Enchiladas appeal to everyone, and this Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe is quick to make, delicious, easy to freeze and even easy to eat on-the-go. Hmmmm, that last one should make you think; how do you make a cheesy chicken enchilada easy to eat while walking? Read on.
Tender, juicy chicken mixed with smoky enchilada sauce and melted cheese all wrapped in tortillas and baked until warmed through. Another comfort food that’s perfect for a weeknight meal. Delicious!
How To Make Our Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Roll shredded chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce in a flour tortilla. Pour about ½ cup of sauce in bottom of pan. Place the chicken enchiladas in a greased 9” X 12” pan.
Spread a thin layer of sour cream over the tops of the enchiladas. This is an optional step but gives you a more golden color and little more crunch.
Top with additional sauce and cheese, cover and bake.
I like to put some toothpicks in some of the chicken enchiladas so that when you cover the pan with foil, the foil won’t stick to the cheese. The toothpicks act as tent poles if you will. About 6-8 toothpicks spaced around the perimeter of the pan works well.
Remove foil and toothpicks, top with chopped fresh lettuce, avocado, sliced jalapenos and sour cream.
You are really just reheating the meal, all of the food is already cooked.
Why Put Enchilada Sauce In The Bottom Of The Pan
You will often see for enchiladas and lasagnas to pour some sauce into the bottom of the pan. Why?
It gives some liquid to the tortillas (or noodles in lasagnas case) and keeps them from drying out and from potentially sticking to the bottom of the pan when cooking. That’s also why you add sauce to the top of the enchiladas too.
I’ve skipped this step several times and the enchiladas are still delicious, just a little crispier. Which is why you’ll see below in the Eat-On-The-Go section that I skip the extra sauce on both the top and bottom.
It would be difficult to eat a regular enchilada while you are walking unless you crisp it up to make it firmer.
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas To Eat On-The-Go
This easy chicken enchilada recipe travels well. It can be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Eat at room temperature or reheat, it’s your choice.
If you want to eat the chicken enchiladas when walking, then the technique below will make it less messy.
The key here is to put all the ingredients, even the ones that we’ve indicated as toppers for the regular easy chicken enchilada recipe, inside the tortilla.
When placing the chicken and sauce filling on the tortilla, stop about an inch short of the tortilla edge. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream and cilantro and jalapenos if using.
Fold opposite ends of the tortilla up and over about ½”. Then roll from third side like the regular enchiladas. This way you’ve made a pocket that will hold all the ingredients inside like a package. See picture below.
When baking spread with a thin layer of sour cream (optional) which will make the chicken enchilada crispier. You can add extra cheese on top to melt. Bake uncovered so that the chicken enchilada will firm up and get even more crispy. This way it’s easier to eat when walking.
Great way to make enchiladas to pack in a lunch box or backpack.
Homemade enchilada sauce or store bought?
Our homemade enchilada sauce(LINK) has a rich, smoky flavor and is so good and so easy. But if you’re in a hurry you can find enchilada sauce in the International aisle with the Mexican food in either cans or bottles.
A lot of the store-bought enchilada sauce is a little bland. If you want to make it pop, add a little chili powder, a third as much cumin and sugar.
What To Serve With Our Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Easiest is to serve chips and salsa or for a lighter side a simple green salad
Refried beans or black beans with cilantro
Corn on the cobb, a corn salad or corn pudding
Tomato or cucumber slices. Or combine them, add a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper
Rice, your favorite kind
Creamy coleslaw or Vinegar Based Coleslaw
Sautéed spinach with some butter and garlic
Make Ahead Tips For Our Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
You can save a few minutes by turning this recipe into a Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Instead of rolling the filling in each individual tortilla, pour half the filling into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with tortillas, slightly overlapping each other.
Top with remaining filling and another layer of tortillas. Pour extra sauce over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cook until warmed through.
Either way you decide to make the chicken enchiladas, they can be assembled and refrigerated up to a day ahead. Or see instructions for freezing below.
Ingredient Substitutions
Cooked chicken – My kids know that when I have leftover chicken that this easy chicken enchilada recipe isn’t far behind. Any leftover chicken will do.
Or buy a rotisserie chicken, remove skin and cut into bite size pieces or shred. People love the idea of the cooked rotisserie chicken, but I tell you, I really think its faster and easier to poach or pan fry boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast.
That way you don’t have to cut and pick the chicken off the bones of the rotisserie bird which takes time. Choose whatever method is easiest for you.
Or poach, grill, pan sauté or bake skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts. I suggest boneless because it cooks faster and is easier to cut up than boned chicken is. To me, thighs are juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts.
Cheddar cheese – use any cheese you like. Mozzarella is a good choice or Mexican blend.
Enchilada sauce – see above section titled Homemade Enchilada Sauce or Store-Bought where I tell you how to make your own Enchilada Sauce or how to doctor up store bought enchilada sauce
Toppings are optional – sour cream, chopped lettuce, avocado and jalapenos are great additions but optional.
Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
In 30 minutes you'll have easy chicken enchiladas on the table with smoky enchilada sauce encased in warm tortillas and melted cheese. Yum!
Ingredients
- 1 pound chopped cooked chicken about 5 skinless boneless thighs or 3 breast halves
- 24 ounces enchilada sauce store-bought or homemade
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, split
- 1 cup cilantro 3/4 cup chopped, 1/4 cup left with whole leaves
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 6 eight inch flour tortillas
Toppings
- 1 medium fresh jalapeno, optional sliced
- 1 medium avocado diced
- 1 cup chopped crisp lettuce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- reserved cilantro whole leaves
- 2 medium limes cut into wedges
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pour about ½ – 1 cup sauce in bottom of 8” X 10” pan. See notes if making enchiladas for on-the-go. -
In middle of tortilla, place a sixth of the chopped chicken,
cheddar cheese and cilantro in a straight line down the center of the
tortilla. Add 2 Tablespoons enchilada
sauce. Roll tortilla up and place seam
side down in prepared pan. -
Repeat with 5 remaining tortillas. Spread thin layer of sour cream over the tops
of the enchiladas. Cover with foil (optional)
and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated
through. -
Chop toppings while the enchiladas cook. Wash vegetables. Chop lettuce, slice jalapeno, dice avocado
cut limes. -
Top cooked dish with lettuce, jalapeno, avocado, sour cream
and some whole cilantro leaves. Or put the toppings in small dishes and let the
diners serve themselves.
Recipe Notes
If using store-bought enchilada sauce you can add some pop of taste with 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon sugar. Or make Easy Enchilada Sauce
Cover with foil? If you cover the enchiladas with foil it will keep the cheese from browning and the tortillas a little softer.
When covering the dish with foil, I like to add toothpicks in some of the enchiladas evenly spaced around. They act as “tent poles to keep the foil from touching the enchiladas and sticking to the cheese. Remember to remove the toothpicks when serving!
Enchiladas on-the-go – put a little of the toppings inside the tortilla so that it’s easier to eat when walking. Do not put extra sauce on the bottom of the pan or on top of the tortillas, it will be a mess. See post for other 0n-the-go tips.
Storing: Store cooked enchiladas in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days.
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