My small batch recipe for Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas come together in under an hours time thanks to pre-cooked shredded chicken. The flour tortillas are filled with shredded chicken, cilantro, and cheese are mixed with enchilada sauce. Rolled and baked until golden and topped with additional cilantro and diced tomatoes.
Cinco de Mayo is probably one of my favorite food holidays of the year. Of course, followed behind Thanksgiving, Christmas, and probably tied with 4th of July! We love Mexican food in our house. We eat it every Tuesday. Since being dairy free for the past year I’ve missed enchiladas (and quesadillas). I finally broke down and made my Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas recently. Holy cow I forgot how good they were.
Even my husband couldn’t stop raving (which since he’s married to a food blogger it means a lot because he is the most critical about my cooking)! I realized that I had never posted my chicken and cheese enchiladas recipe. Just my beef and green chile enchiladas. So here is my go-to enchilada recipe in all it’s glory today!
Ingredients
- Enchilada Sauce – I like to use my own homemade enchilada sauce
- Chicken – To expedite the process of making enchiladas I use my cooked shredded Mexican chicken
- Cilantro – This recipe calls for a lot of cilantro. If you don’t care for the flavors then feel free to omit the cilantro all together.
- Flour tortillas – I prefer my enchiladas with flour tortillas over corn tortillas.
- Cheese – Mexican shredded cheese or this Cabot Firey Jack Shredded Cheese is what I like to use.
- Tomato – I like to dice one plum tomato to add to the top of the enchiladas before serving.
How to make Chicken Enchiladas
These enchiladas come together pretty quickly; however, you do have a little prep work ahead of you. You’ll need to make the chicken ahead of time. I like to make the enchiladas ahead of time that way I can just pull them out of the refrigerator, heat and enjoy!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray an 8×8 square glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then, pour ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the baking dish. Swirl around and ensure that the entire bottom is covered in the sauce.
- In a large bowl add the shredded chicken, 3 tablespoons of the freshly minced cilantro, and ¼ cup of enchilada sauce. Mix well and set to the side.
- Lay a flour tortilla on the counter. Place in the middle of the tortilla; ½ cup shredded chicken and a ¼ cup shredded cheese. Close the tortilla in half then scoot all the filling to one side and roll tightly. Place the tortilla seam side down. Repeat until the other 3 enchiladas are made.
- Pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas–completely covering the tortillas. Top with ¼ cup of cheese.
- Bake with foil for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a remaining 5 minutes.
- While enchiladas are baking, heat the remaining enchilada sauce and set to the side.
- Remove from the oven and top with diced tomatoes and the remaining minced cilantro. Carefully cut and serve enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce on top and enjoy.
FAQs
My enchilada recipe is a smaller batch of enchiladas–just 4 servings opposed to the normal 8-10 servings of enchiladas. This will feed 4 hungry adults or a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids) with at least 1 serving leftover.
Traditionally, corn tortillas are used in authentic Mexican enchiladas. I always use flour tortillas which are more commonly used in Tex-Mex and American-style enchiladas. You can use whatever you happen to have on hand! It’s all about preference.
Other then the traditional chicken and cheese found in this recipe you can also put ground beef, pork, shrimp, refried beans, pinto beans, black beans, and even vegetables inside enchiladas.
If your tortillas aren’t fresh you might find they are breaking as you roll them. Simply place them in a damp cloth in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until warm and soft. Keep them covered and work one at a time. This should help make them more flexible and not crack and break.
Yes! One of my favorite things to do is batch cook and make two pans of chicken enchiladas. I will heat one in the oven for dinner and freeze the other pan of enchiladas in a disposable metal tin. I’ll assemble them and place the cheese on top like normal. Then wrap them tight with aluminum foil or use the paper/metal cover. Make sure you label what it is you just wrapped up and date it! It’s good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Perfect for an easy dinner.
To cook frozen enchiladas, you’ll first need to thaw them in the refrigerator over night until no longer frozen. Place the disposable pan on a baking sheet. Remove the lid if using one and replace with aluminum foil. Bake with foil for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a remaining 5 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
Here are all my tips and tricks for making chicken enchiladas at home.
- Easily Shred Chicken – Place your cooked chicken breast and about a ½ cup of the sauce in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and let your mixer shred the chicken for you. In the matter of seconds you’ll have perfectly shredded chicken with little to no work on your part (minus the dish washing)!
- Make Ahead – I like to make the enchiladas ahead of time that way I can just pull them out of the refrigerator, heat and enjoy! I’ll sometimes make them in the morning or the night before we are going to enjoy them.
