Easy Chicken Enchiladas
These Easy Chicken Enchiladas are quick enough to assemble on a weeknight. You’ll really be a fan of the chicken and cream cheese filling!
Is there an entree that gets the whole family more excited than chicken enchiladas? I think not. My kids go crazy for these.
When David was first diagnosed with alpha-gal we had to avoid dairy but now that he’s able to have it (he still can’t have red meat) we’re eating cheese in our enchiladas! Don’t worry, if you need a dairy free version try my Best Dairy Free Chicken Enchiladas. If you can have dairy then keep reading.
These Easy Chicken Enchiladas don’t require much work at all. You don’t even have to chop anything. These are so simple and they taste absolutely delicious.
It’s really all about the filling. I use a blend of cream cheese, salsa, and shredded chicken. This makes the texture of each enchilada just spectacular.
We make our own enchilada sauce in this dish by combining canned tomato sauce and lots of seasonings.
Then of course everything is topped with shredded cheese so that it’s all gooey perfection.
For this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Canned tomato sauce
- Chicken stock or broth
- Shredded fully cooked chicken
- Salsa
- Cream cheese
- Flour tortillas
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
- Seasonings
What chicken is best to use?
Any fully cooked chicken works great! So boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs are both great options. I typically either boil chicken breasts or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken (to save time). The flavor in this dish doesn’t come from the chicken so how you cook it truly doesn’t matter.
What cream cheese is best to use?
You can use any cream cheese you like. I’ve tested this with a regular cream cheese and also with a low fat version… they both work beautifully! So pick whichever you prefer.
What shredded cheese is best to use?
I like a Mexican blend or cheddar for these enchiladas but mozzarella also works!
Can you add beans to these enchiladas?
This recipe is made without beans but you can absolutely add a can of black or pinto beans to the filling for some extra fiber. Be sure to drain and rinse the beans first if you do this.
Enchilada Toppings
There are so many ways to dress up your enchiladas for serving. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado slices
- Guacamole
- Slices of lime
- Crumbled cojita cheese
- Pico de Gallo
- Store-bought salsa or my 5-Minute Easy Blender Salsa
- Diced red onion
- Shredded lettuce
- Jalapeno slices
- Sliced black olives
How to store these
Store these cooked enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze enchiladas?
Absolutely! Once the enchiladas have completely cooled add them to a freezer safe container (a freezer bag works great or wrap each enchilada in aluminum foil). They’ll remain good in the freezer for up to 4 to 6 months. Of course you’ll want to add an extra toppings after reheating and not before freezing.
How to serve this
I love to serve these enchiladas with rice and a simple salad.
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Red Enchilada Sauce
- 15 ounces tomato sauce, canned
- ½ cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Enchiladas
- 2 cups shredded fully cooked chicken
- ½ cup salsa, a thin salsa works best
- 6 tablespoons cream cheese, regular or low fat both work great
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese or shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine all enchilada sauce ingredients in a blender and blend OR combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir.
- Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Set remaining sauce aside until after enchiladas are assembled.
- In a large bowl, stir together shredded chicken, salsa, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add ¼ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of one tortilla. Carefully roll it up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all remaining tortillas until you have 8 filled tortillas in your dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over your enchiladas.
- Spread the shredded cheese over the sauced enchiladas.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil from top and bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Enchiladas should be heated through and cheese should be melted when done.
- Top finished enchiladas with sour cream, pico de gallo, fresh chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and/or avocado before serving!
