Classic Chicken Enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese and a creamy sour cream sauce makes the perfect weeknight dinner. It’s all about chicken enchiladas!!
How do I love Chicken Enchiladas? Let me count the ways.
Classic Chicken Enchiladas are a staple in our house. We love chicken enchiladas for so many reasons, not the least of which is that they are delicious, and I’m never NOT in the mood for good chicken enchiladas.
- First, let’s be honest, cheese!
- Second, it is the perfect recipe to make when you have leftover chicken and since we make Crispy Slow Cooker Chicken once a week we are always open to leftover chicken recipes.
- Third, the base flavor of these Classic Chicken Enchiladas are pumped up thanks to my Homemade Enchilada Sauce that I always keep on hand in the freezer (I make a quadruple recipe anytime I make a batch for easy meals later). With that sauce and cheese and chicken, the only thing missing is a creamy sour cream filling.
- Fourth, the filling! Shredded chicken mixed with sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and your favorite chopped vegetables (I aim for chopped onions, and canned green chiles as a general rule) becomes the most amazing melted chicken enchiladas filling when you serve these up with some delicious Spanish Rice or Green Cilantro Rice.
Chicken Enchiladas are Always a Win
A close friend of ours recently had a child and as you would expect, a meal train had been set up. I took over two trays of homemade chicken enchiladas as well as trays of both kinds of rice and got the most amazing thank you note about how they decided to eat the chicken enchiladas for four dinners in a row because they were that good.
I’m telling you, folks, it’s all about the chicken enchiladas 😉
Tools used to MAKE Classic Chicken Enchiladas:
- AllSpice Spice Rack: I notoriously don’t like to buy jarred spices because they always cost 5-10x more than buying in bulk. The only drawback is you’re left with spices in these little baggies that are a mess to store and not easy to look through. I use this spice rack and buy all my spices from Sprouts, Winco and Penzey’s then fill up the bottles. PS, we’re talking a huge difference, last week I bought nutmeg in bulk (enough to fill the bottle) for under a dollar and the bottled variety in the store was almost seven dollars.
- Rectangular Baking Pan: I love this baking pan for its sharp clean edges (perfect for baking too!) and it’s ability to distribute heat well. Plus it is a steal and works great going from freezer to oven. I may or may not have 4 of them because I make and freeze meals ahead in them all the time.
- Food Processor: Because pre-shredded cheeses contain an additive to avoid clumping they also don’t melt as well as you’d hope so I always shred my own, especially for these chicken enchiladas. In addition to costing less to buy I also use a food processor to shred it for me since I like to avoid grating injuries. This one is the older model (the new one is linked right under it too) but I can’t tell you how much I love it. For such a low price it is my second favorite kitchen gadget (nothing beats the cast iron skillet!). I’ve had it for 10 years of heavy use and it has never slowed down.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil (you can use vegetable oil if you prefer)
- 1 small white onion , peeled and diced
- 2 cups shredded chicken , I use Crisp and Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese , shredded and divided
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce
- chopped cilantro , for garnish
- chopped green onions , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- If you’re making the enchilada sauce, make it now (don’t worry it only takes 10 minutes!)
- In a skillet heat up the oil on medium-high and cook the onions until just softened. Add in the chicken and cook until it is just a bit crispy.
- In a large bowl mix the onions, chicken, green chiles, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese and 1 cup of sour cream together.
- In a separate bowl, dip the flour tortillas into the enchilada sauce, then lay them flat in your baking dish, 2-3 at a time.
- Spoon on ½ cup of the filling into each tortilla and roll tightly leaving the seam side down.
- When all 8 are done, carefully pour on the remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas covered for 20-25 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
- Top with cilantro and green onions.
- Serve with Spanish Rice or Green Cilantro Rice
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 871kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 2079mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2035IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 753mg | Iron: 4.3mg
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My ultimate go-to recipe for enchiladas! I love adding some pickled jalapenos on top for that extra kick! Thanks for posting!
SO SO yummy! I made it with green enchilada sauce instead and they still turned out great!
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe, I had been wanting to find a good classic traditional enchilada recipe and this one was perfection – so thank you!
Hi Sabrina!
Thank you for so many wonderful favorites, not the least of which are these enchiladas and the sauce!
For the first time, I’ll be making this for my dear friend, and subbing barbacoa for the chicken. It has a very strong chipotle chili flavor, and I am wondering what you think about skipping the chilies in the sour cream mix? I love the flavor they bring to the dish, but do you think the flavors will clash?
Thank you! I appreciate the value of your years of cooking! ??
These were the best enchiladas I’ve ever made. I think the key was the enchilada sauce recipe.
And she has it right with the amount of cheese ???
These were amazing! Love your homemade enchilada sauce, I just toned it down a little using 1 tablespoon of chili powder, hubby doesn’t like it so spicy! These are amazing enchiladas and I can’t wait to try your sesame chicken recipe! Thanks!
