Chicken Enchiladas | Olive & Mango

These easy chicken enchiladas are a perfect weeknight dinner and always welcome to the dinner table any night of the week! Stuffed with cheese, shredded chicken, black beans and corn, baked in a red enchilada sauce topped with shredded cheese and baked until warm and crisp, the Mexican-inspired dish is delicious alongside tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole and rice. Add your favorite toppings and also make sure to use the suggested substitutions listed below to customize your very own enchiladas and enjoy the best chicken enchilada recipe.

What is typically in enchiladas?

What are enchiladas made up? There is so much variation here. Enchiladas are filled with various things like beef, pork, seafood, vegetables and chicken like these ones right here. You can also add beans and cheese into the filling as well. Enchiladas are usually baked in enchilada sauce either red or green and then topped with shredded cheese. They are baked until golden and bubbling and served with all the fixings like extra cheese, chopped onions green or red, chili peppers, sliced avocado, salsa, pico de Gallo and fresh cilantro.

Chicken enchilada ingredients and substitutions

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of shredded chicken enchiladas. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box below.

• Olive oil– to sauté the onion and garlic
• Red Onion & Garlic – For added flavor. You could replace the red onion with yellow onion or shallots if you’d like.
• Shredded chicken – I typically use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. But feel free to use roasted chicken, baked chicken, or poach chicken and shred your own chicken breast.
• Black Beans – If you don’t have black beans, you can use any kind of beans in their place like pinto or white beans. You could also omit the beans and substitute with extra chicken and corn or you can also replace the beans with 1 ½ cups of cooked rice.
• Corn – You could use fresh corn, canned corn or frozen corn.
• Cumin, Oregano, Chili powder & Paprika – I love the delicious earthy smokey flavor that all these spices and herbs add. Feel free to adjust amounts according to taste
• Chilies in adobo sauce – I love the smokey heat and flavour that they add – they do add some serious heat though so feel free to omit if you don’t want heat in your enchiladas. I like to add 1-2 for mild to medium heat feel free to add more or less and try to scrape out the seeds if heat is a concern as well.
• Green Chiles – I used canned and they always add extra flavour – omit if you don’t have any
• Grated Cheese – Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese can be used or your favourite Tex Mex or Mexican cheese blend. you can even use mozzarella if you prefer.
• Flour or Corn Tortillas – I prefer to use flour tortillas for this enchilada recipe but corn tortillas will work as well – just make sure you heat the corn tortillas before rolling so that they don’t break.
• Enchilada Sauce – You can use your favorite store-bought brand for this recipe, or if you have a favourite homemade sauce recipe you are welcome to use it here
• Optional enchilada toppings: sliced green onions, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red onion, diced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, lime wedges.

How to make chicken enchiladas

1. Cook the filling.
2. Roll the filling in the tortillas.
3. Arrange the tortillas seam-side down in a baking dish with some of the sauce in the bottom.
4. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake the enchiladas in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through and the edges of the tortillas are a bit crispy.
6. Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve warm.

Tortillas – corn vs flour

Are Enchiladas Better with Corn or Flour Tortillas? You can use either corn tortillas or flour tortillas in this recipe, so pick whichever option you prefer. While corn tortillas are most traditional for enchiladas, I always use flour tortillas. My family prefers the soft texture of the flour tortillas, and I find that they’re easier to work with because they don’t rip or tear when rolling and don’t really need any special preparation.

Why do my tortillas fall apart?

If you’re using flour tortillas for this recipe, you won’t have to worry about the tortillas falling apart. If you’re using corn tortillas, you will run into issues if you do not heat the tortillas before rolling. Because of their texture, corn tortillas are prone to drying out and can easily fall apart. Giving the corn tortillas a quick saute in some oil is the way to make them pliable and easy to work with.

Do you cook corn tortillas before making enchiladas?

Yes! But it’s a quick and easy process! Just heat vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat – add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Pan fry tortillas one at a time, for about 10 seconds on each side, then fill and roll the enchiladas. A quick sizzle in the skillet is going to boost the flavor of the corn tortillas and allow you to roll them without them breaking.

How to cook chicken for enchiladas

You need a total of about 3 cups of cooked, pulled chicken for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:

• Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs until cooked through (about 15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks.
• Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed. Not only is this a convenient option, but the rotisserie chicken also adds great flavor to the dish.
• Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal, put those extras to good use in this recipe.

Make ahead and storage

Enchiladas make a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the enchiladas up to 24 hours in advance and keep them covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes or bake chilled adding a few extra minutes to ensure they are cooked through. Leftover enchiladas will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Can you freeze chicken enchiladas?

Yes! You can freeze the chicken enchiladas. Freezing enchiladas is easy and can be done before baking. Wrapped tightly, the assembled dish will keep in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.

When ready to bake, allow the enchiladas to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake according to recipe instructions. Alternatively, if the enchiladas are in a freezer-to-oven-safe container, you can bake them directly from the freezer. Cover the dish with foil and bake the frozen enchiladas covered in a 350° F oven for about 20 minutes, then remove the cover and continue baking for about 20 more minutes (or until heated through).

If You are Baking them straight from the freezer – make sure your dish is freezer to oven safe and bake covered at 400°for 40 minutes then remove foil and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is bubbling

How to reheat leftover enchiladas

If reheating a portion or the entire pan of enchiladas, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake in a 350° F oven until warmed through (about 20 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

If you love Enchiladas then you must check these recipes out: