Easy Chicken Enchiladas
These easy chicken enchiladas are stuffed with creamy chicken filling and topped with melty cheese and a tangy homemade enchilada sauce that you’ll want to eat with a spoon.
Servings 5 to 6 servings
Calories 636kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Filling
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 to 4 medium breasts
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning *
- Cooking spray or olive oil
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240g) sour cream
Enchilada Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (23g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (50g) tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Pepper
Enchiladas
- 10 8-inch tortillas corn or flour are fine
- 1 1/2 cup (6oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite melting cheese
Optional Toppings
- Cilantro
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
Instructions
Shredded Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Coat both sides of the chicken breasts in taco seasoning. If using taco seasoning that does not include salt, generously sprinkle both sides with salt as well.
- Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Grease with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil. Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and repeat with the second side. Add enough water to the pan to come up about 1/2-inch.
- Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 6 to 10 minutes (longer with very large chicken breasts), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 165°F. If at any time the water level gets low, add a bit more water to the pan.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest and discard any juices from the pan. Return the pan to the stove and grease with cooking spray or a little olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent around the edges. If at any time they begin to brown, turn down the heat.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts, and combine shredded chicken, onions, and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Enchilada Sauce
- Pre-measure all of your sauce ingredients (flour, spices, and salt will be added together so they can all go in the same small bowl) and place them next to the stove.
- In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour, spices, and salt and whisk until a thick paste forms and begins to bubble, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Whisk in tomato paste and stir until mostly combined. Slowly pour in broth, whisking out any lumps as they form and whisk until completely smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until sauce has thickened, 6 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in vinegar, and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly.
Assemble Enchiladas
- To your prepared baking dish, add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, spreading it so that it mostly coats the bottom in a thin layer.
- Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of meat and sour cream mixture and roll tightly. Place in the baking dish, seam-side down.
- Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Bake
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and the edges of the tortillas are just slightly golden.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream, cilantro, and pico de gallo if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you don't have taco seasoning, stir together 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to use in its place.
*Approximate nutritional information is for a serving of 1 1/2 enchiladas and does not include any optional toppings.
Freezer Instructions (Uncooked Enchiladas)
Unbaked enchiladas freeze quite well. You can freeze the entire dish, make two 8×8 pans of five enchiladas each, or three 5×7 pans of three or four.
To freeze: line baking dish (disposable or reusable) with parchment paper. Assemble enchiladas completely. If using a disposable baking dish, wrap tightly with foil and store in a freezer bag.
If using a regular baking dish, place in the freezer and freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Use the parchment paper to lift enchiladas out of the pan and wrap tightly in foil (leave the parchment paper on the enchiladas). Store in a plastic freezer bag.
To reheat: preheat oven to 400°F. Remove foil. (If not using a disposable container, place frozen enchiladas, parchment paper included, into a baking dish.)
Grease a piece of foil and loosely cover the top of your enchiladas, greased side down. This will keep your cheese and tortillas from burning and won’t stick as the cheese melts.
Bake until heated through or an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F, this will take at least 30 minutes, up to over an hour for a full pan of enchiladas. When the enchiladas seem very nearly heated through, remove foil so the top of the enchiladas can brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 636kcal