Easy Chicken Enchiladas (2024)

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Credit: Emily Nabors Hall

If you're looking for a milder, creamier take on classic enchiladas that's super comforting, your search is over. Our Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are so soft they're almost pillowy, but still have a good degree of spice from the tomatillo cause and pepper Jack cheese. We used Frontera for our enchilada sauce, but any smooth tomatillo salsa from a jar (or a homemade one!) would work just as well here. You can also use corn tortillas if you prefer them over flour. Bake until the sides are bubbly to make sure the sauce isn't too thin. Complete the meal with beans and rice, and serve with lots of garnishes, such as hot sauce, limes, cilantro, avocado slices or guacamole, and sliced radishes.

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Credit: Greg DuPree

Charleston chef John Lewis infuses classic chicken enchiladas with the flavors of his native El Paso (influenced by Texas, Mexican, and New Mexican cuisine). Pro tip: save leftover green-chile sauce (flecked with fiery Anaheim and Hatch chiles) for an elevated update on queso, breakfast tacos, or chile rellenos.

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Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.

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Credit: Emily Nabors Hall

These may not be your traditional enchiladas, but our White Chicken Enchiladas are certainly a crowd pleaser. They're super rich and creamy, with a hint of heat from the green chiles. Meanwhile, the cumin adds complexity to the cream sauce. Feel free to use corn tortillas instead of wheat—they'll work just as well here. Serve with garnishes like cilantro, limes, pico de gallo, your favorite hot sauce, and radishes, and add a side refried, black, or pinto beans and a margarita to round out the meal.

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Skip red enchilada sauce in favor of homemade chili verde in this Mexican classic. The heat level of poblanos can range from mild to spicy. Removing the seeds lessens the kick.

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Credit: Kelsey Hansen; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Adam Hickman and Briana Riddock

Are you ready for the best chicken enchiladas of your life? While you could use a rotisserie chicken for this cheesy enchilada recipe, poaching chicken breasts in a delicately flavored liquid both creates succulently tender meat (that won't dry out as the casserole bakes) and adds another layer of flavor to the dish.

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Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Chipotles can be a touch spicy, but you can use only half of what's called for to decrease heat and still get great smoky flavor.

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Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Ginny Branch

Because you layer this Tex-Mex dish, lasagna-style, instead of rolling each enchilada individually, you save time in the kitchen, and the results are ultimately healthier because the tortillas don't have to be fried or softened in oil before you assemble the casserole. Look for Mexican crema at Latin food markets or with the Mexican cheeses in the supermarket.

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Credit: Andrew Purcell; Styling: Alistair Turnbull

How do you shred chicken superfast? Insert two forks into the meat while it's still warm. Then pull apart to shred.

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Credit: Charles E. Walton IV

Store-bought rotisserie chicken adds ease and great flavor. If using corn tortillas instead of the larger flour tortillas, you'll have about an extra cup of filling.

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Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Victoria Cox and Elise Mayfield; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Using canned enchilada sauce makes these Chicken Enchiladas super easy to make.

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Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

New Mexicans prefer these over the beef enchiladas associated with other Southwest cuisines. Prepare the sauce and the chicken mixture up to two days ahead, and refrigerate separately until ready to assemble the enchiladas.

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Top chicken enchiladas with a tasty Spicy Jack Cheese Sauce for added flavor.

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Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

These enchiladas are a cinch to assemble and easy to freeze--just cover one of the pans with foil.

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Credit: Jan Smith

Mix all your favorite Mexican flavors into one easy chicken enchilada casserole. It's great to make ahead and tastes even better the day after.

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Credit: Randy Mayor

Bottled green salsa and rotisserie chicken are the shortcut ingredients in these hearty, yet mild enchiladas. Just a simple splash of fresh lime juice perks up the flavor of the bottled salsa.

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Credit: Leo Gong

Though the sauce for this impressive layered enchilada dish tastes complex, it's made with canned chile sauce doctored up with sweet spices, raisins, pine nuts, and smoky chipotle chiles. For a hotter sauce, add more chipotles and adobo sauce to the chicken mixture.

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Credit: Howard Lee Puckett; Styling: Buffy Hargett

One online reviewer claims that these are the "best chicken enchiladas I've had, home-made or restaurant. Ooey-gooey, delicious and best of all, simple."

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If you're looking for an easy Mexican main dish recipe, try these creamy chicken enchiladas. Eight ingredients and a few minutes of prep time are all you need to get these enchiladas baking away in the oven.

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Credit: Peden & Munk; Styling: Amy Wilson

These chicken enchiladas get their earthy flavor from roasted New Mexico chiles. You can use rotisserie chicken for the filling, plus you can bake the enchiladas and freeze for up to a month.

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Credit: Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

This lightened version of chicken enchiladas from Cooking Light will satisfy your craving for a cheesy Tex-Mex dish but isn't as high in fat and calories as a traditional enchilada recipe.

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Buffy Hargett

To make this recipe ahead, prepare the filling and assemble the enchiladas, then chill overnight or freeze up to one month. Once they are baked, then you add the toppings of your choice.

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You can freeze the chile mixture and filled tortillas separately up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you're ready to bake. Then just prepare and bake as directed in the recipe.

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Credit: Oxmoor House

The kids can fill each tortilla, roll them up, and place them seam side down in the pan. Then they can top with the sauce and cheese.

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This easy chicken enchilada recipe features the convenience of rotisserie chicken, a jar of salsa, and canned green chiles.

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Credit: Lisa Hubbard; Styling: Sara Quessenberry

Mix tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to make the green salsa for these enchiladas.

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Credit: Van Chaplin; Styling: Rose Nguyen

This Chicken Enchilada recipe requires just 7 ingredients and 3 simple steps!

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Rotisserie chicken and prechopped vegetables make this a quick casserole.

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This recipe features corn tortillas filled with a cheesy chicken mixture and topped with a green chile sauce and red pepper puree.

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In this recipe, we dry-sautéed the tortillas instead of frying them (the traditional method) and decreased the cheese.

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Credit: Howard L. Puckett; Styling: Cathy Muir

Rajas is Spanish for roasted-pepper strips. Red bell peppers can be substituted for the poblano chiles, if you like. Be sure th prepare the Refried White Beans before starting this recipe.

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Credit: Randy Mayor

Add a dash of cumin or paprika to the onions, if you'd like. You can also use purchased rotisserie chicken to cut down on the prep time.

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Credit: Oxmoor House

Think outside the "dish." You can enjoy the flavor and texture of enchiladas in a slow cooker; just stack the tortillas instead of rolling them. We suggest lining your slow cooker with a slow-cooker bag so you can easily remove the stack from the cooker.

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Credit: Andrew McCaul; Styling: Gerri Williams

For a quick dinner the whole family will love, serve them Cheesy Enchiladas with chicken, black beans, and corn enveloped inside.

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Credit: Karen Steffens

Homemade sauce gives these enchiladas authentic Mexican flavor. Use chicken or turkey to fill the cheese-covered tortillas.

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Trade the traditional enchilada sauce for a creamy, cheesy topping on this Mexican chicken casserole recipe. Your family will never know they're enjoying a lightened meal.

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Credit: Southern Living

Substitute leftover roast beef or your favorite shredded barbecued pork as a tasty alternative to chicken.

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