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overhead view of a baking dish full of chicken enchiladas garnished with cilantro
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5 from 4 votes

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas combine simple ingredients to make a comforting dish that you will fall in love with. Our enchiladas are completely from scratch, able to be frozen, and are the perfect dinner recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: casserole, freezer friendly, make ahead
Servings: 6 people
Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

Enchilada Sauce (see note 1)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder see note 2
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

For Enchiladas

  • 3 cups shredded chicken (read tips for shredded chicken here)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4.5 ounces diced green chiles
  • 10 corn tortillas
  • 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese see note 3

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large skillet for the enchilada sauce, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add 1 diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir chili powder and cumin into the onion for the enchilada sauce and cook for about thirty seconds. Then stir in 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Then stir in the tomato sauce and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the enchilada sauce to a blender and blend to make smooth (optional). Pour 1/2 cup in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the rest of the enchilada sauce back to the skillet you cooked it in.
  • In a large bowl, combine the chicken, salt, pepper, chiles, and 1 cup of cheese.
  • Working with one tortilla at a time, dip it in the enchilada sauce. Then add 1/4 cup of the chicken filling. Roll and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue with all 10 tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and then top with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Notes

  1. You can replace this enchilada sauce recipe with two cups of store bought sauce.
  2. This recipe is mild. If you would like to make it spicy, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the enchilada sauce. You can also buy hot green chiles instead of mild.
  3. The preparation time for this recipe includes shredding Colby Jack cheese from the block. I highly recommend using block cheese and shredding it yourself as it melts significantly better.