Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
This Mexican inspired Chicken Enchilada Recipe is absolutely the BEST! Enchiladas are easier than you think – flour tortillas filled with chicken in the most delicious homemade enchilada sauce, loaded with cheese.
This is a great make-ahead meal and is especially good topped with Pico De Gallo!
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Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our EASY Chicken Enchiladas!
Chicken Enchilada Recipe:
Chicken Enchiladas are a classic Mexican dish. Not only are the enchiladas easy to make, but they are so filling and loved by kids and adults alike. Enchiladas are essentially tortillas filled with chicken and smothered in a creamy homemade enchilada sauce and cheese.
Just like our Mexican Pulled Pork Carnitas, this enchilada recipe is sure to become a new favorite.
Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our EASY Chicken Enchiladas!
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas:
- Cook chicken – and shred chicken with two forks. Save time by using leftover cooked chicken (like our Instant Pot Whole Chicken) or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Prepare enchilada sauce – In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, add sour cream, enchilada sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, green chilis, and beat until combined.
- Prepare the filling – Divide this sauce into two bowls, about ⅔ of the sauce mixture in bowl one and ⅓ of the mixture into a second bowl. Add the cooked chicken into the first bowl with 2 cups of shredded cheese.
- To Assemble Enchiladas – Take the cheesy chicken filling from bowl 1 and place it into the center of each tortilla.
- Arrange Enchiladas – Tightly roll up the tortilla and place seam-side-down into a 9”x13” baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Pour the reserved ⅓ part sauce over all of the tortillas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese (you can add more cheese if you like a lot of cheese).
- Bake – Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and begins to turn a golden brown.
NOTE: Use your favorite cheese. Mexican, Four Cheese or Colby Jack will all work great in this recipe.
What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas:
Though you can serve the enchiladas just as they come out of the oven, you can also add personalized toppings. Here are some of the most popular toppings to serve with enchiladas:
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Homemade guacamole
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Pico de Gallo
- Jalapenos, fresh or jarred
- Jalapeno Ranch
Can I Prepare Enchiladas in Advance?
Yes! These enchiladas are great to prepare in advance. Prepare the recipe per instructions (don’t bake), cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. NOTE: Since the ingredients will all be cold, add an additional 5 minutes baking time to the dish when covered with foil.
I hope these homemade enchiladas become a family favorite. We especially love that you can add the toppings buffet style and allow the family members to each add their favorite toppings.
More Crowd-Pleasing Dinner Ideas:
- Shrimp Tacos with the Best Shrimp Taco Sauce
- Philly Cheesesteak Quesadillas – everyone loves these
- Shrimp Fajitas – so simple and delicious
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken– Ready in just 15 minutes
- Chicken Lo Mein– So much better than takeout
The BEST Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Recipe for homemade Chicken Enchiladas. Tortillas filled with chicken in a creamy and cheesy enchilada. This Mexican-inspired dish is perfect for make-ahead meals.
Ingredients
- 8 flour tortillas 10-inch burrito size
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast or thighs
- 3 oz cream cheese room temp
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 4.5 oz diced green chilis with their juice
- 20 oz mild red enchilada sauce (We used 2 - 10oz cans)
- 1 1/4 tsp salt divided
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese divided (Mexican, Four Cheese or Colby Jack)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Shred pre-cooked chicken or cook your own: Add chicken to a saucepan, completely cover with water and season with 1 tsp salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.
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In a bowl beat the cream cheese. Add the sour cream, green chilis, enchiladas sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika; beat until combined.
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Divide the mixture into two bowls, add 2/3 of the sauce into a large bowl. Set aside remaining 1/3 of the sauce for the top.
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Add the shredded chicken with 2 cups cheese to the first bowl with 2/3 of the sauce. Mix with a spatula to combine.
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Generously add chicken filling to the center of each tortilla and roll up tortillas tightly. Arrange the tortillas in a 9x13 casserole dish.
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Pour the reserved 1/3 of sauce over the tortillas and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese (add more cheese if desired).
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Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400˚F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Valentina Ablaev
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I have made these many times, very easy and very tasty! This time I added in (drained and rinsed) black beans to the chicken mixture. Just because I have made them so many times I wanted to mix it up a little. Family liked the beans added in!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This was a winner! I sautéed a jalapeño, diced onion, and garlic cloves and mixed those in with the chicken and sauce. I also reserved about 1/2 a cup of the canned enchilada sauce to pour over the top in addition to the cheesy sauce mixture on top. I served them with sliced avocado, fresh diced tomatoes, green onions, and sour cream to top when plated.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
These were very easy to make and super delicious! Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tay!
I used HOT enchilada sauce.
Served with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream. Absolutely delicious!
Hi Debbie, I’m so happy you enjoyed the enchiladas recipe.
Hi Natasha! I’m wondering if I can freeze the leftover chicken mix? My family loves your recipe’s, especially this one, so I’m hoping I could prepare a double batch to save some time during the week.
Hi Jamie, we have always enjoyed that fresh, but I imagine that may work. If you experiment, I would love to know how that goes.
