise your enchiladas may come out too dry.
- There may be more complicated/thorough/authentic methods to roll up chicken enchiladas – but I’m usually just too short on time, so I do them quick and dirty like shown in the pictures above. I just tuck the ends a little once they are in the dish, to keep the filling from oozing out. I find this works just fine for this very busy and tired season I am in. Feel free to roll yours more professionally. I will too, once I no longer cook with a toddler glued to me ?
- The enchiladas are very snug in the casserole dish, which is important. That way, they stay rolled up and the filling doesn’t have much space to fall out.
- If you’re using canned enchilada sauce, you’ll be an ounce or two short compared to homemade sauce. I recommend you only spread ⅓ cup (vs ½ cup) of sauce in the dish initially, otherwise you will not have enough left to spread over the assembled enchiladas.
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