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.

EASY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

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.

I like meals that use shredded chicken from the crockpot, or a rotisserie chicken that you can shred to create a quick meal.

We rotate between today’s Easy Chicken Enchiladas these Easy Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe and Beef Enchiladas.

I also like using this Homemade Enchilada Sauce in other dishes like these Chicken Enchilada Sliders, Chicken Enchilada Soup, Beef Enchilada Casserole and this One Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta.

WHAT YOU  NEED TO MAKE THESE EASY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

CHICKEN 

DICED TOMATOES

DICED GREEN CHILIES

VEGETABLES: BELL PEPPER, ONION

SPICES: CUMIN, RED PEPPER

CHEESE

ENCHILADA SAUCE

FLOUR TORTILLAS 

HOW DO I MAKE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS?

This is a very easy recipe. I think some people think that it will take a lot of time and is complicated but that is not the case.

Lets talk about this chicken enchilada recipe and how easy they are to put together. 

COOK THE 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. 

MIX TOGETHER THE 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.

ASSEMBLE THE ENCHILADAS: 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.

ADD THE SAUCE: Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

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. 

WAYS TO MODIFY ENCHILADAS: 

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. 

SPICE: If you like heat and spice in your food try chopping up jalapeños or adding some hot sauce. You also can use more chili powder to add more rich, spice. 

CITRUS: Lime juice would be a nice addition to stir into the black beans. 

PROTEIN: You could swap the chicken for sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey or ground beef.

TORTILLAS: For a healthier enchilada use whole wheat tortillas or gluten-free tortillas. You also can try corn tortillas.

TOPPINGS: Load on toppings if you would like. Bake the enchiladas and add avocado, cilantro, tomatoes or salsa. I love adding salsa like pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa verde, pickled red onions or cowboy caviar.

SAUCE: You can use a red enchilada sauce or a green enchilada sauce.

OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE

MEXICAN STYLE ACORN SQUASH

MEXICAN STYLE ZUCCHINI

SLOW COOKER MEXICAN CHICKEN LIME SOUP

CHILAQUILES ROJOS

CHICKEN TINGA