A healthy chicken enchilada recipe will be ideal for a family dinner filled with flavors! It’s full of seasoning, soft chicken, and a cheesy taste that is yummy!
Chicken Enchiladas
When I want a dinner that everyone’s going to love, I always go for this chicken enchilada recipe! It’s got everything—tender chicken, bold spices, and melty cheese wrapped up in soft tortillas. Seriously, whether you use rotisserie chicken or slow-cooked chicken thighs, these enchiladas are always a hit! Let’s dive in and get cooking!!
Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce:
Chicken Filling:
Enchiladas:
Toppings:
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas
Make the Enchilada Sauce: In a pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in chipotle chilis, chipotle chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for 5–10 minutes. Set aside.
Make the Chicken Filling: In a skillet, sauté minced onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add shredded chicken, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chipotle chili powder, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
Assemble the enchiladas: Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with oil. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling onto each tortilla, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in the dish.
Bake: Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve: Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro, and serve with your choice of optional toppings like sour cream or avocado.
Tips and Tricks:
- Tip for Tortilla: warm up the tortillas a little before filling them. This makes it easier to roll them without cracking.
- Sauce Thickness: If your enchilada sauce is too thick, you may add some more chicken broth to make it thinner.
- Melting Cheese: Uncover the dish for the final 5 minutes of baking and leave with that golden, bubbling cheese on top.
Benefits of This Recipe:
Important Things About This Recipe
Now what I like about this chicken enchilada recipe is the fact that you can play around with it so much! It is very flexible, and you can change the ingredients that go in according to your preference or even to suit your diet. Do you want it with no gluten and/or dairy? Oh, well then—if anything, the tortillas or cheese can be changed! Also, it is an incredible idea for what to do with the remaining chicken that you have left over to make a different and tasty dish for your next family dinner.
Delicious and Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion minced
- 1-2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce adjust to taste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
Chicken Filling:
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (from a rotisserie chicken or slow-cooked)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- Kosher salt cumin, dried oregano, and chipotle chili powder, to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Enchiladas:
- 8 whole wheat or gluten-free tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim Mexican cheese blend or cheddar/monterey jack
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions or cilantro
- Optional: sour cream avocado, Greek yogurt, jalapeños
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 400°F.
- Make the Enchilada Sauce: In a pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in chipotle chilis, chipotle chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for 5–10 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the Chicken Filling: In a skillet, sauté minced onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add shredded chicken, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chipotle chili powder, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with oil. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling onto each tortilla, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in the dish.
- Bake: Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro, and serve with your choice of optional toppings like sour cream or avocado.
Notes
- Selection of chicken dishes: You may either get pre-roasted chicken for convenience or have slow-cooked breast or leg meat to give them additional taste.
- Piquancy Degree: Adjust the quantity of chili powder and chipotle chilies as per your taste. Add much more if you like it hotter!
- Different cheese types: Mix and match your cheese selection. A mixture of Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar offers a luscious, melted feel.
- Do It in Advance: Prior to baking, one can arrange enchiladas beforehand and refrigerate them. This is ideal when planning meals in advance!
- Alternate Option for Gluten-Free People: Replace flour tortillas with gluten-free ones if necessary so that the flavor is still there.
