Easy Chicken Enchiladas

This Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe embraces warm and bold flavors, perfect for a cold evening! It is simple, yet packed with flavor. One of my favorite things to order at Mexican restaurants is truly any dish that contains shredded chicken. The shredded chicken mixed with the enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and freshly chopped cilantro is the star of the dish.

What goes into an enchilada?

Chicken- I used two boneless chicken breasts for this recipe and cooked them in the enchilada sauce until they were juicy and tender. If you want to cut down the prep time, you can easily use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for instance.

Tortilla- I love soft flour tortillas. They are wonderful vessels for the shredded chicken mixture and they do not fall apart. Although, you are welcome to use corn tortillas if you prefer.

Cheese- I used shredded cheddar jack cheese as a component of the shredded chicken mixture and as a garnish. You could also use cotija cheese, as a garnish as well. It is deliciously salty and crumbly.

Enchilada Sauce- I apologize in advance, but I used canned enchilada sauce. GASP! To my delight, my enchiladas still tasted fantastic! After a long day of teaching I wanted to have dinner prepared within an hour and not a second longer. Consequently, this helped cut down my prep time and did not sacrifice the flavor of the dish.

Garnishes- When serving the enchiladas I added a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded lettuce, a scoop of freshly diced tomatoes, and a pinch of cilantro. Other garnishes that would add freshness to the dish include: cojita cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, or salsa.

How to Make Easy Chicken Enchiladas

1. Reserve 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce and set aside. Pour the rest of the sauce into a deep pan and add in the minced garlic. Let it simmer for 4 minutes.
2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the seasoned chicken breasts into the sauce and reduce heat to low. Next, cover and cook for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken about 8 minutes in so that each side cooks evenly.
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, take the pan off of the heat. Next, place the chicken on a cutting board and leave the sauce to slightly cool in the pan.
   
4. Cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Use two forks to shred the chicken.Then pierce the smaller chicken pieces with one fork while scraping backwards with the other.
5. Meanwhile, coat a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
6. Put the chicken, the reserved 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese into a large bowl. Mix well and add in chopped cilantro if you’d like, for freshness.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Warm the tortillas by placing them on a plate between two damp paper towels. Microwave for 20-25 seconds.
9. To assemble the enchiladas, place about 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken mixture into the center of the enchilada. Spread out the mixture long-ways so that you get delicious flavor with each bite. Roll up the enchilada and place into the baking dish with the seam-side facing down.
10. Finish this process with the other seven tortillas.
11. After that, brush the tops of the enchiladas with olive oil. This helps give them a nice golden brown color and a slight crunch.
12. Place the enchiladas into the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the tops are golden brown. 
13. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the dish from the oven and pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas. Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheddar jack on top as well.
14. Next, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
15. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 6 minutes.
16. Lastly, garnishing your dish will add freshness. For example, freshly chopped cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, or pico de gallo would be wonderful garnishes.
17. Most importantly, enjoy!

Spotify Playlist

Lastly, I hope you enjoy this playlist of traditional Mexican melodies, familiar Mariachi tunes, and much more by Mexican artists.