Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
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Chicken enchiladas are a fabulous dish. While they are a little time-consuming to make (about an hour for assembly on this recipe), they are not complicated at all. Think of them as baking burritos in a casserole dish with sauce. It really is that easy!
Want more Mexican dishes you can enjoy on Taco Tuesday? Give these Healthy Tacos and these Homemade Refried Beans a try!
These homemade chicken enchiladas are a healthy, family-friendly twist on the classic Mexican dish. Made with a clean enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, and all-natural corn tortillas, they’re flavorful, easy to customize (dairy-free, gluten-free, or vegetarian), and freezer-friendly for meal prep.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Enchilada Recipe
- The sauce gives these a truly authentic flavor.
- They are easy to customize any way you want them.
- They make a great meal prep dish for enjoying during the week.
- They are freezer-friendly and definitely kid-approved.
Ingredients For Chicken Enchiladas
- Corn tortillas – naturally gluten-free and the traditional choice
- Shredded chicken breast – lean, high-protein base
- Refried beans – clean-labeled or homemade for creaminess
- Homemade enchilada sauce – rich, flavorful, and no added sugar
- Optional toppings: avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream, or lettuce
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas (Step by Step)
- Make the enchilada sauce (recipe here).
- Cook & shred the chicken – bake, boil, or use leftover rotisserie.
- Warm the tortillas so they become pliable.
- Fill and roll each tortilla with beans and chicken.
- Place in a casserole dish seam-side down.
- Top with sauce and bake until bubbly and hot.
- Add cheese if you wish, and melt it in a hot oven before adding other toppings.
- Serve with your favorite sides.
Tips For The Best Chicken Enchiladas
- Warm tortillas first to avoid cracks. Do this by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwaving them for about 1-2 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave.
- Use a rotisserie chicken to save time. Just make sure to read the ingredients.
- Bake until the sauce is bubbling.
- Don’t overfill the tortilla when you roll these. It makes rolling tricky.
Recipe Variations
- Protein swaps: ground turkey, beef, or plant-based crumbles.
- Vegetarian option: beans + roasted veggies.
- Dairy-free: Omit cheese and use avocado.
- Gluten-free: Choose GF tortillas + swap flour for cornstarch in the sauce.
- Spicy version: add jalapeños or use spicy chili powder in the sauce.
How To Store And Freeze Chicken Enchiladas
- Fridge: store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: wrap individually and freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
- Reheat: bake in oven or microwave until warmed through.
FAQs About Chicken Enchiladas
What Tortillas Work Best For Enchiladas?
Look for 100% corn tortillas with recognizable ingredients such as lime and salt. Corn tortillas only need about 2-4 ingredients in total. So pick your brand carefully. If you prefer flour tortillas, look for whole-grain tortillas. Most health food stores that carry food will have them.
What To Serve With Chicken Enchiladas
- Mexican rice or Spanish cauliflower rice
- Black beans or refried beans
- Fresh guacamole
- A side of grilled vegetables
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 batch enchilada sauce
- 36 count package corn tortillas (check ingredients!)
- 3½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pre-baked)
- 45 oz. canned refried beans (check ingredients! See link above)
- 1 batch enchilada sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. and Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Pre-bake the chicken (I did not use any spices at all) until it reaches at least 165 F. on a meat thermometer. Shred the chicken using two forks.
- Warm your tortillas in the microwave by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwave for approximately 2-3 minutes, or until soft and pliable. If you do not have a microwave, you will have to warm the tortillas on your stove top, one at a time as you work.Mist a large casserole dish with olive oil (I used 3 casserole dishes. Depends on the size you use.)Empty the beans out into a bowl for easy access.
- Spoon and spread about 1 tbsp (give or take) of beans on to a warmed tortilla.
- Place the same amount of shredded chicken in the center of the tortilla and roll up (like a burrito without the ends tucked in).
- Place, end-of-wrap side down, in a your casserole dish and repeat until the dish is full.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
- Place in oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. It's done baking when the sauce bubbles. In the last few minute of baking, add some cheese if you wish.
- Add any toppings you'd like. For example, Shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes, onions.