Excellent dish! Easy prep & the family loved it. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks!
HI, I want to make this but don’t like sour cream, anything I can substitute for it or just skip it? Also love all you recipe
You can just leave it out or substitute it with greek yogurt. Enjoy!
Hello! Novice cook here ?. Just a few questions: when you dip the tortillas in the sauce prior to filling and rolling them, are we talking like a full coating of sauce over both sides/surfaces of the tortillass? Also, if I precook the shredded chicken (using crockpot), do I skip the step of adding the chicken to the soften onions to make crispy or is this an extra way to accomplish that?
They look amazing! Thank you!
Yes, like fully dipped, dripping with sauce then into the pan to fill and roll. If precooked chicken, just soften onions, don’t worry about chicken. If you want the chicken seared, cook it first with vegetable oil on high heat then remove chicken then soften the onions.
Another hit! I wanted easy tortilla dinners, but only had a cheese enchilada recipe up my sleeve.
This was so fast, not intimidating to make, and a hit with the extended family. I added a can of corn and a chopped bell pepper to stretch it further. Much more filling and dinner-y than plain cheese enchiladas. Excited to make again ??. Thank you, Sabrina!
I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!
This was so easy to make and my whole family loves it
Thanks for the 5 stars, Jennie.
Awesome enchiladas! Made, ate, shared with parents, they made, ate and it’s a keeper for all of us! A+++
All I would add is a can of Rotel (hot), a small can of Green Chilies (mild), and 2 tablespoons of Chili Powder instead of 3. 🙂
So happy to hear it was such a hit!
Just made this. Whole family raved and I loved it too. Used the homemade enchilada sauce recipe with no chilli powder cuz too hot but subbed in old bay as another reviewer suggested. Excellent and thanks for the great recipe.
So glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Can I freeze the filling?
Yes 🙂
I want to try this for my bingo dinner customers but why do you use flour tortillas instead of corn?
That’s just what we prefer but you can use corn tortillas if you’d like. I hope you all enjoy them.
We’ve made these several times and our family LOVES them! The enchilada sauce recipe is CRAZY good and easy, and has been passed along to billions. 😉 Always at least double it.
Making a double batch today to share! Because we usually need to be hosed down after the building of the enchiladas (which, let’s be honest, the mess can be half the fun), I’m going to try them today as casseroles – one with flour tortillas, the other with corn.
THANK YOU for this delicious dish!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Hi! I’m in Australia and hoping to have a crack at this recipe – only trouble is that I cannot locate ‘green chiles’. Its just not something stocked here. We have jars of jalapeño peppers though but I believe it is not the same…any advice or alternatives?
I’m so happy you decided to try the recipe. If you aren’t able to find green chiles (usually they are in the canned section), you can substitute with roasted poblano peppers (will produce more heat) or if you’d like to keep it milder you can substitute with a green bell pepper. Hope this helps!
Where is the recipe for the homemade enchilada sauce?
Here’s the link to the sauce: https://dinnerthendessert.com/best-homemade-enchilada-sauce-and-quick/
would this work this ground beef instead of chicken?
Yes 🙂
So these were yummy, with the enchilada sauce. I did add black beans that I cooked to this recipe just to make the filling stretch further. I found I also needed to add more spice to the enchiladas, as well as the enchilada sauce for my personal taste. I used Food For Life’s organic sprouted corn tortillas, and these enchiladas were inhaled by my group. I’m looking forward to making them again. Very delicious, thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Glad you were able to customize it to your liking!
Great.
Made this last week and it was fantastic! Will use corn tortillas next time only because that’s what I’m used to (lived in San Antonio for years) but altogether a delicious dish.
Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how you enjoyed it!
Wonderful recipes but please folks….Stop telling people to use CANOLA oil…This is very bad for you and so are all vegetable oils….Use Avocado oil , Extra virgin, or walnut oil –
or peanut oil if you are deep frying.
Thank you for all these great ideas…I will try them for sure. June Schiavoni
Making this tonight! It looks delicious and probably is based on several other recipes I’ve cooked from your website.
Yay! Hope you loved it!
My husband is a big fan of enchiladas of any kind, and I know he would go crazy for these!
If you choose to use corn tortillas (I only like enchiladas with corn tortillas) are there any changes to cooking , number of tortillas or major differences in taste?
I’d probably add two more to the recipe and fit them on the sides of the pan since they’re shorter. 🙂
Pass that pan, hand me a fork, and watch me devour it.
Chicken enchiladas are one of our favorite meals! Even our girls love them!
That’s so nice that you brought your friend meals! I’d sure love to receive these enchiladas.
Love a good classic. Look at all of that cheese!
I am loving *everything* about this recipe, and I know my family would, too. What a great combination of flavors. What a great meal to make for the whole fam!