I have made this numerous times and my family loves them. However, recently I can’t seem to find chopped green chilies anywhere. Is there anything else I can use as a substitute?
Hi Pam, I haven’t tried any other substitute yet. How about canned have you checked if it’s available?
Can I freeze these and bake at another time directly from freezer to oven ? or thaw out prior ? Thank you.
I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Not authentic at all. You do NOT use flour tortillas for enchiladas.
I guess you missed the Mexican “inspired” part…
I’m Colombian and Mexican & I don’t like corn tortillas I love flour better.. she does great with all her recipes!
This dish was so good! Made them tonight and only change was that I added some sautéed onions to the sauce. Delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a delicious recipe! I made a homemade red enchilada sauce. I will definitely make this again and next time maybe with charras in the middle for some crunch! Thanks for sharing:)
You’re welcome, Shay! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Wow, I made this recipe this evening. Was it me? I beat the crm cheese then added the rest of the ingredients & ‘beat’ again, OMG spattered all over, also after the baking, when I went to serve the tortillas stuck to the bottom of the pan.Should I have sprayed the pan before? Overall the taste was so very goo. Thank you.
Hi Rebecca, the sauce will be a little runny so I do recommend caution when mixing especially at a high speed. We did not have a problem with them sticking to the bottom. Did you use a glass pan? Or something non stick?
What brand of enchilada sauce do you like? I haven’t bought it before. Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hi Carol, here’s my recipe for the enchilada sauce. Prepare enchilada sauce – In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, add sour cream, any brand of enchilada sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, green chilis, and beat until combined.
Wonderful! I am making these again, because they are great!! I love cooking with your recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made these over the weekend and let me tell you….MEXICAN RESTAURANT QUALITY! Wow Natasha. You continue to bless our household with the best recipes.
Wow, that is such awesome feedback. Thank you so much, Jane!
This was quick, easy and flavorful recipe. We loved it! The only thing I added was some Mexican Street Corn seasoning because we like the extra heat. Thank you for another great recipe to add to our keepers list.
You’re welcome, Nancy! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Made this tonight. Only substituted plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. Was delicious!! Thank you!
I’m so glad that substitution worked Linda! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
Can you use rotisserie chicken for this recipe? Or does it change the flavor too much?
Hi Patty! I haven’t tested this with rotisserie but I bet that would work great! If you do experiment I would love to know how you like that!
Yet another fantastic dish Natasha ! My whole family loved it. It was so easy to throw together and yet is company worthy! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Robyn! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Followed the recipe pretty much
Good, how did it go?
We prefer green enchilada sauce. Will that work?
Hi Gloria! That should work!
I made this with green sauce and it was fantastic, Did not change anything except the sauce. Do you have a ground beef enchilada recipe?
I don’t have one but that sounds really good!
use this recipe, but switch out one pound of ground beef for the chicken….also, I prefer corn tortillas for enchiladas.
you have so many ads on your page that your videos won’t play. too much of a drain. I’d love to watch your videos so is there somewhere else they are posted?
Hi Dorothy, all of our videos are on our youtube channel.
We made the enchiladas last night and they were great! Thank you for an easy, fantastic recipe!
You’re welcome and thanks for sharing your good feedback with us, Veronica!
Natasha, I have made most of your recipes! Your avocado salads are amazing! Your thanksgiving turkey was wonderful! Your lasagna, chicken Parmesan, meatballs! I can keep listening them! All your recipes are easy and tasty! Most of time I have all the ingredients in my pantry! Thank your for all!
Wow, that is awesome, Amelia. I’m so happy that you loved these recipes that you tried! Thank you so much for your excellent feedback, I appreciate you sharing it with us here.
I made the chicken enchiladas tonight for dinner, they were a great success, we really enjoyed them. I never took a picture, we are always in too much of a rush to eat.
No worries, Janice. Your great feedback is already appreciated thank you for sharing that with us!
My family loved this tonight!! Only change I made was omitting the salt & using light sour cream. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray so each enchilada lifted right out. Also it’s easy to trim the ends of the tortillas so they fit. Sliced avocados, tomatoes and cilantro on top and it was delicious! Thanks Natasha!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Christy and for giving this recipe an awesome feedback!
This is so easy and so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Irina!
Hi Natasha, I am cooking your recipe “chicken enchiladas” tomorrow, I will use my home made enchilada sauce instead.
I try as much as I can to use fresh ingredients.
Otherwise your recipes are always a winner!
That’s so awesome Elena! I would love to know how it turns out!
Do they end up tasting pretty spicy? Just wondering if those sauces spice it up alot since few people in my family just dont like spicy food.
Hi Inna, they will stay pretty mild if you use mild sauce.
I don’t tweet so I can’t send a picture. I’m sure it is delicious. All of Natasha’s recipes are.
You’re so nice! Thank you!
Hi Natasha! I’m making this dish tonight. I’m switching it up a little by cooking chicken in canned enchilada sauce. After removing chicken I’m adding cream cheese to warm sauce. Also using black beans to chicken mixture. I’ve never had this dish with cream cheese and I’m looking forward to this addition. Thanks for all your fantastic recipes!!
