I grew up eating enchiladas all the time. My mom made them so quick using the canned Enchilada sauce and tortillas from the store. As I’ve gotten older and raising my own family, I cook from scratch so I’m excited to share with you my homemade Chicken Enchiladas recipe.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small
commission at no extra cost to you.
See my full disclosure here.
Join Our Simple Living Community
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas are traditionally served at Mexican restaurants. It’s actually my husband’s favorite meal when we go out or it’s highly requested since I make them from scratch. He loves my sauce and tortillas. I’m a 70’s child, so everything was either made from a box or a can back then. When I got married and started having kids of my own, I did the same thing up until the early 2000’s. It was then I decided to start reading labels and cooking from scratch. It may take me a little more time to prepare but I don’t know why I didn’t realize I could cook with real fresh ingredients sooner haha.
Our great-grandmother‘s cooked from scratch so why did we have to change? I tell you, it’s because tv came around and then companies were created that mass-produced all these processed foods. I’m here to encourage you that you can make my homemade chicken enchiladas and your family will not only appreciate it but they will be getting wonderful nutrition from the whole food ingredients.
- First, you’ll need to cook the chicken. You can either season your chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder and oregano or buy a rotisserie chicken from the store.
- I usually get my chicken cooking in the Instant-Pot first thing. It takes 20 minutes and that is perfect to start the tortillas and the sauce. Just let the chicken rest until you are ready to start assembling. You can pull it once you start assembling everything.
How to Make the Enchilada Red Sauce
- Heat the oil in a dutch-oven over medium heat.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in all the spices and flour. Stir together. The flour will thicken your sauce.
- Now, add in the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Stir it all together.
- Turn the heat up to high. You will now bring your sauce to a boil for a minute or so. Turn down the heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- If you want it extra smooth, use an immersion blender once the sauce has cooled down some.
- You are now ready to assemble the enchiladas.
Assembling the Chicken Enchiladas
- Grab a 9×13 baking dish and spread a light layer of the enchilada sauce on the bottom.
- Next, grab a store bought tortilla or you can make your own Einkorn Tortillas. Hold it in your hand, flat. Add chicken, cheese and roll it up,
- Now, place the tortilla in the dish, seam side down, on top of the sauce. Repeat with all of the tortillas.
- Ladle sauce on top of the tortillas and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, olives or condiments of your choice.
- Serve with Grilled Street Corn Salad and black beans.
Pin For Later
Tools You May Need
Real Salt – enter code lhsimpleliving for 15% off
Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Red Sauce
Ingredients
Enchiladas
- 4 Seasoned Chicken Breasts, cooked (pulled is best)
- 4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (reserve 2 cups for the topping)
- 14 Flour Tortillas
Homemade Enchilada Red Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, finely chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 15 Oz Tomato Sauce (2 cans)
- 17 Oz Chicken Broth
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
To Make the Enchilada Red Sauce
- Heat the oil in a dutch-oven or saucepan.
- Add the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Next, add in all the spices and flour. Give it a good stir.
- Now, add in the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Stir toghter. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil for a minute or so. Turn down the heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Your sauce should be slightly thick.
Assembling the Enchiladas
- Take your baking dish and spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
- Now, holding a tortilla flat in your hand, add the chicken and the cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam side down in the dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
- Next, ladle more of the enchilada red sauce on top of all of the tortillas.
- Top with the remaining 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Top with lettuce, sour cream, olives, guacamole or any condiment of your choice.
Leave a Reply