- Allow to cool (the sauce will be VERY hot!), and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 1/22/11.
tiffany I made some wonderful ones last week I got some( clean) green salsa in a jar and added a little chicken broth and warmed it up ( and then made a slury of cornstarch and water to thicken) this was my sauce, for my chicken I used some breasts covered them with water added some sliced onion ,garlic, carrot ,and celery and simmered till chicken was done and veg tender- after it cooled removed chicken and veg from the broth (this is the broth i used in the sauce) then chopped it all together and added some white beans and spinach rolled this into corn tortillas (cause my daughter has cd) put into a casserole dish poured the sauce over covered with tin foil and baked @ 350 about 30 min— wonderful
Trude – Sounds great! Yum!
Just wanted to drop you a quick note letting you know how absolutely DELICIOUS these were (I’m sure you know already :P) — the perfect fix at the end of a wonderful weekend! Thank you again and again for everything you do!!
L&S – You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! (I need to make them again myself pretty soon. It’s nice how long they last…) 😉
I have a chicken fiesta soup recipe…all the ingredients are clean except it calls for a 10 oz. can of enchilada sauce…i haven’t found any clean canned…so i was going to make this and use it…BUT…since I only need 10 ounces of sauce…how long will this sauce keep. In the fall and winter last year (when I first found the chicken fiesta soup recipe) we ate this soup probably once a week. (however it’s just me and my husband and son that will eat it…my son is only 3 yrs old…so one crockpot of soup last for a meal and at least two meals of leftovers.) SOOOO…does it keep well in the fridge?? I’m thinking that I should probably half the recipe anyways too. I’m SO excited to try this…I can’t wait for the soup with it!! I’m SO weird with soup…we eat it SOOO much in the fall and winter…but during the spring and summer I almost can’t bring myself to make it…it just feels wrong!! Sometimes in the winter we’ll have a different soup every night of the week…my crockpot gets good use then!! 🙂 (okay, sorry, you didn’t want to know my life’s story!!) 🙂 THANKS!!
Rebecca – LOL!!! Love it! What I would do is make the sauce and then freeze whatever you have left over in ice cube trays. That way, you can use as much as you need when you need it. Enjoy the soup!
Dylydoodles – That’s FABULOUS!!! Congrats!
Trude – Fantastic! Let me know how it turns out!
could you freeze enchilada sauce to have on hand like canned?
Jbkidsco – I don’t see why not. Should work fine.
Could you use the Clean Quinoa Tortilla’s in this recipe?
Sure!
I just pinned your recipe. I am making some stuffed peppers with quinoa and black that called for enchilada sauce in a can. I knew you would have a recipe for enchilada sauce. I will let you know how they turn out
Please do!
Do clean whole wheat tortillas exist?? I can’t find them anywhere! Thanks!
MrsMCoop – Yup! They sure do. What stores do you have available to you in your area?
Hi! This says it makes 36…is that with the 8 inch size tortillas or with smaller ones? Does this make several dishes? Just trying to clarify! Thanks!
Laura – I’ve never seen corn tortillas that are 8 inches. These are the smaller ones. The number of dishes will depend on the size of your dishes.
You have this recipe listed in your Freezer Meals category. Do you prepare, cook, cool then freeze this dish? or do you assemble it with sauce and all then freeze it? Which method would you choose?
Jennifer – You could really go either way with this one. But keep in mind how you will be reheating it. If you plan on microwaving, that can really dry out the chicken. So in that case, freezing before cooking would be good.
I made these last night finally and yet another recipe on here we LOVE! I halfed the sauce and did 18 enchiladas. I did sub coconut flour (to be GF) instead of the whole wheat pastry flour..was worried that wouldn’t work but it turned out perfectly! I also added the cheese and tomatoes before cooking and it turned out amazing!
Chelsea – That’s fantastic!! So glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Could you also use the Food for life Sprouted corn tortillas for this recipe?
Nikkisaintlouis – I’m sure you could. I just don’t know if they are clean. You would have to post the ingredients here. I’ve never seen them.
I am looking for your clean chicken enchiladas recipe. I pinned a long time ago and now the pin takes me to an oatmeal recipe! HELP!!!!
Shannon L – This is the enchilada recipe…