These easy chicken enchiladas make a healthy and delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy! Shredded chicken is wrapped up in flour tortillas and topped with homemade enchilada sauce for the ultimate flavourful dish. Ready to serve in approximately 30 minutes, they are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner!
These shredded chicken enchiladas, in my mind, are the true definition of comfort food and are always a family favourite.
They are packed full of flavour, and I love how you can control every single ingredient going into the delicious and easy homemade enchilada sauce.
I love to top them with a little Greek yogurt, avocado and cilantro to really take them up to the next level, but the topping options are endless! Everyone who has tried these enchiladas has absolutely loved them, so I highly recommend adding them to your recipe list. They’re a winner!
For more Mexican inspired recipes, be sure to try out these Authentic Mexican Chicken Fajitas and my Low Carb Chicken Fajita Casserole too!
Why make this recipe
- Made from scratch: Ditch the store-bought enchilada sauce – it’s so easy to make your own! The homemade sauce contains way less sodium and sugar and is made with all natural ingredients.
- Make ahead: These chicken enchiladas are delicious straight out of the oven, but they are also great for meal prep and freezer meals.
- Quick and easy: It only takes around 15 minutes to assemble the enchiladas before they get baked in the oven.
Ingredient notes
- Broth: Use a low sodium chicken broth for this recipe. You can also sub in vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand.
- Seasonings: Bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder infuse plenty of flavour into the shredded chicken.
- Chicken: Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you need to get supper on the table ASAP, you can also use a rotisserie chicken and skip the steps where you cook the chicken from scratch.
- For the red enchilada sauce: When mixed together, the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and chili powder incorporate a nice smoky flavour into the sauce.
- Tortillas: Swapping white tortillas for whole grain increases the fibre, iron and B vitamin content. You can also use gluten-free if there are any intolerances.
Step by step instructions
-
Place a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, and onion and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts to the pot, bring back to a boil and cover with a lid, reducing heat to medium. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
-
While the chicken is poaching, prepare the easy enchilada sauce. In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, keeping the sauce warm until ready to use.
-
Using two forks, shred the cooled chicken. Transfer the shredded chicken to a bowl and add ½ a cup of the cooking liquid, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin and a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
How to make chicken enchiladas
-
Preheat broiler to low. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce (about 1/2 cup) on the bottom of a casserole or baking dish. Divide chicken mixture equally between the tortillas (about half a cup per tortilla) by piling it up on the bottom half of each tortilla and rolling into a tube.
-
Place enchiladas seam side down on top of the sauce in the baking dish.
-
Once all the enchiladas are in the pan, pour remaining enchilada sauce over them evenly. Top with a sprinkle of cheese, if desired.
-
Place enchiladas in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil on low for 5 minutes or until tortillas are slightly browned and crispy.
Serve warm and garnish with desired toppings.
Recipe Tips
- When making this chicken enchiladas recipe, typically I use large 10-inch whole grain tortillas but you could also use 6-inch tortillas if you want the enchiladas to be smaller. If you use the smaller tortillas, the recipe will make about 10-12 enchiladas.
- To get dinner on the table super fast, I recommend preparing the chicken and red enchilada sauce recipe ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble the enchiladas when meal times rolls around.
- If you’d like to make this recipe even quicker, you can skip step number one (the part about cooking the chicken breasts) and instead sub in 3 cups of rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken.
- You can also add black beans and corn to the shredded chicken mixture to give it more texture and flavour.
- If you choose to melt cheese on the enchiladas, try Monterey Jack or old cheddar since these cheeses tend to have a better melting consistency.
Recipe FAQs
Can these be made in advance?
Yes, although for best results I would recommend prepping the enchilada sauce and shredded chicken and storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the enchiladas.
You can also bake them in advance if you prefer. They still turn out really good when reheated!
How to store
Allow the baked chicken enchiladas to cool completely before storing. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to four days.
Can I freeze these enchiladas?
Yes! You can make up the enchiladas and freeze them unbaked for up to 3 months. You can cook them right from frozen for 30 minutes at 375F.
Baked enchiladas can also be frozen. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to reheat
Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Broil on low for 5-8 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and the tortillas are slightly crispy.
Serving suggestions
I highly recommend topping the enchiladas with any (or all) of the following:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Diced tomato
- Sliced jalapenos
- Green onions
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Black beans
- Salsa
- Corn kernels
These enchiladas also taste great paired with a salad like this Grilled Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad or with this Cilantro lime slaw.
More similar recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Healthy Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Stuffed Beef Enchilada Zucchini Boats
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp chili powder divided
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 large whole grain tortillas (10-inch)
Instructions
- Place a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, and onion and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts to the pot, bring back to a boil and cover with a lid, reducing heat to medium. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
- While the chicken is poaching, prepare the enchilada sauce. In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, keeping sauce warm until ready to use.
- Using two forks, shred the cooled chicken. Transfer the shredded chicken to a bowl and add ½ a cup of the cooking liquid, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin and a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Preheat broiler to low. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce (about 1/2 cup) on the bottom of a casserole or baking dish. Divide chicken mixture equally between the tortillas (about half a cup per tortilla) by piling it up on the bottom half of each tortilla and rolling into a tube.
- Place enchiladas seam side down on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Once all the enchiladas are in the pan, pour remaining enchilada sauce over them evenly. Top with a sprinkle of cheese, if desired.
- Place enchiladas in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil on low for 5 minutes or until tortillas are slightly browned and crispy. Serve warm and garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
- When making this chicken enchiladas recipe, typically I use large 10-inch whole grain tortillas but you could also use 6-inch tortillas if you want the enchiladas to be smaller. If you use the smaller tortillas, the recipe will make about 10-12 enchiladas.
- To get dinner on the table super fast, I recommend preparing the chicken and red enchilada sauce recipe ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble the enchiladas when meal times rolls around.
- If you'd like to make this recipe even quicker, you can skip step number one (the part about cooking the chicken breasts) and instead sub in 3 cups of rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken.
- You can also add black beans and corn to the shredded chicken mixture to give it more texture and flavour.
- If you choose to melt cheese on the enchiladas, try Monterey Jack or old cheddar since these cheeses tend to have a better melting consistency.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in February 2016 and was updated in February 2021 to include better tips and photos.
This post may contain affiliate links which means that I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that I love and feel will benefit my readers :)
Could you make this recipe in a crock pot?
Hey Jo! I haven’t personally tried making this recipe in the slow cooker. I’m sure it could work, but the outside of the tortillas probably wouldn’t be as crispy as they would be if you were to bake them in the oven. I’m sure they’d still taste good though! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it out :)
Made these the other night. They were so delicious and very filling! I’m going to try Elysia’s recommendation to add beans and corn to the recipe next time too!
Amazing!! So glad you guys enjoyed them! Definitely try it with the beans and corn…adds even more heartiness to the recipe :)
i’ve made this and it was delicious. We decided it’s a keeper. And will be making it again tonight. Thanks. I didn’t use store-bought broth. Instead, I simply boiled the chicken with plain water, bay leaf, oregano and onions, to make homemade broth.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Fanny! Love how you made your own homemade broth as well — always better than store-bought! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
These look so fresh and delicious. Definitely something the family would love me to make for them. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much Amy! It’s a family favourite in our house!!