In this shredded chicken enchiladas recipe, flour tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken breast, corn, black beans and shredded Monterey jack cheese. Then they’re smothered in a flavorful red sauce and topped with more cheese. The enchiladas are baked until hot and the cheese is perfectly melted.
Making enchiladas is easy, the chicken and enchilada sauce come together quickly and rolling them up is a snap. The rest is hand-off baking time. Overall, Mexican and Southwestern-inspired meals are easy to make and use simple ingredients. With a homemade seasoning blend and common pantry items you can make favorites like our tacos with ground beef recipe and these beef taquitos.
Recipe tips
- Go easy on the salt for the enchilada sauce because the chicken, broth and tomato sauce all contain salt already. Taste it when it’s done and determine if it needs a little more. We did not need any extra for ours.
- Make a seasoning mix when using several spices that will go in at the same time. You will avoid standing over a hot pot trying to measure out spices. Not to mention the possibility of adding way too much of one ingredient (and you know it will always be the spicy one).
- It’s best to shred your own cheese instead of using pre-shredded. Packaged cheese contains cellulose and (sometimes) potato starch added in to prevent caking. The additives prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
- The tortillas will be much easier to work with if you microwave them for 15 seconds or so. They will become more pliable when warm.
- Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet just in case it bubbles over it doesn’t make a mess in your oven.
Ingredients
- Spices – Salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and black pepper.
- Oil – We’re not cooking at a high temperature so use your favorite oil (we use canola oil).
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe.
- Pantry – Canned chicken broth, black beans, corn and flour.
- Dairy – The butter is used to combine with flour to give the sauce a little body. The heavy cream gives the sauce a creamy touch. For the cheese we go with Monterey jack, but cheddar jack, colby jack or other combination will work too. Use something that goes well with Mexican and southwestern style food.
- Tortillas – Use flour tortillas that are not too large (about 6 inches), so they fit in a casserole dish.
- Garnish and serving – We garnish the chicken enchiladas with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Other good garnish and side dish options include black refried beans, green onions, sliced jalapenos, garden fresh salsa and hot sauce.
You will also need:
Casserole dish – use a large casserole dish (about 3-quart 9 x 13) to fit all ten enchiladas. We used a 2.3 quart casserole that’s 11x7 inch and were able to fit eight.
Prep work
The prep work on these shredded chicken enchiladas is quick and easy. Open a couple cans, measure out a few ingredients, put together a seasoning mix and you're done! To make prep work even easier I like to use glass nesting bowls to keep everything neat and organized.
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and black pepper to a small bowl, stir to combine.
- Trim any fat off the chicken and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Drain and rinse the black beans and the corn.
- Shred the cheese
- Gather and measure out the remaining ingredients.
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side, just to get it going and brown the outside a bit. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set on a plate or pan, keep warm.
Do not wash the skillet, set it back over medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and foamy add the flour. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Next, add the tomato sauce, prepared seasoning mix, and chicken broth, stir well to combine. Raise the heat to medium-high. When the sauce comes to a simmer return the chicken to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Use an instant read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F at its thickest part.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and continue cooking the sauce, covered on medium-low to low heat for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Taste and add salt if needed.
While the sauce cooks shred the chicken when it’s cool enough to handle. Place it on a cutting board or pan and shred it using two forks.
Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl, add 1 cup of enchilada sauce, corn and black beans. Stir well to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Build the enchiladas
- Add ¼ cup of the sauce to the bottom a large casserole dish (about 3-quart 9 x 13).
- Work with one tortilla at a time, add 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center and arrange so that it’s not mounded in the middle. Add 1 tablespoon of the shredded cheese on top of the chicken.
- Fold the end closest to you over and roll the tortilla tightly. Place it seam-side down in the casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted.
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📖 Recipe
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil use your favorite, we use canola oil
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast boneless and skinless (usually 2 chicken breast pieces)
- 1 teaspoon Salt plus extra if needed for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 (8 ounce can) Tomato Sauce
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Canned Black Beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Canned Corn drained and rinsed (cooked to package directions if using frozen)
- 8-10 Small Flour Tortillas about 6 inch
- 1½ cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese divided (1 tablespoon for each enchilada plus 1 cup on top)
Instructions
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and black pepper to a small bowl, stir to combine.
- Trim any fat off the chicken and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
Make the chicken and sauce
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side, just to get the chicken going and to brown on the outside a bit.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set on a plate or pan. Keep warm by loosely covering with a piece of foil and/or placing the plate in the microwave or oven. It will stay warm away from drafts. Don’t worry that it’s not cooked all the way through; it will finish cooking in the enchilada sauce.
- Do not wash the skillet, set it back over medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and foamy add the flour. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, prepared seasoning mix, and chicken broth, stir well to combine.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, when the sauce comes to a simmer return the chicken to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Keep the sauce at a simmer, if it’s not simmering, raise the heat a bit, if it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat. Turn the chicken about halfway through the cooking time and stir the sauce occasionally.
- Use an instant read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F at its thickest part.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and continue cooking the sauce, covered on medium-low to low heat for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra to ours.
- While the sauce cooks shred the chicken when it’s cool enough to handle. Place it on a cutting board or pan and shred it using two forks.
- Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl, add 1 cup of enchilada sauce, corn and black beans. Stir well to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
Build the enchiladas
- Add ¼ cup of the sauce to the bottom a large casserole dish (about 3-quart 9 x 13).
- If the tortillas are refrigerated microwave them for 15 seconds or so until they warm up and become pliable.
- Work with one tortilla at a time, add 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center, arrange so that it’s not mounded in the middle.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the shredded cheese on top of the chicken.
- Fold the end closest to you over and roll the tortilla tightly. Place it seam-side down in the casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Arrange the enchiladas in the casserole dish so they fit snuggly without stacking.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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