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I've been making my version of Tyler Florence's chicken enchilada recipes for over 20 years now. These are seriously the BEST chicken enchiladas - they're always a hit!
Chicken is dusted with Mexican spices, shredded, and tossed with chiles, corn, and tomatoes. Then it gets wrapped up, coated with cheese, and baked until nice and melty.
This recipe makes 2 trays of enchiladas, which makes them perfect to serve a crowd or to enjoy as leftovers. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Not that I think you need an excuse to make homemade chicken enchiladas, but if you're looking to take your Cinco de Mayo party to the next level, this would certainly be a great option.
These enchiladas don't need any additional toppings or sides, but if you're feelin' fancy, they're great alongside this easy cilantro lime rice with a little restaurant-style guacamole and sour cream or Greek yogurt.
And I certainly wouldn't blame you for making this watermelon tequila cocktail (or mocktail!), this spicy passionfruit margarita (which also comes with a non-alcoholic variation), or this guava cooler to sip on while you dig in.
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🧡 Why we love this recipe
- It makes 2 big trays of chicken enchiladas - perfect for a fiesta!
- This recipe is a great way to use up taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
- Enchiladas are a little messy but fun to assemble with kids.
- They hold up well as leftovers for several days.
📝 Ingredients
Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list for this chicken enchilada recipe. It takes a little time but the results are oh so worth it (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):
- Olive oil - for cooking the chicken and veggies.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Garlic powder
- Taco seasoning or fajita seasoning
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Frozen corn - you could also use canned (be sure to drain it first!) or fresh.
- Canned green chiles
- Canned chipotle chiles (feel free to use more or less depending on your heat preference)
- Canned crushed tomatoes - look for ones that aren't already seasoned, since we'll be adding plenty of other seasonings to this dish.
- All-purpose flour
- Corn tortillas - I like using the fajita-sized ones for this recipe.
- Canned red enchilada sauce - choose your heat preference when buying - I tend to prefer mild here, as the medium one can pack quite a punch when combined with the other ingredients.
- Finely shredded cheese - I like using a Mexican blend or cheddar jack.
- Chopped cilantro (optional, for serving)
- Thinly sliced green onions (optional, for serving)
- Sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, Mexican cream, or Skyr (optional, for serving)
- Diced tomatoes (optional, for serving)
✅ How to make this recipe
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Season the chicken and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (an instant-read thermometer is a great tool to use to check for this). Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and let cool.
- In the same pan, sauté the red onion and garlic, stirring and scraping to get all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the corn, green chiles, and chipotle chiles, and canned tomatoes.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it into the pan with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine.
- Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into the bottom of 2 (9x13-inch) baking dishes. Place the remaining enchilada sauce in a large, shallow bowl or deep plate.
- Microwave tortillas to soften, then dip into the bowl of enchilada sauce, one at a time. Add ¼ cup of the chicken mixture, roll the tortilla up, and transfer to the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tops of both trays of enchiladas, then sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Serve the enchiladas sprinkled with cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and tomatoes, as desired.
See recipe card below for full instructions.
📌 Tips
These chicken enchiladas take quite a few steps to put together, but it's nothing too difficult. There are a few things that will help you have success when putting them together.
- Let the excess sauce drip off of the tortillas after you dip them.
- Use a measuring cup to ensure that each enchilada gets the same amount of filling.
- Feel free to use less of the spicier ingredients, such as the chipotles and green chiles, or even omit them completely if you don't like things too spicy.
- Be sure to put the filled tortillas in your baking dishes seam-side down so they stay closed while you're rolling up the rest of them.
💡 Serving suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with chicken enchiladas:
Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!
Print📖 Recipe
The BEST Chicken Enchiladas
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 20 enchiladas (about 8-10 servings) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
I've been making my version of Tyler Florence's chicken enchilada recipes for over 20 years now. These are seriously the BEST chicken enchiladas - they're always a hit! This recipe makes a whole lot of enchiladas, which makes them perfect to serve a crowd or to enjoy as leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning (or fajita seasoning)
- 1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chiles, drained
- 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced (use more or less depending on your heat preference)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 20 yellow corn tortillas (I like using the fajita-sized ones)
- 2 (10-ounce) cans red enchilada sauce, divided (choose your heat preference when buying)
- 1 cup finely shredded cheese (I like using a Mexican blend or cheddar jack)
For serving (optional, but encouraged):
- Chopped cilantro
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, Mexican cream, or Skyr
- Diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and taco seasoning. Place the seasoned chicken in the hot skillet and cook until no longer pink, about 7 minutes per side (I like using an instant-read thermometer to check for a temperature of 165°F). Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and let cool.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, and add the red onion and garlic to the pan with the chicken drippings. Sauté until tender, stirring to get all of the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the thawed corn, green chiles, and chipotle chiles, stirring well to combine. Add the canned tomatoes and continue cooking for another minute or two. Turn off the heat.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it into the pan with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine.
- Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into the bottom of 2 (9x13-inch) baking dishes. Place the remaining enchilada sauce in a large, shallow bowl or deep plate.
- Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds to help make them more pliable (see notes below). One at a time, dip each tortilla into the bowl of enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Let any excess sauce drip off, then lay the tortilla flat and add ¼ cup of the chicken mixture to one side. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the filled side, and transfer to the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tops of both trays of enchiladas, then sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Serve the enchiladas sprinkled with cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and tomatoes, as desired.
Notes
This dish can be quite spicy, depending on the heat level and amount of chilis that you use. Feel free to scale back, and use mild versions of the enchilada sauce and chopped chilis if desired.
If your chicken is browning too fast, lower the heat, add a splash of water to the pan, and put the lid on for a few minutes.
If the skillet is dry after the chicken comes out, feel free to add another tablespoon of oil before cooking the onion and garlic.
I like to place the tortillas in a stasher bag and partially close it before microwaving. This helps keep them warm and pliable while I'm working with the filling. You can also wrap them in a damp paper towel if you're having a hard time keeping them from cracking.
To reheat leftover enchiladas, put them into a 325°F oven for about 15 minutes, until warmed through.
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence - Food 911
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Enchiladas are one of my favorite. Love how cheesy these look, definitely on the list to try!