I have been making these chicken enchiladas for years and the family loves them. While they are not completely made from scratch, as I use canned Enchilada sauce, they are still delicious! They are also more Tex-Mex and not traditional Mexican enchiladas. There are a lot of steps in this recipe but it is worth it. If you are so inclined to make your sauce from scratch feel free. I am sure they would be even more authentic and taste great. Also you can substitute corn tortillas if you prefer, as traditionally Enchiladas are made with corn tortillas.
TIPS: You can shred the chicken as fine as you want, depending on your preference, or chop the chicken up into small pieces with a knife. Try different canned sauces until you find one you like. You can also try canned green tomatillo sauce for a different spin on the recipe. Do not try to substitute taco sauce as it’s just not the same thing. If I end up with leftover filling I put it in a freezer bag and freeze for use later.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Filling:
- 3-4 C cooked shredded chicken meat
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp canned Enchilada sauce (from the can below)
- 1 4 oz can chopped green chilis (not drained)
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 1 C shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Assembling the Enchiladas:
- 8 6 or 8 inch flour tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 1/2 – 2 C shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 15 oz can Enchilada sauce
- 1 8 oz can Enchilada Sauce (in case you need the extra sauce)
Topping the Enchiladas:
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Guacamole
- sour cream
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Enchilada Filling:
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken and all the remaining filling ingredients together. Set aside.
Assembling the Enchiladas:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour a small amount of Enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish to just thinly coat the whole surface.
- In a large non stick frying pan heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to very hot. Add a tortilla and cook on one side until it starts to puff up and brown just a bit, then flip and do the same to the other side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Continue to fry each tortilla, only adding more oil if the pan drys up. Put a piece of paper towel between each tortilla as you add them to the plate to soak up excess oil.
- Pour about 1/2 C of the Enchilada sauce in a very shallow bowl or dish. Take one tortilla and dip one side into the sauce in the dish just to dampen it, then, on the damp side of the tortilla, spoon a few tablespoons of the chicken filling onto the bottom 1/3rd of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas.
- Pour the remaining Enchilada sauce over the tops of each Enchilada ensuring no bare spots remain. Top with shredded cheese. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray on the underside. Tightly cover the dish with the foil and place in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes then remove foil and cook an additional 15-20 minutes, until they are bubbling and starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Top the Enchiladas with shredded lettuce, then sour cream and guacamole and top with cilantro.
- Enjoy!