Simple Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Simple Chicken Enchilada Recipe

I love Mexican and Tex-Mex food and enchiladas are right up there with my absolute favorites, so when I first made this simple chicken enchilada recipe, I was hoping for a good result, and I got it! The resulting enchiladas were really good, and the flavors were amazing. I hope you like them as much as we all did.

Enchiladas are made by rolling corn tortillas around your chosen filling and then adding a spicy sauce and usually cheese on top. You can fiddle about with this recipe as much as you want because it would be hard to mess it up. Just add your favorite ingredients to the filling and top with your favorite toppings, using as many or as few ingredients as you want, and altering the spice factor depending whether you prefer a mild, medium or hot finish.

The Origin of Enchiladas

Originating in Mexico, this dish dates back to Mayan times when corn tortillas would be rolled around fish but modern ones might feature meat, cheese, beans, vegetables, seafood, potatoes, or a mixture of any of these. This simple chicken enchilada recipe is one of my favorites.

As far as traditional Mexican street food, enchiladas were just corn tortillas dipped in chili sauce, but today’s are different.

This is a recipe worth bookmarking or printing because the resulting dish is just so good. Kids love enchiladas as much as the grownups although smaller kids probably won’t want as much chili powder or hot sauce in theirs as some of the more adventurous adults might.

 Chicken Enchiladas Before Baking

     Chicken Enchilada After Baking

Typical Enchilada Varieties

Red chili enchiladas are covered in a red enchilada sauce, and this is the most popular variation. Enchiladas verdes feature a green tomatillo-based sauce.

Another kind is enchiladas con mole which are covered in mole sauce, a tasty Mexican sauce which is brown, rich and usually contains quite a few ingredients. I like that as well as this simple chicken enchilada recipe.

SIMPLE chicken enchilada recipeEnchiladas suizas have a creamy sauce on top, bechamel or similar, and these were developed by Swiss immigrants in Mexico.

Enchiladas placera contain chicken and vegetables, while enchiladas poblanas are filled with chicken and poblano chilies and they are topped with Oaxaca cheese. Is your mouth watering already thinking about those south of the border delicacies?

Enfrijoladas have refried beans on top instead of chili sauce. I’ve tried a lot of these varieties but still fall back on this simple chicken enchilada recipe often because it’s easy to make and so tasty.

Simple Chicken Enchilada Recipe Additions

In South and Central Texas you will find gravy-style enchiladas which have a gravy-like chili sauce on top as well as a layer of cheese. These might be beef or cheese filled tortillas.

Enchiladas duranguenos feature red chili sauce and they are filled with minced onions and queso cotija or parmesan (which is cheaper).

Enchiladas montados are popular in New Mexico. These are made with fried corn tortillas which are stacked and covered with chili sauce (either red or green), shredded cheese and topped onion, and these ingredients go between each layer of the stack. They might contain chicken or beef, or neither, and this dish is often topped with a fried egg, black olives and maybe shredded lettuce too.

Enchilada Toppings and Garnishes

Enchilada Toppings and GarnishesAs well as being able to choose your filling, you can choose the toppings when making homemade tortillas. Consider sour cream, cheese, chilies, salsa, cilantro, chopped onions, or black olive slices. These would be great with a simple chicken enchilada recipe.

I like to serve mine with refried beans and beans, corn salad and sour cream, as well as avocado slices, but of course you can take your pick depending on what you have and what you like.

The following recipe is one of these easiest ways to make enchiladas and it really doesn’t take too long. As well as your tortillas (and you can swap the traditional corn ones for flour ones if you so wish) you will need cream cheese and salsa for your filling, as well as chicken, chilies, kidney beans and any vegetables you want to use. Some people like to add bell peppers while others like jalapenos or no vegetables whatsoever. Corn is another idea, or even something unusual like mushrooms.

The tortillas are filled with this spicy, creamy mixture, rolled up, covered in cheese and baked until they look like the photo above. Cheese toppings are always good when the cheese not only melts but is allowed to crisp up and get slightly charred in places, or at least that is how I like my simple chicken enchilada recipe!

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Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Corn tortillas are filled with a spicy, creamy mixture before being topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. The whole family will love this highly tasty dish.

