Name: The BEST Chicken Enchiladas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 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 1/2 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; 1/2 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); Chopped cilantro; Thinly sliced green onions; Sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, Mexican cream, or Skyr; Diced tomatoes

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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!

Freshly baked tray of chicken enchiladas.

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.

Serving of chicken enchiladas on a plate.

Jump to:

🧡 Why we love this recipe
📝 Ingredients
✅ How to make this recipe
📌 Tips
💡 Serving suggestions
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🧡 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)

Seasoning chicken breasts with ground cumin. — Season the chicken on both sides.

Chicken breasts cooking in a skillet. — Cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Shredding chicken with a fork. — Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into strips.

✅ 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.

Adding canned tomatoes to a sauté pan full of veggies.

Mixing together chicken enchilada filling in a sauté pan.

📌 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.

Adding chicken enchilada filling to a tortilla.

Adding rolled chicken enchiladas to a baking dish.

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.