Chicken Enchiladas {Easy & Freezer-Friendly}

Quick Summary

Chicken Enchiladas- This Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe is an all-time favorite dinner! Tortillas are filled with shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese and then smothered with extra enchilada sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly. It’s always a crowd pleaser and the enchiladas freeze well too!

Enchiladas are one of our all-time favorite dinners. We love trying new enchilada recipes. Our Black Bean & Quinoa Enchilada Bake is a family favorite, but sometimes it’s nice to just make the classic.

These Chicken Enchiladas are definitely a classic. They are one of the BEST dinner recipes out there. They always hit the spot and are always a crowd pleaser!

You really can’t go wrong with a pan of chicken enchiladas. Corn tortillas filled with chicken, lots of cheese, and our homemade enchilada sauce. Basically, the perfect meal! And the best part? They are really easy to make!

Everyone needs this recipe in their regular dinner line up. Kids and adults love chicken enchiladas. They are great for an easy weeknight dinner or good enough to serve to a crowd.

You can make one pan or double the recipe and make two pans! Bonus, the enchiladas are freezer friendly! This is a winning recipe all around!

Chicken Enchilada Ingredients

The ingredient list is simple!

Tortillas– we use corn tortillas, yellow or white corn will work! If you prefer flour tortillas, you can use them. See the note in the recipe card.
Vegetable oil– for pan frying the tortillas a little. This will make it easier to for them to roll up and prevent them from cracking.
Olive oil or avocado oil– for sautéing the onion.
Onion– you can’t go wrong with onion in a Mexican dish.
Chicken– to keep this recipe EASY we use shredded rotisserie chicken. You can use leftover cooked chicken if you have it on hand. Or even leftover turkey, a great recipe for after the holidays.
Green chiles-we use mild diced green chiles. They add so much flavor!
Enchilada sauce– we use our homemade enchilada sauce, it’s the best and I promise it’s easy to make. You can even make it in advance and it freezes well too. Of course, you can use store bought red enchilada sauce.
Cheese– you can use cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese!

How to Make Chicken Enchiladas

Let’s make some enchiladas!

Preheat the oven so it’s hot and ready to go.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working one at a time, fry tortilla, turning once, about 5 to 7 seconds per side, just enough to warm the tortilla. You don’t want the tortillas to get crispy. You just want to barely fry them so they are easier to roll up. This is the trick to prevent them from tearing!
Transfer the tortilla to paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
In a separate medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the shredded chicken, green chiles, and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce.
Pour a little enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread around to lightly coat the bottom of the dish.
To assemble the enchiladas, lay the tortilla flat on a clean work surface. Fill each tortilla evenly with the shredded chicken mixture and 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly and place in the baking dish, seam side down. We get usually get 10 enchiladas, but you could get a few more or a few less depending on the size of your tortillas. This recipe is flexible, just go with it!
It’s time to get saucy! Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining the remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enchilada Toppings

You can serve the enchiladas plain, they will have plenty of flavor, but we always like to add toppings because more is more! Here are some topping ideas!

What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas

These side dishes pair well with a pan of cheesy chicken enchiladas!

How to Store & Freeze Enchiladas

To store leftover enchiladas, place the cooled enchiladas in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

To freeze enchiladas, let them cool completely. Place the enchiladas in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. You can freeze an entire pan or individual servings. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

More Enchilada Recipes

Chicken

Chicken Enchiladas

This Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe is an all-time favorite dinner! Tortillas are filled with shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese and then smothered with extra enchilada sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly. It’s always a crowd pleaser and the enchiladas freeze well too!

10 corn tortillas, 6-inch
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
4 ounces mild green chiles
2 cups enchilada sauce (homemade or store bought)
3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
Optional Toppings: sour cream, avocado, cilantro, shredded lettuce, jalapeno slices, cotija cheese, salsa or pico de gallo

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working one at a time, fry tortilla, turning once, about 5 to 7 seconds per side, just enough to warm the tortilla. You don’t want the tortillas to get crispy. Transfer the tortilla to paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
In a separate medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the shredded chicken, green chiles, and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce.
Pour a &frac13; cup of enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread around to lightly coat the bottom of the dish.
To assemble the enchiladas, lay the tortilla flat on a clean work surface. Fill each tortilla evenly with the shredded chicken mixture and 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly and place in the baking dish, seam side down.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and serve warm with desired toppings.

Frying the corn tortillas briefly in oil prevents them from tearing and makes them easier to roll. If you don’t want to fry them, you can wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through, until they are warm and pliable.
If you want to use flour tortillas, you don’t have to fry them in oil. Microwave for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.
We use rotisserie chicken, but you can cook and shred your own chicken or use leftover cooked chicken.
We like to use our homemade enchilada sauce, but store-bought sauce will work too.

Calories: 426kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 1414mg, Potassium: 196mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1113IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 496mg, Iron: 2mg