Skip to content

Cookin’

Dinners

Chicken Enchiladas

A baking dish filled with red-sauced chicken enchiladas topped with melted cheese and chopped coriander.
Chicken enchiladas baked in a dish with melted cheese and coriander.

Plump chicken enchiladas filled with seasoned chicken, refried beans and corn, wrapped in tortillas, topped with homemade tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until golden.

By Cookin' Kitchen

  • Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Servings: 8 servings

Recipe

Chicken Enchiladas

Plump chicken enchiladas filled with seasoned chicken, refried beans and corn, wrapped in tortillas, topped with homemade tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until golden.

Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/chicken-enchiladas

Prep
20 minutes
Cook
45 minutes
Total
1 hour 5 minutes
Servings
8

Ingredients

8 servings

For 8 servings

Tortillas

Enchilada seasoning

Enchilada sauce

Chicken filling

Topping

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Large skillet
  • 22 x 33 cm/9 x 13-inch baking pan
  • Oven

Instructions

Enchilada seasoning

  1. Step 1: Mix the enchilada seasoning spices together. Set aside to use in the filling and sauce.

Enchilada sauce

  1. Step 2: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir for 20 seconds.

  2. Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of the enchilada seasoning, the chicken stock and tomato passata. Stir to combine.

    Sauce being made in a saucepan, from flour and oil to a smooth red sauce.
  3. Step 4: Increase the heat slightly to medium-high. Cook for 4 minutes, whisking regularly, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat.

Chicken filling

  1. Step 5: Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the chicken and mix to coat. Sprinkle with seasoning and toss to coat.

  2. Step 6: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for 1½ minutes. Remove the chicken, rest it for 2 minutes, then chop.

    Seasoned chicken cooking in a skillet beside a pan of cooked chicken filling with corn and vegetables.
  3. Step 7: In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

  4. Step 8: Add the refried beans, diced chicken, corn and water. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly. The filling should be thick and juicy, not watery.

    Seasoned chicken cooked and chopped, then combined with corn and other filling ingredients.

Assemble and bake

  1. Step 9: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

  2. Step 10: Lay a tortilla on a work surface. Spread ⅔ cup of filling over the lower third, sprinkle with cheese, then roll it up with the seam side down to hold it closed. Repeat to make 8 enchiladas.

    Chicken filling and cheese rolled into tortillas, arranged in a baking dish with sauce and cheese.

    Tip: If the filling is cool, it will thicken slightly and be easier to roll.

  3. Step 11: Spread a scoop of enchilada sauce across the base of a 22 x 33 cm/9 x 13-inch pan. Arrange the enchiladas in the pan, pour the remaining sauce over them and sprinkle with cheese.

    Red enchilada sauce being poured over rolled tortillas in a baking dish.
  4. Step 12: Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately, sprinkled with coriander.

Notes

For a tomato paste alternative to passata, use 4 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 extra cup chicken stock and 1 teaspoon sugar.

For make-ahead or freezer storage, keep the sauce separate from the rolled enchiladas so the tortillas absorb less sauce. If assembling ahead, cool both the sauce and rolled enchiladas completely before combining. To bake from frozen, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F. If thawed, bake as directed in the recipe.

Cooked leftovers keep for 4 days in the fridge. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, avocado sauce or pico de gallo, if desired.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
471 kcal
Fat
22 g
Saturated fat
9 g
Carbohydrates
35 g
Sugar
6 g
Fiber
4 g
Protein
32 g
Sodium
1,152 mg
Cholesterol
81 mg

Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.

About this recipe

These chicken enchiladas are filled with seasoned chicken, refried beans and corn, then covered in homemade tomato enchilada sauce and cheese. The spice mix seasons both the sauce and the filling.

Cheesy chicken enchiladas served on a plate with chopped coriander.
A close view of the saucy enchiladas ready to serve.
A bowl of spices for enchilada seasoning beside a list of the spices.
The spices used to make the enchilada seasoning mix.
Ingredients for chicken enchiladas arranged in bowls, including chicken, bell pepper, tomato, beans, corn, cheese and coriander.
A spread of ingredients for the enchilada sauce and filling.
Golden, cheese-covered enchiladas with red sauce and chopped coriander.
Baked enchiladas topped with melted cheese and coriander.
A close-up of saucy, cheese-covered enchiladas with coriander.
A close view of the finished enchiladas.

For tortillas that are stiff or made from corn, warm them briefly to make them pliable before rolling.

Made this recipe?

Your rating helps other cooks decide, and tells me what to make more of.

Rate this recipe

No ratings yet. Be the first!

Share it

Send it to whoever you are cooking for.

Comments

No comments yet. Made this recipe? Tell us how it turned out.

Leave a comment

Never shown publicly.

0 / 5000 characters

Comments are moderated and appear once approved.

Keep cooking