This Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe is one we’ve used time and time again to make the BEST chicken enchiladas. Made with tender chicken cooked in enchilada sauce with onions and peppers, corn or flour tortillas and plenty of cheese.

These Chicken Enchiladas are a classic Mexican-inspired dish made with shredded chicken and a homemade (no cook!) red enchilada sauce.

This is one of our favorite go-to recipes for an easy weeknight dinner.

You can customize this recipe by spicing it up, with your own meat and vegetable choices, and using any toppings you like. It’s always a hit!

We love Mexican food, and some of our other favorite recipes are this Slow Cooker Three Bean Beef Chili, my Mexican Shepherd’s Pie, and this Dorito Taco Salad. I’ll never claim to recreate authentic Mexican dishes, but I love being inspired by the spices and ingredients and making these dishes my own.

This Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a deconstructed version of these chicken enchiladas you’ll also love! If you prefer beef over chicken, try my Beef Enchiladas recipe.

Check out this list of Easy One Pot Meals You’ll Actually Want To Eat for more weeknight dinner ideas!

Ingredients Needed:

Enchilada Sauce

• Tomatoes: canned crushed tomatoes are perfect for making enchilada sauce, be sure to use ones with no added salt, so you can control the saltiness of the sauce. You’re looking for smooth crushed tomatoes (no chunks) or a plain tomato sauce.
• Seasoning: use garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and chipotle powder for a flavorful sauce. You can add a pinch of cinnamon if you prefer.
• Sugar: use brown sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce if needed. You can use honey if you prefer.

Chicken Enchiladas

• Oil: use olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil to sauté the vegetables.
• Onion: adds a great savory flavor base for this dish.
• Pepper: a green bell pepper will add some color and a burst of freshness to these enchiladas, but you can use a yellow or red pepper if you prefer.
• Chicken: use boneless chicken breast to make the shredded chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs also work well!
• Tortillas: we normally use flour tortillas because we prefer them, but corn tortillas are a more traditional choice. Make sure they’re about 7″ in diameter, or that they fit well in the pan you are using.
• Cheese: use a block of Monterey Jack cheese that you shred yourself for the best flavor (and stretchy cheese!). You can swap this for Mozzarella in a pinch.
• Garnish: use pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, or freshly cut lime wedges for garnish.

How to Make Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is quick and easy to make! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Sauté: Sauté onion and peppers until softened.
2. Add chicken and sauce: Add chicken breasts and enchilada sauce, and cook.
3. Shred chicken: Remove chicken from pan and shred it, then stir it back into the skillet.
4. Assemble enchiladas: Make up the tortillas with chicken and cheese.
5. Add to dish: Roll the enchiladas up and put them into the dish with sauce at the bottom.
6. Add sauce and cook: Top with sauce and remaining cheese, cook and serve with your favorite toppings!

Chicken Enchilada Recipe FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Tortillas. Yellow corn tortillas or flour tortillas will work great, although corn tortillas tend to be a little more finicky to work with.
• Sauce: This recipe makes 4 cups of enchilada sauce. To save time you can also use about 4 cups of prepared enchilada sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas Variations

• Meat. Try using a different meat for enchiladas, like my Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
• Vegetables. Swap the bell peppers and onions with other vegetables you enjoy, or add to them. Simply saute whatever you would like to use in the pan before adding the sauce and chicken. This is a great time to add beans as well!
• Beans. Refried beans and black beans are a great way to add more protein to these enchiladas.
• Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great as well. You can also substitute this for prepared Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken if you have some on hand!
• Cheese. Use cheddar cheese, Colby Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend for different flavors.
• Add heat. Make these enchiladas to your preferred spice level, by adding in some cayenne pepper, green chilis, jalapenos, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce to the chicken when cooking it, or to the wraps as you assemble them.

Serving Suggestions

These Chicken Enchiladas are filling and delicious all on their own but served with some sides they can go a bit further and add some variety.

Serve with some vegetable side dishes for added nutrients, like Air Fryer Broccoli, Corn on the Cob, or Air Fryer Green Beans.

You can also serve enchiladas with carby sides like Instant Pot Brown Rice, Garlic Bread, or even Homemade Crescent Rolls.

More Mexican-Inspired Dinner Ideas

Dinner

Easy Taco Soup recipe

Dinner

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe

Dinner

Mango Salsa Chicken and Rice

Dinner

Taco Casserole — 9 ingredients & 30 minutes!

