Mouthwatering shredded chicken in a rich spicy sauce make up the filling for these Chicken Enchiladas. Then you load it up with cheese and bake it until it is all melty and gooey. These easy enchiladas are the ultimate Mexican comfort food. Easy to adapt and they freeze really well too.
We love any kind of Mexican food, however burritos and tacos can get a little messy. Which is why we love enchiladas so much. All of our favourite Mexican flavours wrapped up in their little tortilla blankets and covered in sauce and cheese. These are great for feeding a crowd, so why not invite your friends round and make a couple of dishes of this.
We have made chicken enchiladas hundreds of times (that is no exaggeration) and these really are the BEST EVER! We have worked hard to give you the best rich and spicy enchilada sauce too.
For more chicken recipes, try our Chicken Quesadillas, Peri Peri Chicken or Chicken Pesto Pasta.
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Why you will love them
- The ultimate Mexican comfort food.
- Less than 450 calories per portion
- A good way to introduce kids to spicy food
- Freezes well
- Great for batch cooking
- Easy to customise and adapt
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breast - We used chicken breast in this recipe as it helps to keep the recipe nice and lean. However, you could swap it for boneless and skinless chicken breast which would give it more flavour, but it would change the nutritional values.
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce - We have provided the recipe for our homemade enchilada sauce. You could use a really good quality store bought one, but it is worth making your own.
- Onion - You can use a red or a brown onion, or even swap it for shallots.
- Bell pepper - We used a red and a green pepper, however you can use any colour. Red, yellow and orange tend to be sweeter.
- Mini flour tortillas - We find that flour ones fold better than corn ones do.
- Cheddar cheese - You could swap this for a monterey jack cheese, but we use cheddar as that is what we usually have.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make chicken enchiladas - Step by step
One: Put some oil in a pan and add the chicken, onions and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Two: Stir in half the enchilada sauce.
Three: Take a tortilla, add some chicken and pepper mix and roll up.
Four: Put the enchilada in a baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas.
Five: Pour the other half of the sauce over the rolled tortillas and then sprinkle over the cheese.
Five: Cover in grated cheese.
Six: Bake at 200C/400F/Gas 7 for 20 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown. Sprinkle with coriander before serving.
Enchilada sauce
The sauce will really make or break your enchiladas, as that is where the flavour is at. This is the BEST EVER enchilada sauce, as we have spent years perfecting it. It's rich and spicy and just brings everything together.
It's a simple enchilada sauce, with just a few ingredients and only takes a couple of minutes to prepare, but it really is worth doing it yourself rather than buying a jar of it. We use a tomato base, with some oil for flavour and flour to thicken it and a couple of spoons of fajita seasoning. You can make your own or use store bought.
What vegetables to add
This recipe is a great opportunity to get some extra vegetables in your meal. We kept it classic with onions and peppers. However, there is no reason why you can't add a variety of other vegetables. Chunky veg like mushrooms, courgette, aubergine and carrots would work well. You could also add some greens like shredded spinach or kale.
What to serve them with
Let's talk about the toppings first. We like to add a dollop of sour cream, some chopped avocado and tomatoes, jalapeno slices and some fresh coriander. Having a few fresh toppings just lightens the whole dish up.
We wouldn't usually serve these with anything else, as we would happily eat a whole pan of them. However, if you want to have less enchiladas, then you can serve this with a big green salad. Or try our Mexican Coleslaw.
FAQs
Yes, they can be frozen, however the tortillas can get a little soggy when reheated. So, if you are planning on making them just to freeze them (we did that before our baby was born), then freeze the rolled up enchiladas and the sauce separately and then pour the sauce on top and then add the cheese just before baking.
Shredded chicken is a great way to keep these easy chicken enchiladas lean and filling, however you could use shredded beef instead. Why not try our Slow Cooker Pulled Beef recipe, and use that as a filling. Alternatively, you could just use pulled pork, roasted vegetables, or even prawns and salmon.
Extra tips
• Cover the pan in foil before putting it in the oven, as this will keep the chicken nice and moist.
• You could serve these easy chicken enchiladas with a big green salad.
• We used cheddar on top of ours, but you could use a mixture of shredded cheeses that melt well.
• Feel free to swap the chicken out for shredded beef, prawns or even just extra vegetables.
• Add some extra greens by stirring in some shredded spinach or kale.
More Mexican recipes
If you’ve tried these Chicken Enchiladas, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 300 g (10.5 oz) Chicken breast - diced
- 300 g (2 cups) Enchilada sauce
- 1 Onion - thinly sliced
- 1 Green bell pepper - sliced
- 1 Red bell pepper - sliced
- 8 Mini flour tortillas
- 80 g (0.75 cups) Mature cheddar - grated
- Fresh coriander (cilantro) - to serve (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200℃/180°C(fan)/400℉/Gas 6.
- Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil a pan and add 300 g Chicken breast, 1 Onion, 1 Green bell pepper and 1 Red bell pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in half the 300 g Enchilada sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Take 8 Mini flour tortillas, divide the chicken and pepper mix between them and roll up and put in a baking dish.
- Pour the other half of the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas and then sprinkle over 80 g Mature cheddar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown. Sprinkle with Fresh coriander (cilantro) before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Cover the pan in foil before putting it in the oven, as this will keep the chicken nice and moist.
- You could serve these easy chicken enchiladas with a big green salad.
- We used cheddar on top of ours, but you could use a mixture of shredded cheeses that melt well.
- Feel free to swap the chicken out for shredded beef, prawns or even just extra vegetables.
- Add some extra greens by stirring in some shredded spinach or kale.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Abbie says
What’s the recipe for the enchilada sauce? Am I completely missing it? How much do I use of each ingredient! Thanks
Dannii says
Hi Abbie,
The link to the Enchilada sauce has been added to the post, but for your convenience, here is the link: Best Ever Enchilada Sauce
Annie says
What is the portion size for this?
Dannii says
Next to the ingredients, it says serves 4 :)
William Hatcher says
I have done this for over 10 years and everyone loves them.
My recipe is similar to yours. The only major differences is that I do use canned enchilada sauce when cooking the chicken and I spread a tbsp. of the sauce inside the enchiladas before closing them up. (prevents dryness)
I also cover the dish with foil for the first 10 minutes in the oven. This allows the tortillas to absorb more of the sauce and the ends won't get dry and hard. Also every third tortilla can be filled with just queso cheese for the variety and non meat eaters.
I have found that corn tortillas do not work well flour is better.
cheeky says
Passata is tomato sauce.
Karen says
Hi, can't wait to try this. What exactly is passata/tomato sauce? I've never heard of it. Thanks!
Lori Montes says
I have not been able to find passata/tomato sauce, is there anything else I can use to replace it with? Thank you
Teri says
I love mexican food too! Going to make this next week yummmm
Heidi says
Can't wait to make these. Your recipes are the best. I used to follow Hungry Girl's recipes all the time, but they are full of processed crap. You are the new and improved HG!
Cami says
I made these last night. They are SO good. They will be just as good for leftovers too
Dave says
These were SO good that I had a second helping!
Carley says
Brilliant recipe. Thank you
Bobby says
Omg, healthy enchiladas? You are the best.
Sarah says
I have been waiting for you to post this ;) I can't wait to try it. Thank you :)