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Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

5 from 3 votes
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posted: 10/09/19

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas that your family will swoon over. These easy chicken enchiladas can be made the night before to quickly pop in the oven after work. They can even be made in advance and frozen!

overhead view of white ceramic baking dish filled with buffalo chicken enchiladas that is garnished with green onions and chopped tomatoes

I am having one of those days where everything seems to go kind of . . . . wrong. You know the kind. It started off with a missed alarm and kind of went down hill from there. I’m not going to lie, I’m fighting the urge to just go back to bed and binge on the end of the Netflix show Unbelievable (very hard to watch, but very good).

Anyway. Days like this call for comfort food, and I’m not sure if there is much more that is comforting than a big baking dish full of a chicken enchilada casserole. For my kinds of days like these, and for yours I’ve made you Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas. They are creamy, delicious, and an easy spin on my Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. You guys know how I love spins. 

One of the best parts about this recipe is you can prepare it the day before and just pop it in the oven when your work day ends or you finish that series on Netflix. Whichever comes first.

Reader Review

I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make. I’m going to make this every week- it’s that good. By far one of my favorite recipes of all time. Thank you so so so much for sharing!

Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Everything in these easy enchiladas is simple to find. But I have a few tips, so here we go!

I think that it is easiest to buy a rotisserie chicken and get your 3 cups shredded chicken that way. Otherwise you could make some Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.

Next time you go to the store buy an extra can or two of chicken stock and diced green chiles. That way you will always have them on hand.

I always keep a bottle of buffalo sauce in my refrigerator so I can make Buffalo Pull Apart Bread and Crockpot Chicken Wings.

Unsalted butter and all purpose flour are needed to make our roux.

Grab some monetary jack cheese (block please!) and bleu cheese (optional) from the grocery store.

Finally you need some tortilla shells (I prefer flour for easy rolling) and sour cream (I used a reduced fat).

landscape view of a white ceramic baking dish filled with chicken enchiladas (buffalo flavored) garnished with green onions and chopped tomatoes

Making the Roux for these Easy Chicken Enchiladas

The only tricky part of this recipe is making the roux for the sauce. A roux is when you combine flour and a fat (butter in this case) over heat. It acts as a thickening agent for sauce.

If you would like to see me doing it in a video, check out my New England Clam Chowder (you can even click “Jump to Video” at the top of the post).

tip

The most important part is to add the liquid (chicken stock in this case) slowly after you combine the butter and flour. It will look very lumpy, but each time you add a little more stock, it will get smoother and smoother. I like to start with two tablespoons at a time in the beginning.

Why I Want you to Use Block Cheese in Chicken Enchiladas

More and more you are seeing me urge you to buy block cheese instead of the bag of shredded. The reason is because block cheese just melts better. So in recipes like this and my Baked Ziti, it is worth the extra five minutes.

That said, I do not judge kitchen short cuts at all. And to be fair, it is your dinner to eat, not mine. So if having to use block cheese holds you back from making this, by all means, buy the bag!

Make Ahead or Freeze these Enchiladas

That is right, my friends! You can make these guys ahead of time! 

Make this up until that moment you are going to put them in the oven. Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil, and put them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The next night when you get home from work you will be 20 minutes from a warm meal.

Or you can freeze them. I suggest using a disposable oven safe container so you don’t worry about a ceramic baking dish cracking. Wrap them tightly after making them (but before baking). Use two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. When you are ready to bake put them in the oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes or until they are bubbly at the edges and warm in the middle.

overhead view of two chicken enchiladas on a white plate garnished with green onions, tomatoes, and cilantro on a blue cloth napkin on a straw placemat

Other Great Dinners

If you need even more easy dinner ideas, and who doesn’t, check out some of these:

A reader recently told me that this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole is the best Instant Pot meal she’s ever made.

This Taco Meat Recipe is my go to for when I really can’t think of anything to make. The kids gobble it up!

My One Pot Creamy Shrimp Pasta is a low maintenance dinner that everyone loves!

If you make these Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

side view of a chicken enchilada casserole in a white ceramic baking dish, enchiladas are buffalo flavored and garnished with chopped tomatoes and green onions
overhead view of white ceramic baking dish filled with buffalo chicken enchilada recipe that is garnished with green onions and chopped tomatoes
5 from 3 votes

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Serves: 6 servings
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas that your family will swoon over. These easy chicken enchiladas can be made the night before to quickly pop in the oven after work. They can even be made in advance and frozen!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (about 1 pound raw, cooked and shredded)
  • 5 ounces diced green chiles
  • 1/2 cup bleu cheese optional
  • 1/2 cup buffalo sauce divided
  • 8 ounces Montery Jack cheese shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 15 ounces chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 8 10 inch tortillas

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, chiles, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, bleu cheese (if using) and 3/4 a cup of the cheese.
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat; stir in flour to make a roux, stirring and cooking the mixture until bubbly. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and buffalo sauce.
  • Pour a small amount of the sauce you just made – just enough to coat the bottom – into the 9 by 13 inch pan.
  • Add a heaping 1/3 a cup of the chicken mixture to each tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side down in the preparred baking dish.
  • When all 8 tortillas have been added to the baking dish, top with the remaining sauce and then the reamining cheese.
  • Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted, the sauce has begun to boil near the endges and the visable tortilla shells are just beginning to brown.
Serving: 1.3enchilada Calories: 556kcal (28%) Carbohydrates: 40g (13%) Protein: 32g (64%) Fat: 29g (45%) Saturated Fat: 15g (94%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 97mg (32%) Sodium: 1451mg (63%) Potassium: 102mg (3%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 4g (4%) Vitamin A: 14IU Vitamin C: 8mg (10%) Calcium: 36mg (4%) Iron: 11mg (61%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Latin American
overhead view of white ceramic baking dish filled with buffalo chicken enchilada recipe that is garnished with green onions and chopped tomatoes

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Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. [email protected] says

    5 stars
    Added some onions, chorizo sausage and black beans….. wonderful!

  2. Gail says

    5 stars
    I made this recipe last night and it was over the top delicious and so easy! I made it with the frozen shrimp I had on hand instead of chicken, and wow! My family loves Buffalo anything so I’m sure I will be making this sauce over and over again!
    Love the new look of your website. Keep the deliciousness coming!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Gail, thank you so much for this sweet comment! I love this recipe too!

  3. Sophie says

    5 stars
    I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make. I’m going to make this every week- it’s that good. By far one of my favorite recipes of all time. Thank you so so so much for sharing!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and tell me!

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