- Batch Cook – Since chicken enchiladas can take time some time to assemble. I like to make two pans. One to enjoy for dinner that week, and another to freeze for a future easy dinner.
- Enchilada Sauce – If you have extra time while preparing these enchiladas I encourage you to try my Spicy Enchilada Sauce. 100% homemade and you’ll never want to go back to store bought again! However, using the can sauce is totally okay too! You just won’t achieve as rich as a flavor. I find the canned sauce to not be as robust as making your own. I admit though in a pinch I use the canned sauce too! So don’t fret!
- Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce – Find yourself without any enchilada sauce at all and don’t want to spend the extra time making my homemade version. You can mix 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning with 1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce. It works in a pinch.
- Cheese – You can use any blend of Mexican shredded cheese. For this recipe I used the new Cabot Firey Jack Shredded Cheese. Complimented this recipe perfectly and gave it a nice little zing! I love to top the enchiladas with additional cheese.
- Gluten Free – You can make these enchiladas gluten free by using corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- Enchilada Toppings – Then once out of the oven I add fresh cilantro and diced tomatoes. You can serve the enchiladas with guacamole or slices of fresh avocado. If you are looking for more dairy add on a dollop of sour cream.
- Side dishes – I always make my favorite Mexican rice and ranchero beans. Homemade salsa, guacamole, and queso dip are nice to serve on the side with tortilla chips.
Enchilada Recipes
If you love enchiladas, you’ll love these other enchilada recipes.
If you are looking for a delicious and pretty simple enchilada recipe I hope you’ll give my recipe for chicken and cheese enchiladas a try.
If you make my easy enchilada recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 32 oz. enchilada sauce
- 2 cups cooked shredded Mexican chicken divided
- ¼ cup cilantro minced & divided
- 4 10- inch flour tortillas
- 1-¼ cup Cabot Firey Jack Shredded Cheese divided
- 1 plum tomato diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray an 8×8 square glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then, pour ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the baking dish. Swirl around and ensure that the entire bottom is covered in the sauce.
- In a large bowl add the shredded chicken, 3 tablespoons of the freshly minced cilantro, and ¼ cup of enchilada sauce. Mix well and set to the side.
- Lay a flour tortilla on the counter. Place in the middle of the tortilla; ½ cup shredded chicken and a ¼ cup shredded cheese. Close the tortilla in half then scoot all the filling to one side and roll tightly. Place the tortilla seam side down. Repeat until the other 3 enchiladas are made.
- Pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas–completely covering the tortillas. Top with ¼ cup of cheese.
- Bake with foil for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a remaining 5 minutes.
- While enchiladas are baking, heat the remaining enchilada sauce and set to the side.
- Remove from the oven and top with diced tomatoes and the remaining minced cilantro. Carefully cut and serve enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce on top and enjoy.
Notes
- Easily Shred Chicken – Place your cooked chicken breast and about a ½ cup of the sauce in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and let your mixer shred the chicken for you. In the matter of seconds you’ll have perfectly shredded chicken with little to no work on your part (minus the dish washing)!
- Make Ahead – I like to make the enchiladas ahead of time that way I can just pull them out of the refrigerator, heat and enjoy! I’ll sometimes make them in the morning or the night before we are going to enjoy them.
- Batch Cook – Since chicken enchiladas can take time some time to assemble. I like to make two pans. One to enjoy for dinner that week, and another to freeze for a future easy dinner.
- Enchilada Sauce – If you have extra time while preparing these enchiladas I encourage you to try my Spicy Enchilada Sauce. 100% homemade and you’ll never want to go back to store bought again! However, using the can sauce is totally okay too! You just won’t achieve as rich as a flavor. I find the canned sauce to not be as robust as making your own. I admit though in a pinch I use the canned sauce too! So don’t fret!
- Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce – Find yourself without any enchilada sauce at all and don’t want to spend the extra time making my homemade version. You can mix 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning with 1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce. It works in a pinch.
- Cheese – You can use any blend of Mexican shredded cheese. For this recipe I used the new Cabot Firey Jack Shredded Cheese. Complimented this recipe perfectly and gave it a nice little zing! I love to top the enchiladas with additional cheese.
- Gluten Free – You can make these enchiladas gluten free by using corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- Enchilada Toppings – Then once out of the oven I add fresh cilantro and diced tomatoes. You can serve the enchiladas with guacamole or slices of fresh avocado. If you are looking for more dairy add on a dollop of sour cream.
- Side dishes – I always make my favorite Mexican rice and ranchero beans. Homemade salsa, guacamole, and queso dip are nice to serve on the side with tortilla chips.
Nutrition
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