Introducing our flavorful and irresistible Chicken Enchiladas! Tender and juicy chicken wrapped in soft tortillas, smothered with a mouthwatering homemade enchilada sauce, and topped with gooey melted cheese. Each bite is a fiesta of flavors, creating a dish that will leave you craving more. Get ready to savor the essence of Mexico in every delicious enchilada, straight from Debi’s kitchen! 🌮🔥
Enchiladas are a popular Mexican dish consisting of tortillas filled with various ingredients, typically including meat, cheese, beans, or vegetables. After rolling or folding the filled tortillas, they are covered in a flavorful sauce, often made from chili peppers or tomatoes. The dish is baked until the tortillas become soft, and the flavors meld together beautifully.
Enchiladas can be served with toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and chopped cilantro, making them a delicious and versatile meal with a perfect blend of savory, spicy, and tangy flavors.
A Word About the Chicken
Enchilada recipes often call for precooked chicken, which is typically grilled, oven-baked, or from store-bought rotisserie – all cooked using DRY heat, leading to dry chicken. The solution? Cook the chicken over low heat in a liquid, ensuring a tender and succulent result (full instructions below).
Braising is the perfect cooking method for enchiladas as it ensures the chicken stays moist and tender throughout the preparation. When chicken is braised, it is cooked slowly in flavorful liquid, allowing the meat to absorb all the rich and savory flavors. This slow cooking process breaks down the tough fibers in the chicken, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture that complements the other ingredients in the enchiladas perfectly.
The Most Common Enchilada Mistakes
1. Not Frying the Tortilla
Tortillas are like spices stuck in a package, and they need a little wakeup call. When they’re cold, they get all brittle, and that’s no bueno. So, here’s the secret: pan fry them in a tad of olive oil for about 10-20 seconds. This stops the tortillas from soaking up too much sauce and getting all soggy.
2. Using Canned Enchilada Sauce
This, my friends, takes such little effort, yet it has a huge payoff. We have a red enchilada recipe on our site that takes just a few minutes of prep time. It has over 100 comments, and let me tell you, it tastes way better than a can!. You should check it out.
3. Overstuffing the Tortilla
It’s easy to do. We’ve all done it before, however, you want the right amount of filling in each tortilla and you want it to be consistent. To achieve that, I use a ÂĽ cup measuring cup to fill mine.
4. Not Dipping the Tortilla in the Sauce
The enchilada sauce plays a crucial role in the flavor of the dish, and merely pouring it over the tortillas just won’t do. Instead, after frying the tortilla for a few seconds, use a pair of tongs to dip it right into the enchilada sauce. I recommend using a 9×9 baking dish for this. Just pour the sauce into the dish, dip the tortilla, fill, and roll.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS:
- SHREDDED CHICKENÂ ~Â Chicken breasts are seasoned with a blend of cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, powder, and chili pepper and poached to retain moisture.
- TORTILLAS ~ The big question is flour tortilla or corn. It’s your choice. I prefer flour.
- ENCHILADA SAUCE ~ Again, it’s simple to make homemade enchilada sauce and it is ready in about 15 minutes!
- CHEESE ~I use a delicious blend of two kinds of cheese, Cotija cheese, a salty Mexican cheese, stars in the filling alongside shredded chicken. On top, I add Mexican cheese. I’ve discovered that using only Cheddar cheese results in a dish that’s way too oily.
HOW TO SERVE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Serve these delicious enchiladas with a side of Mexican rice, extra salsa, guacamole, sour cream, diced avocado and tomatoes, refried beans and a very large Margarita.
Make Ahead and Storage:
- Make Ahead – you can prepare these enchiladas earlier in the day or even the day before, then simply place them directly in the oven when you’re ready to cook.
- Fridge – Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the oven at 350°F until warm or in the microwave.
- Freezer – you can freeze them BEFORE cooking or AFTER cooking for up to 3 months.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPE
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Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1–2 Chicken Breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE FILLING:
- ½ Cup Onion, diced
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- ÂĽ Cup Bell Pepper (green or red, diced)
- 1 Cup Mexican Cheese
- 1 Cup Cotija Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped (you can sub cilantro also)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ Tbsp Chili Powder
- ½ Cup Enchilada Sauce
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
- 8 Flour Tortillas
- 8 oz Enchilada Sauce
- 1 Cup Mexican Cheese
Instructions
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- Season each side of the chicken breasts with the spice mixture.
- Heat about a cup of water (or chicken broth) in a sauté skillet and add the chicken. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Check periodically to see if more liquid is needed. Remove the chicken when it reaches 165°F from the water and let cool slightly. Shred the chicken with two forks into a large bowl and set aside.
FOR THE FILLING:
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil to a skillet and sauté the onions and peppers over low/medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as they are cooking to help bring out the water. The last 30 seconds, add the garlic and stir to combine.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the parsley (or cilantro), oregano, cumin and chili powder. Stir in the enchilada sauce and combine. Add this to the bowl with the shredded chicken mixture. Add the Cotija cheese. Stir to combine.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
- Pour some of the enchilada sauce into a low baking dish.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat that’s been sprayed with cooking oil or add a little oil to the pan. Warm each tortilla for 10-20 seconds per side. Using a pair of tongs, coat the tortilla in the enchilada sauce and then fill with about ÂĽ cup of the filling.
- Roll the tortilla into a cylinder and place it seam side down in a 9×13 pan that’s either been sprayed with cooking spray or coated with a thin layer of Enchilada Sauce.
- Top the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and the Mexican cheese
- Bake uncovered at 350° F for 20 minutes or the cheese is completely melted and they are warmed through.
- Serve with rice as a side dish or refried beans, chips and salsa.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS:
Mexican Rice
Guacamole
Salsa
Better than restaurant quality!! Amazing!
Absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully. Thank you so much for this recipe. It was rich and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again…and especially for company. It’s that impressive! 🙂
I pre made them last night and put some chopped jalapenos for a little heat. They were delicious!
I pre made them last night and put some chopped jalapenos for a little heat. They were delicious!
Totally worth the effort. Do not buy canned enchilada sauce, Debi’s recipe is outstanding and has so many positive comments. It takes so little time but it makes the recipe so much better. I love when you come out with new recipes. I’m the first to make them!~
This was such a good recipe. It took me a little longer to make than I had hoped it would take, but it was well worth the effort that I put in. I used the enchilada sauce too, and oh my goodness, it was spectacular. I love all of your recipes. Thank you!
aw thank you Krisi – I appreciate that!
The link to your enchilada sauce seems to be broken.
WHAT TEMPERATURE DO YOU BAKE THIS ENCHILADA RECIPE AT? YOU DIDN’T SAY? IT SOUNDS DELICIOUS.
350° Dianne