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Easy Chicken Enchiladas

This Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe has been a long time coming to this blog, but it's one we've used time and time again to make the BEST chicken enchiladas. Our whole family loves them, we never have leftovers, and they're also super easy to make.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 servings

Calories 681cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Enchilada Sauce*

• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes 798 ml, no salt added
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder you can substitute smoked paprika
• brown sugar

Chicken Enchiladas

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 lb
• 8 medium flour or corn tortillas about 7" in diameter
• 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Garnish pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients for enchilada sauce: tomatoes, water, garlic, cumin, onion powder, oregano, salt, and chipotle powder. Taste and adjust to your preferences add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes if needed.
• Heat a little oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and peppers and cook, stirring often, until softened. Add chicken breasts and 1 cup of enchilada sauce.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes (it should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
• Remove chicken from pan and shred with two forks. Stir the chicken back into the skillet with the vegetables.
• Assemble the enchiladas: Spread 1 cup of sauce at the bottom of the casserole dish.
• Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds or until warm. This makes them more pliable.
• Divide the chicken mixture and half of the cheese between 8 tortillas and roll up tightly. Place in prepared pan.
• Top with sauce (you may not use it all — use as much as you like!) and remaining cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
• Top with preferred garnishes and serve.

Video

Notes

*Sauce: This recipe makes 4 cups of enchilada sauce. To save time you can also use about 4 cups of prepared enchilada sauce.

• Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven covered in foil, or in the microwave.
• Freeze: Freeze chicken enchiladas in a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator and heat through in the microwave or oven until piping hot.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 381grams | Calories: 681cal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1869mg | Potassium: 1052mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1295IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 817mg | Iron: 6mg

The post Easy Chicken Enchiladas appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

So it’s that time of year again….

School’s back in session.

For some, it’s the happiest time of the year! The kids go back to school and you can settle back into routine.

For others, namely those kids that have to go back and their teachers, not quite as fun!

It’s not like I don’t love my job, and it’s not like my 60 14-18 year old students aren’t going to be super excited to see me (rolls eyes), but it’s just so much nicer sitting around home, having every day open to do whatever I want blog and be a mother.

And I know there are people who work more than 5 hours and 20 minutes — which includes a 75 minute prep and a 30 minute lunch — and then have to go home and make supper… but it still feels like a lot somedays.

There are a lot of things bloggers do behind the scenes that not everybody knows about. In fact, I didn’t even know about them until I started, which is maybe why I started in the first place! But I’m glad I did and I’ve learned an incredible amount so far.

Moving on.

We love pasta.

And I love my freezer as much as I love my slow cooker.

When the middle of August rolls around, I’m usually starting to stock up the freezer a bit so I can have a few extra nights off of supper duty when I’m working. Because if you’re going to make one, you may as well make two. Or more.

So the recipe I’m including for you makes two lasagnas, but it can be easily be halved if you only want one!

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Creamy Chipotle and Italian Sausage Lasagna

A creamy, smoky, slightly spicy take on lasagna with spinach and tomatoes. Makes 2 lasagnas, so you can eat one and freeze one, or pass one on to a friend!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24 servings

Calories 294cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 1 lb italian sausage 4-5 links, casings removed
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 3/4 cup frozen spinach thawed and drained
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 18 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2-1 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo pureed
• 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes drained
• 4 cups shredded cheese

Instructions

• In a large pan, fry italian sausage, beef and onion together until browned. Drain any extra fat.
• Stir in spinach and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan (set aside) and wipe clean with a paper towel.
• While your meat is cooking, cook your noodles according to the package. Drain and set aside to let cool so you can handle them. I often soak mine in some cold water for a few minutes.
• In the frying pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook 1 minute.
• Stir in milk, 1 cup at a time, whisking and cooking until thickened after each addition. When all milk has been added and mixture is thick, stir in sausage mixture, tomato sauce, salt, chipotle peppers (less for less heat, more for more heat) and tomatoes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Assembly:Spray two 9×13″ pans with non stick spray (I use one foil pan for the freezer lasagna, and keep one to bake the next day). Line each pan with 3 noodles. Top the noodles in each pan with ⅙ of the sauce (you’re just trying to keep the sauce spread evenly throughout the dish). Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Repeat layers two more times: 3 noodles, ⅙ of the sauce, sprinkle of cheese. 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining cheese.
• To bake:Set in the fridge until ready to bake or place right into an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour until heated through and cheese starts to brown. If your cheese begins to look too dry, cover with a piece of tin foil sprayed with non stick spray. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

!To freeze:
Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non stick spray and place spray-side down on top of the lasagna (you don’t want that cheese to stick while it’s freezing!). Cover with a piece of tin foil and write the date and name of the dish. I also write a reminder to take the plastic wrap out before baking. Freeze flat.
On the day you want to eat it, remove from the freezer in the morning and let thaw. It won’t be completely thawed by the time you go to bake, which is fine. You can also pop right into the oven from the freezer, provided you used a foil baking pan, you’ll just want to make sure the middle is hot before serving. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour, up to 1.5 hours, until heated through.

Nutrition

Calories: 294cal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1.5mg

The post Creamy Chipotle and Italian Sausage Lasagna appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.