When the craving for satisfying comfort food meets the need for a straightforward weeknight dinner, chicken enchiladas are a guaranteed winner. They’re easy, filling, and take less than an hour to prepare from start to finish. Read on for everything you need to know to perfect these enchiladas.
What are enchiladas? Originally a Mexican street food, enchiladas began simply as rolled tortillas dipped in chili sauce. As Mexican immigrants moved into Texas, also known as Tejanos, they brought their culinary traditions with them, adapting them along the way to create the Tex-Mex cuisine we know and love today. These enchiladas fall somewhere in between, but they're definitely Tex-Mex at their core. They may not be authentic by, well, anyone's standards, but they're quick, easy, filling, and delicious.
Our top tips for how to make the best chicken enchiladas. — The tortillas. Corn tortillas are our preference—they have more flavor than flour and are more traditional. If you prefer flour tortillas, you can use them instead! Whatever tortillas you use, make sure you warm them slightly before filling. This will help soften your tortillas and make them easier to roll. — The sauce. We highly recommend making our homemade enchilada sauce in this recipe. It only takes 20 minutes to come together and really takes these enchiladas up a notch in the flavor department. But if you’re pressed for time, you can use store-bought in a pinch. — The chicken. To make these enchiladas even easier, we’ll be cooking and shredding our chicken breasts ahead of time, making this an ideal make-ahead meal. After cooking, store your shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, up to 5 days. Follow our guide to how to shred chicken perfectly for everything you need to know. — Toppings. We love serving these enchiladas with sour cream, lime, and fresh cilantro, but feel free to experiment with your toppings. Add sliced avocado for added creaminess, or your fave hot sauce to amp up the heat.
Serving ideas. These enchiladas are a hearty meal on their own, but if you're serving a crowd, some elote, black beans, or Mexican rice would make for A+ sides.
Storage. Kept covered in the fridge, leftovers will last 3 to 5 days. Reheat in an oven heated to 350° until warmed through.
Made these? Let us know how they went in the comment section below.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
903
Ingredients
1/2
yellow onion, coarsely chopped chopped
1
red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse onion, bell pepper, and garlic until finely chopped.
Step 2In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Step 3Stir in enchilada sauce and tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce mixture for assembly.
Step 4In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cilantro, 1 cup cheddar, and 1 cup Monterey Jack. Add 1 cup sauce mixture and toss to combine; season with salt.
Step 5Spread remaining sauce mixture in the bottom of a 13"-by-9" baking dish.
Step 6Spoon about 2/3 cup chicken mixture into the center of a tortilla. Roll up tortillas and arrange seam side down on top of sauce along one short side of baking dish. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas, placing each filled tortilla next to the last to form a row that stretches the length of the dish.
Step 7Spread reserved 1/2 cup sauce mixture on top of tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup Monterey Jack.
Step 8Bake enchiladas until cheese is bubbling and melted, about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges alongside.
Lena Abraham is a freelance contributor with Delish, and was formerly Senior Food Editor, where she developed and styled recipes for video and photo, and also stayed on top of current food trends. She’s been working in the food industry for over 10 years, and will argue that the best fish tacos in the world are made in New York. Don’t @ her.