That sounds delicious! I hope you love this recipe and thank you SO MUCH for sharing that with us
Made this tonight. Could have been better. Wasted too much time trying to fit a rolled 10” burrito into a 9” wide pan. After watching several tube videos I decided the best solution was to fold the corners in when the rolling starts. Also 1) does the pan need buttered before the enchiladas go in? My enchiladas did stick in several places. I used nonstick aluminum foil so no problem with the cheese sticking. 2) put in 3 oz cream cheese out of an 8 oz box? Seems odd. Was that a typo? Flavor was great though, will make this again with changes, the burrito rolling thing for sure.
Hi Sue thanks for sharing the tip about folding the edges. You could also use an 8″ if you prefer.
I usually prefer green enchilada sauce. Would that pair well opposed to red?
Hello Rachel, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise but I imagine that should work well too. Please share with us how you liked it if you give it a try!
how can i substitute enchilada sauce? don’t have that on hand
Hello Natasha! I haven’t tried other ingredients to substitute the enchilada sauce but here’s my recipe for it. Prepare enchilada sauce – In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, add sour cream, enchilada sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, green chilis, and beat until combined.
Could you use ground beef instead?
Hello Jodi, I haven’t tried this with ground beef to advise. You might want to check out our Ground Beef Tacos recipe instead.
This was delicious! Easy and warmed up well! Can’t wait to make it again for my friends.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Brigitte!
Made this for Cinco de Mayo and it was so good! My husband loved it and up to now hasn’t liked too many Mexican dishes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha
Just wondering what the white sauce is from the picture ? It looks like it’s topped with tomato, avocado and some kind of white sauce.
Thanks !
Hi Jordan, it is this Jalapeno Ranch sauce. We have it linked in the recipe also. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I made this exactly as written, one batch with red sauce, and one batch with green sauce (I wanted to test both sauces and some leftovers), and the family loved them! Both kinds of sauce. They said best enchiladas, and chicken, they have ever had. Thank you for another great recipe.
I love their feedback, thanks for sharing that with us!
I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. My husband said they were the best I’ve made. Thank you for all of your great recipes! Can these be frozen after they are baked? Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Roberta! I haven’t tried freezing this recipe to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like it.
You can also make this like a lasagna and use the tortillas as your layers.
I’m lazy sometimes! 😉
Can’t wait to try it! 🤤
Hi Carolyne, I haven’t tried that because these are so easy to serve versus cutting the layers, but I have seen people make enchilada ‘lasagnas’ online.
We love enchiladas in this house and this recipe was such a hit with the creamy filling!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cyd! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Absolutely perfect! Easy and delicious which is exactly how every recipe should be!
I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
Mexican food is a family favorite. These enchiladas look so good. It’s been awhile since I’ve made them. I’m going to put it on the menu for next week.
The flavor is amazing! I hope you try this recipe soon!
I had put this in as a request and I can’t believe it’s up on your blog. Let me tell you, I’m Mexican and let me tell you, this is delicious! Perfect!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles!
Hiiii, I love your recipes, have tried a few and you never disappoint! I’m from the Caribbean and and I love experimenting! I just came to know about enchiladas and I love them! I never had it with the red sauce only the homemade enchiladas with tomatillos etc. But I’m going to try this and see how it turns out ‘ thank you for sharing and you stay cooking and stay beautiful ♥️
Hi Bella, I hope it becomes a new favorite for you. I’d love to hear more about your homemade tomatillo enchilada sauce. That sounds awesome!
Hello is there anything else you recommend putting inside the enchiladas other then just chicken. Maybe corn or black beans?
We love this recipe but I think beans or corn will work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Jessica, chicken will give you the most flavor but I think either of those will work or both together for a vegetarian option.
Sorry Natasha but once again this is not the right way to make enchiladas. Let’s start with the sauce. You don’t customize already premade sauce but make it from scratch and for that you’d have to make a special roux (oil and flour), then add chilly and cayenne pepper, then rest ingredients (usually bell peppers, opinion, garlic, few types of tomatoes, tomato juice and paste) you can also add some stock. The sauce also has heavy cumin And coriander spices, which are not mentioned in the recipe.
Then, if you want more flavorful chicken, you’d want to cook it inside sauce itself in final stages.
Those sound like good ideas for a true homemade sauce without using the shortcut method above. Thanks for sharing.
When someone creates a recipe it’s their version, their probably is 100 different ways to do things, that’s a personal choice, but I think an opinion on taste is more what the viewers are looking for not, a critique whether its your opinion of authentic or not…
oh my gosh..leave her alone .. you make your own enchiladas your way. if you don’t like it, don’t make it. Her recipes are the best of the best and she is amazing. Go to another cooking site
can you use green chili enchilada sauce instead of red
Hi Cathy, that would be a significantly different sauce. I wouldn’t swap it out straight across.
Hello,there.
Natasha that looks good. Going to try to make it. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. I share your recipes to those people who don’t have a internet & they said they loved your recipes. May God bless you abundantly for working hard on blog to give us these wonderful easy recipes.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so inspired and all smiles!