  • Author: Victoria Haneveer
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 chopped chicken breast
  • 8 oz (250g) kidney beans, drained
  • 8 oz (250g) cream cheese
  • 8 oz (250g) tomato salsa
  • 8 oz (250g) cooked veggies (corn, bell pepper etc)
  • 4 oz (125g) canned chilies (optional)
  • 6 (6 inch/15cm inch wide) corn tortillas
  • 2 cups (110g) shredded cheese (Mexican blend, mozzarella etc)
  • Ground cumin, dried oregano, salt and black pepper (to taste)

To Serve (All Optional)

  • Iceberg lettuce dressed with white wine vinegar and salt
  • Sour cream
  • Refried beans
  • Avocado slices or guacamole
  • Tomatoes
  • Green onions

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
  2. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish lightly with oil or butter.
  3. Put the cream cheese and salsa in a small pan and cook, stirring, until hot.
  4. Stir in the cooked chicken, vegetables, chilies, beans and seasonings.
  5. Fill the tortillas with this mixture and roll them up, arranging them in the greased baking dish.
  6. I like to dot sour cream on each before adding the cheese but that is optional.
  7. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes and take the foil off, then finish it off under the broiler to brown the cheese a little.
  9. If you like, you can add black olive slices and shredded lettuce on top before serving.

 

Another Recipe for Chicken Cheese Enchiladas

The following chicken cheese enchilada recipe serves 8 people if you serve the enchiladas with a good sized helping of refried beans and Spanish rice. It will serve 4 people if you served just with a small side salad or just as they are.

If you are a fan of enchiladas, you will like the following recipe because it is so easy to follow and because of the amazing flavor.

The chicken is spiced before you fry it, to infuse it with tasty Mexican flavor. After that, it is shredded and combined with garlic, corn, tomatoes and onion to make the filling for this chicken cheese enchilada recipe. The enchiladas are topped with enchilada sauce and cheese and then baked until they are hot and fragrant and the cheese bubbles away on top. You can use cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend for these, whichever you prefer.

This authentic Mexican enchilada recipe is simple to make and your family will definitely love the results. Chicken and cheese is a classic flavor combination and the other Mexican ingredients in this enchilada recipe help to spice it up and give it a mouthwatering flavor.

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Chicken Cheese Enchiladas with Corn

A chicken cheese enchilada recipe makes a wonderful dinner if you fancy something a bit different from what you normally have. Homemade enchiladas are wonderful and you can adapt the chicken cheese enchilada recipe if you want to.

Perhaps try adding some spice or a different vegetable, and using whichever cheese mixture you like for the topping. Enchiladas are a nice recipe to begin with if you are new to making Mexican food recipes because they are simple to prepare, yet they are impressive to look at and really flavorful. You’re going to love these!

  • Author: Victoria Haneveer
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale
  • lbs (600g) skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 chopped red onion
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 minced cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican spice blend
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 4 canned chipotle chilies, minced and de-seeded
  • 1 cup (120g) shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ teaspoon all purpose flour
  • 5 canned green chilies, chopped and de-seeded
  • 1 cup (175g) thawed corn kernels
  • 28-ounce (800g) can of stewed tomatoes
  • 1½ cups (375ml) enchilada sauce
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro and chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Coat a skillet with oil and season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
  2. Brown the chicken on 7 minutes per side over a moderate heat or until it is no longer pink inside.
  3. Sprinkle the garlic powder, Mexican spices, and cumin over the chicken before turning it over.
  4. Let it cool. Sauté the garlic and onion in the chicken drippings until soft, then add the chilies and corn, stirring well to combine.
  5. Add the stewed tomatoes and cook for a minute.
  6. Shred the chicken with your fingers, and then add it to the pan with the vegetables.
  7. Dust the mixture in the pan with some flour and stir briefly.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  9. Microwave the tortillas for half a minute on high, to make them more pliable.
  10. Coat the bottoms of a pair of 9 x 13 inch pans with a ladleful of the enchilada sauce, and then dip each tortilla into this sauce on both sides, to coat them lightly.
  11. Spoon ¼ cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla, and then fold the tortillas over the filling.
  12. Put 8 rolled up, filled tortillas in each pan, seam side down.
  13. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce and the shredded cheddar cheese.
  14. Bake the enchiladas for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
  15. Garnish them with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro and chopped scallions if you like, before serving.
  16. Serve these chicken cheese enchiladas with refried beans and Spanish rice.

Keywords: chicken cheese enchiladas, enchiladas with chicken and cheese