Easy Chicken Enchiladas are a family favorite and an easy meal to put on the table. Warm, cheesy chicken, diced green chiles and peppers are baked in whole wheat tortillas with a cheesy enchilada sauce on top.
If someone was to ask me what the best thing you can give a new Mom as a gift is I would say a meal. Hands down when I had a baby I found cooking and putting a healthy meal on the table to be one of the hardest things to do. Today’s Chicken Enchiladas are one of the meals I like to bring friends when they need a helping hand. They are the best chicken enchiladas.
They are easy to put together and refrigerate until they are ready to be eaten. Aside from giving these to friends, my family also loves them. They are on rotation at my house.
See full list of simple ingredients below in recipe card with exact measurements.
Chicken
Diced Tomatoes
Vegetables: Bell Pepper, Onion, Diced Green Chilies
Spices: Cumin, Cayenne Red Pepper
Cheese
Enchilada Sauce
Tortillas
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas
Step 1: Cook Chicken: Start by deciding if you are going to cook chicken, leftover chicken or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you use a rotisserie chicken you will first shred the chicken. If you are cooking the chicken breasts go ahead and do that and then chop or shred it.
Step 2: Create Filling: In a large mixing bowl stir together the shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, green chilis, chopped green pepper, sweet onion, cumin, red pepper and 1 cup of cheese. Mix until well combined and set aside.
In a 9×13 inch baking dish use 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and coat the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
Step 3: Assemble: Place tortillas on a large plate. Then using a spoon place 2-3 spoonfulls of the chicken mixture into the center of the tortilla and roll it until closed. Place seem side down in the dish. Continue to do all of the tortillas laying them side by side.
Step 4: Add Sauce: Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Step 5: Bake: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are warm on the inside. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with mexican rice. Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipe Variations
Beans: You can use black beans, kidney beans, red beans or pinto beans. Sometimes I will also do a layer of refried beans.
Cheese: There are a lot of cheese options. Try monterrey jack cheese, sharp cheddar, pepper jack, cojita or colby.
Vegetables: I love adding chopped up veggies to the mixture that goes in the enchiladas. Try any bell pepper, poblano, zucchini, sweet bell peppers, red onion, green onions, poblano peppers, sweet potatoes, diced green chiles or carrots.
Protein: You could swap the chicken for sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey or ground beef.
Easy Chicken Enchiladas are a family favorite and an easy meal to put on the table. Warm, cheesy chicken, diced green chiles and peppers are baked in whole wheat tortillas with a cheesy enchilada sauce on top.
1medium green pepper, chopped (can use red, yellow or orange)
1/4sweet onion, chopped
1teaspooncumin
1/4teaspoonred pepper , {or more if you like it a bit spicier}
Salt and pepper to taste
2cupssharp cheese , shredded {divided in half} {or cheese of you choice}
1cupred enchilada sauce, divided
8whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. The way I cooked the chicken is by placing the four chicken breasts in a wide pan with a dash of salt and pepper, 1 bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Put water in the pan so 2 inches covers the chicken.
Bring the chicken to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and cover and let sit for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
To shred chicken: Use two forks to shred the chicken. You can also use a stand mixer by placing the cooked chicken breasts in the mixer and use the paddle attachment to slowly mix the chicken breasts which will shred it.
In a large mixing bowl stir together the shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, green chiles, chopped green pepper, sweet onion, cumin, red pepper and 1 cup of cheese. Mix until well combined and set aside.
In a 9×13 inch baking dish use 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and coat the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
Place tortillas on a large plate. Using a spoon place 2-3 spoonfulls of the chicken mixture into the center of the tortilla and roll it until closed. Place seem side down in the dish. Continue to do all of the tortillas laying them side by side.
Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are warm on the inside. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.
Notes
You can use a variety of cheese for this dish. I like to mix sharp cheddar with pepper jack cheese for some spice.
I like to assemble these enchiladas ahead of time to save myself time.
You can assemble them up until the step where you add the enchilada sauce and cheese to the top of the enchiladas. Place the enchiladas in the refrigerator covered until you are ready to cook them. Then you can add the enchilada sauce and cheese when you are ready to cook.
This also works great if you want to give this meal to a friend. Just deliver the pan of assembled enchiladas with the enchilada sauce and cheese on the side so they can add that before cooking.
I so totally agree about how much new moms appreciate a good, healthy dinner magically appearing just when they need it most! When my twins were born, we couldn’t believe what a difference that made in our lives – so much more than we ever would have thought! This gorgeous casserole is just the perfect thing to share – looks absolutely fantastic!
A Mom with twins!? Yes, you would definitely need a lot of these type of meals. I just don’t know how you Mom’s with twins do it. I give you a lot of credit! 🙂
I'm Julia. Wife, mom to three growing boys, lover of food. Here you will find quick & easy weeknight meal ideas, kid-friendly recipes and a few sweet treats. My roots are from the Mediterranean and many of my recipes incorporate those flavors!
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
It gives me SO MUCH satisfaction to successfully make a meal out of all the things in my fridge that *need* to be used up asap.
Oh yum yum yum! One of my favorite meals. I could seriously eat enchiladas and Mexican food every day for the rest of my life. 🙂
we don’t do enchiladas enough either – and they are SO good!
This recipe looks easy and perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Yummy too.
I so totally agree about how much new moms appreciate a good, healthy dinner magically appearing just when they need it most! When my twins were born, we couldn’t believe what a difference that made in our lives – so much more than we ever would have thought! This gorgeous casserole is just the perfect thing to share – looks absolutely fantastic!
A Mom with twins!? Yes, you would definitely need a lot of these type of meals. I just don’t know how you Mom’s with twins do it. I give you a lot of credit! 🙂