These chicken enchiladas with red sauce have a great chicken filling that can be made on the stove or in a slow cooker. Use my recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce, or pick up a can of sauce if you prefer. Either way, the result is going to be flavorful and filling!
Chicken enchiladas are full of flavor and you can prep them ahead of time if you need a quick and easy dinner. This recipe from my sister-in-law is our go to for homemade chicken enchiladas.
She shared it with us back in 2015 when I was asking our friend and family for favorite recipes to try. Who would have imagined that little project would have turned into this?
Either way, when she asked her husband what recipe she was famous for, he said these chicken enchiladas. And that is saying something because she is one heck of a baker and cake decorator.
So, needless to say, I was quite excited to try them. You know they have to be good if they are her signature dish.
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My husband and I were amazed. They smelled so good while they were cooking and they tasted even better.
I am telling you, there is a reason why her husband so heartily recommended these enchiladas. They are fabulous!
Why You’ll Love These Enchiladas
- The filling can be made pretty quickly on the stovetop. Or, make the filling in the slow cooker while you go about your day. Just shred it and wrap it when you are ready to finish making dinner.
- The lime and seasonings that go with the chicken add so much flavor. You could even use it as a chicken taco recipe if you didn’t want to add the time to bake it into enchiladas.
- The homemade red enchilada sauce is delicious. Making your own means you can adjust the flavors to your preferences. We love it as written, but you can dial the spice up or down based on how you like it. However, you can use a can of sauce if you want.
What kind of tortillas should you use for enchiladas?
Corn tortillas are a more traditional option to use for enchiladas. You fry them slightly and then wrap them around the filling.
You can certainly use them for this recipe. However, my family prefers flour tortillas.
We personally like the softer, smoother texture of flour tortillas better. You are welcome to use whichever you prefer.
Jess’s Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Chicken Filling
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 4 ounces diced green chiles or jalapenos
- 1 Tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped (optional)
- Cholula to taste (optional)
Red Enchilada Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1½ cups water
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For Assembly
- Tortillas
- Chihuaha or Jack Cheese
Instructions
Filling
- Pan fry 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until mostly cooked, then remove from pan and shred
- Return shredded chicken to pan. Add 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons lime juice, salt and pepper, ½ cup chopped red onion, 4 ounces diced green chiles or jalapenos, 1 Tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, ½ cup roasted red peppers, and Cholula. Cook until chicken is fully cooked and any excess liquid has simmered down. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Red Enchilada Sauce
- Heat 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 Tablespoon chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly.
- Add 8 ounces tomato sauce and 1½ cups water and stir well to combine.
- Add 1 Tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons white pepper, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking as you go.
- Simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Spread about ⅓ of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a greased casserole dish (I used a 9×13 pan)
- Roll filling into tortillas and place in pan seam-side down.
- Continue until all of the filling is used and pan is full.
- Cover with remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted, around 30 minutes.
Notes
- For a slow cooker filling, place all of the filling ingredients in your Crockpot and cook on low for about 6 hours. Then shred the chicken and use as the filling for your enchiladas.
- You can use a can of enchilada sauce if you prefer, but homemade is really tasty!
- These freeze well. You can split the batch into two smaller pans and bake one and freeze the other. Thaw in the fridge overnight and put the cold dish in the oven right when you turn it on. Add a few minutes to the bake time. They are done with the tortillas are lightly toasted and the sauce is bubbly.
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Great recipe Carlee, we enjoyed it immensely! I had a large chicken breast I had baked yesterday so I sliced it up but followed your recipe to season. I loved your method of cooking the chicken – next time! I also used a can of sauce and, again, I like your recipe for making scratch. I’ve seen it made on YouTube but I never got excited about it, maybe next time.
I do use 8×8″ foil pans, 2, bake both and freeze one, we are seniors so we don’t eat much anymore but I want food available. I never tried putting an unbaked one into the freezer and I think your cold oven method could work well for me.
Always great recipes, glad I found you.
How exciting that you have a second meal to look forward to in the freezer! I am glad you like it. Thank you!
These are so good highly recommend.
I have never seen Mexican oregano, something new to look forward to! They sound marvelous.
you could use regular in a pinch!
So tasty, Carlee! I will be trying these. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday:).
Thank you, Donna. I hope you love them!
Thank you!
Man, both of you in one family, plus your brother, husband and the rest of the bunch, must be so cool. Love that everyone can cook, bake, grill. Can you adopt me? LOL Every time you all get together it's a party for the taste buds!
We love mexican food, and like to prepare it at home, making enough for leftovers, of course. Definitely going to try these, they look delish! Thank Jess for me!
We'd be happy to have you! We do tend to have a lot of activities that center around food. You just never know what people are going to make next! I hope you love the enchiladas. They are definitely a great big batch meal that give good lunches for a few days after!
These sound amazing!
Thank you!
Sadly we have few options around here for good Mexican restaurants, but I have found a store that sells quite a good selection of foods so that I can make dishes at home. I will have to see if I can find the Chihuahua cheese.
Fingers crossed! If not, monterey jack or something of the sort will work just fine.