Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce (⅓ cup if usig canned) in the bottom of a 9x13 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.
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.
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.