These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas: are comfort food classic, a weeknight dinner hero, and a dish with endless possibilities. Achieve that melty cheese pull, perfectly seasoned chicken, and flavorful sauce quickly and easily.
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Why this Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe is a Keeper
Shredded chicken enchiladas are a delicious and versatile dish that can be customized to your taste preferences and dietary needs. With a few simple tips and techniques, you can create a restaurant-worthy meal in the comfort of your own kitchen. So grab your ingredients, unleash your inner chef, and conquer your enchilada cravings!
- 1 Hour: Truly a quick and easy recipe for dinner.
- Easy Ingredients: All found in pantry or fridge.
- Family Friendly: Everyone will love this recipe plus you can make it ahead.
- Adaptable: Can make it low-carb, low sodium, dairy free, etc…
If you’re looking for more inspired recipes, try these Orange Lime Halibut Fish Tacos, Instant Pot Green Chicken Enchiladas Casserole and Breakfast Burritos.
How do you keep your chicken enchilada from being soggy?
Enchiladas don’t need a long baking time. Once the cheese is melted and bubbly, they’re ready. Overbaking can dry out the filling and make the tortillas soggy.
With over 200 easy and delicious dinner ideas, you'll never have to worry about what to make for dinner again.
Ingredient Notes to Make Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
- Corn and Flour Tortillas: While you an use either white corn tortillas or flour tortillas, the combination really works best for chicken enchilada recipes.
- Cooked Chicken, shredded. Rotisserie chicken, or precook chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs.
- Enchilada Sauce: Make this red enchilada sauce or buy canned.
- Cheese: Try a cheddar cheese or Monterey jack cheese, shredded.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for this Easy Dinner Recipe
These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas can be changed up to make them perfect for your family.
- White Sauce: You can make a homemade enchilada sauce that is white or green enchilada sauce to make these enchiladas.
- Leftover Chicken: It is a great recipe to make chicken enchiladas with leftover chicken.
- Cheese: The creamy filling can enhance with a different cheese mixture. Try pepper jack cheese.
- Garnish: Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro, and sometimes crumbled feta cheese on top for added creaminess and a burst of freshness.
Pro Tip
To prevent corn tortillas from breaking, wrap them in a damp cloth and microwave for a few seconds to soften.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
You can make this grilled chicken dinner with homemade red sauce quickly and easily.
These are the basic steps for making chicken enchiladas in red sauce. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. Please let us know if you make this recipe or have tried this recipe.
1. Preheat Oven and Grill Tortillas
First, grill tortillas until lightly charred on one side; set aside. In a large skillet (I prefer to use cast iron), heat canola oil over medium high heat and then add onion and sauté until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Warm your Red Sauce
Second, remove onion from skillet; set aside and then add enchilada sauce to skillet and warm over medium low heat for about 1 minute.
3. Use Cooking Spray for Casserole Dish
Then place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish. Begin assembling enchiladas by dipping a tortilla into the sauce and placing it on a flat surface.
4. Combine Chicken and then Roll the Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
Next, place 1/8 of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla; add 1/8 of the onions and a small amount of shredded cheese on top and next roll up the enchilada and place seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Bake the Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Stir and the pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top the enchiladas in the casserole dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese. When ready to eat, bake at 350 for 30 minutes until they simmer and remaining cheese is melty and enchiladas are heated through and sauce is bubbly.
6: Finish the Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Finally, top with sliced green onions.
Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe FAQs
Place the cheese and chicken enchiladas in the freezer for up to six months. Freeze red sauce chicken enchiladas right in the baking dish. Reheat by placing in the oven and cook until warmed through.
The enchiladas can be stored in an airtight container or wrap the casserole dish well with aluminum foil if you are preparing to freeze. They will be able to make this deliciousness whenever you are ready,
Enchiladas have a covering of sauce while burritos can hold in your hand this is the major difference.
Expert Tips for Making the Best Chicken Casserole Recipe
This Shredded Chicken Enchiladas is quick and easy recipe. These enchiladas are the perfect comfort food for people who love a little kick to their meals.
- Add Cilantro: Also, top with sour cream, avocado or your favorite hot pepper sauce or green chiles for these red enchiladas with chicken.
- Short cut tip: Buy and use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store when making these easy enchiladas. Just shred cooked chicken and use.
- Trick: Make sure you grill the tortillas. Using a gas cooktop, or grill pan or even a frying pan to make the same slightly charred flavor to these rotisserie chicken enchiladas.
- Fresh Lime: Add a little freshness, lime juice gives a nice fresh flavor burst for this chicken enchilada casserole.
- Dietary consideration tip: Try using gluten-free tortillas or low salt tortillas and sauce when making these Shredded Chicken Enchiladas.
- Protein: Make Beef enchiladas use ground turkey or chicken.
What to Serve with White Chicken Enchiladas
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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8 Corn and flour tortillas
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
- 2 cups Chicken, cooked and shredded
- 40 ounces Red enchilada sauce, 2 (20 ounce) cans
- 16 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 Green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Grill tortillas until lightly charred on one side; set aside.
- In a large skillet (I prefer to use cast iron), heat canola oil over medium high heat.
- Add onion and sauté until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Remove onion from skillet; set aside.
- Add enchilada sauce to skillet and warm over medium low heat.
- Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish.
- Begin assembling enchiladas by dipping a tortilla into the sauce and placing it on a flat surface.
- Place 1/8 of the chicken down the center of the tortilla; add 1/8 of the onions and a small amount of cheese on top.
- Roll up the enchilada and place it, seam side down, in the casserole dish.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour remaining sauce over the top the enchiladas in the casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- If planning to freeze or make ahead, stop here and cover enchiladas tightly and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
- When ready to eat, bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Top with sliced green onions.
Expert Tips
- Add Cilantro: Top with sour cream, avocado or your favorite hot pepper sauce.
- Short cut tip: Buy and use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store when making these easy enchiladas.
- Trick: Make sure you grill the tortillas. Using a gas cooktop, or grill pan or even a frying pan to make the same slightly charred flavor.
- Fresh Lime: Lime juice gives a nice fresh flavor burst.
- Dietary consideration tip: Indeed try using a gluten-free tortillas or low salt tortillas and sauce when making these enchiladas.
Estimated Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
Excellent enchiladas! I subbed in my homemade enchilada sauce and they were superb! I doubled the batch and put a pan in the freezer, too. Will be perfect for a busy weeknight. Thanks so much for sharing!
Such a great recipe- a hit with my kids!
Yum! I love chicken enchiladas. These look good.
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
What does it mean: 2 oz enchilada sauce 10
it’s 2-10 oz cans…sorry for the confusion.
2 10 oz cans
Is what I used
Do you use both corn and flour tortillas or have you found a tortilla that is made with corn/flour?
Sorry for the confusion…the tortillas are made with BOTH corn and flour.