Chicken Enchiladas - Budget Bytes

I make these Chicken Enchiladas at least twice a month because they’re easy to make, and my family loves them. This easy recipe is made with shredded rotisserie chicken (but you can use any type of cooked chicken!), lots of cheese, and our delicious red enchilada sauce. In my opinion, the homemade sauce really is the secret ingredient. It adds so much flavor to the dish and works out way cheaper than buying store-bought enchilada sauce. This recipe also stores really well in the fridge, so they’re perfect for meal prep!

Overhead view of chicken enchiladas in a baking dish topped with fresh cilantro and sliced jalapenos.

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What Are Chicken Enchiladas?

Chicken enchiladas are a popular Mexican dish, often made from rolled corn tortillas filled with chicken and topped with a savory chili-based enchilada sauce and cheese. They’re baked in the oven until warm, gooey, and delicious! My recipe is more Tex-Mex style, as I use flour tortillas over corn (but you can use whichever you prefer!) and canned green chiles in the filling. However, there are many variations of this dish, with different fillings and sauces depending on the region or personal preference.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious homemade chicken enchiladas recipe:

Homemade Enchilada Sauce: This recipe starts off by making a batch of our popular homemade red enchilada sauce. You can certainly use store-bought sauce, but it’s so easy to make your own, is a lot cheaper, and tastes way better…in my humble opinion. I often make a double batch of the sauce so I can make these enchiladas AND my chicken enchilada soup recipe.
Cooked Chicken: I use a rotisserie chicken to make this even easier, but you can certainly cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs if you want and shred the meat.
Canned Diced Green Chiles: These are pretty mild and add a little extra flavor. Either fire-roasted or regular canned diced green chiles will work.
Flour Tortillas: I prefer flour tortillas, but you can swap them with corn tortillas, which are more traditional in enchilada recipes if that’s what you prefer.
Shredded Mexican Cheese: This is a pre-mixed bag of cheeses, often including cheddar, Colby, monetary jack, queso quesadilla, and/or asadero. The types of cheese used can vary depending on the brand. I like using a pre-shredded blend because I never have all of those cheeses on hand, but feel free to use whatever melty cheese you have.
Seasonings: Add some ground cumin, garlic powder, and salt to the shredded chicken filling to amp up the flavor!

Variations to Try!

I love how such simple ingredients pack a punch of flavor in this recipe, but I get that some people like to change things up now and then! Here are some variation ideas I think would work well:

Use a different meat: You could easily switch the chicken to another pre-cooked meat, like ground beef, carnitas, or turkey.
Try a different sauce: I’m not lying when I say our homemade red enchilada sauce is amazing, but you could try a green chile enchilada sauce instead.
Add even more heat: This recipe for chicken enchiladas is more of a medium-spice level if you use our homemade sauce. You can level up or down the heat by adding more or less chili powder or cayenne pepper to the sauce. Or, if you’re using store-bought, opt for a hot variety.
Add some beans: You could definitely mix in drained and rinsed black or pinto beans to the filling if you’d like. Canned corn could also be a fun addition!

You don’t need to add any toppings to these chicken enchiladas, but where’s the fun in that?! Here are some of my favorite toppings:

Fresh chopped cilantro
A squeeze of fresh lime juice
Guacamole
Sliced fresh jalapeño
Salsa
Sour cream
Sliced avocado
Pico de gallo

Serving Suggestions

I usually keep the sides simple when I serve this dish because they’re pretty hearty on their own. But my kids love cilantro lime rice, so that’s often on the menu when I make these homemade chicken enchiladas! I personally go for something light and fresh to cut through the cheesy, saucy goodness, and our sweet corn salsa is my current go-to. Some tortilla chips and black bean dip wouldn’t be a bad idea, either!

Storage and Reheating

This recipe is great for meal prepping. They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven or microwave.

Two chicken enchiladas on a plate with sliced avocado.

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

This Chicken Enchiladas recipe uses shredded chicken, homemade enchilada sauce, and other simple ingredients to make a cheap and comforting family meal!

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2 cups homemade enchilada sauce*, divided ($0.84)
3 cups cooked shredded chicken ($5.97)
½ tsp cumin ($0.05)
½ tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
4 oz. can diced green chilies ($0.99)
8 flour tortillas ($1.98)
2 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese, divided ($2.86)

Start by preparing the homemade enchilada sauce, or if you are using store-bought sauce, go ahead and set it aside. Then shred the cooked chicken.
Add the shredded chicken to a large bowl and season with ground cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Mix together to combine. Now add the diced green chilies and ¾ cup of shredded cheese to the bowl. Mix together to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Warm the flour tortillas in the microwave according to the package instructions or in a dry skillet over the stovetop.
Next, spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread it around until it covers the surface.
Fill each tortilla with about ¼-⅓ cup of filling then roll to close. Place them in the casserole dish seam side down. Continue until all of the tortillas have been filled, rolled, and placed in the dish.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, then top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes in the preheated oven until the cheese is fully melted on top. Serve hot with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Serving: 2enchiladasCalories: 771kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 53gFat: 34gSodium: 2112mgFiber: 6g

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how to make Chicken Enchiladas — step by step photos

Start by preparing your homemade enchilada sauce, or if you’re using store-bought sauce, go ahead and set it aside. Next, shred 3 cups of cooked chicken using two forks.

Shredded chicken added to a bowl with seasonings.

Place the shredded chicken into a large bowl and add ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Mix everything together until the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Diced green chilis and shredded cheese added to a bowl of seasoned shredded chicken.

Pour in a 4 oz. can diced green chilis and ¾ cup of the shredded Mexican cheese, and stir to combine.

A pile of flour tortillas on a paper towel lined plate.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Warm 8 flour tortillas either in the microwave following the package instructions or on the stovetop in a dry skillet (don’t add any butter or oil to the skillet).

Homemade enchilada sauce added to the bottom of a baking dish.

Pour ½ a cup of enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread it around to cover the bottom of the dish.

A flour tortilla topped with shredded chicken and green chili filling.

Fill each tortilla with about ¼-⅓ cup of the shredded chicken filling and roll it to close. Avoid overfilling the tortillas; this recipe makes enough filling for 8 chicken enchiladas in total.

Five chicken enchiladas added to a baking dish with a layer of enchilada sauce underneath.

Place each filled and rolled tortilla seam-side down into the prepared baking dish. Placing them seam-side down helps stop them from potentially bursting open in the oven. Continue filling and rolling each tortilla until they’re all placed in the dish.

Chicken enchiladas topped with sauce and shredded cheese.

Pour the remaining 1 ½ cups of enchilada sauce over the filled and rolled tortillas. Then, sprinkle the remaining 1 ¾ cups shredded Mexican cheese on top.

Freshly baked chicken enchiladas in a baking dish.

Place the baking dish into your preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted on top. Add any toppings you like, if desired (I’ve shared some of my favorites above!), and serve.