My VERY Favorite Chicken Enchiladas – In 3 Parts
I used to overcomplicate enchiladas, always searching for the perfect recipe. Over the years, I’ve made several versions—some I loved, and some, not so much. In my quest to find what I’d call the perfect simple enchilada, I came up with this recipe. And I’ve decided: these are my absolute favorite chicken enchiladas.
The recipe is easy to modify, but it also stands on its own as a solid, comforting, and filling dish. I especially love the homemade enchilada sauce—it’s packed with spices and chicken broth—while the tomato flavor shines through in the meat filling. Add a generous amount of cheese, bake until bubbly and just a little crispy, and you really can’t go wrong!
Why You’ll Love These Chicken Enchiladas
- Perfect for busy people—simple, accessible, and no fuss
- Easily adaptable for the slow cooker
- Uses pantry staples—you probably have everything on hand!
- Features a delicious homemade enchilada sauce you can make from scratch (and freeze half for next time!)
Ingredients You’ll Need for These Chicken Enchiladas
- chicken
- tortillas
- mexican cheese blend
- 1 onion
- A blend of spices like chili powder, cumin, onion, garlic, and oregano.
- chicken broth
- canned tomatoes
- canned green chilis
- canned tomato sauce
- sour cream for topping!
- optional black olives
How to Make These Chicken Enchiladas
Part One: Cook and Shred The Chicken
There are several ways you can prepare the chicken for these enchiladas. The quickest method is to grab a rotisserie chicken, shred the meat, and call it a day. You could also simmer chicken breasts in seasoned water for about 20 minutes, until fully cooked and easy to shred. Or, for a hands-off approach, toss the chicken and other filling ingredients (leave out the cheese for now) into a slow cooker and shred everything at the end of the day.
My favorite method, though, is slow-cooking the chicken in my Staub cocotte. I lay three chicken breasts in the pan, sprinkle them with seasonings, and pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of melted butter over the top. I season mine with 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano, plus 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Then I cover it with the lid and bake it in the oven at 275°F for 3–4 hours. The result? Incredibly tender chicken that falls apart at the touch of a fork.
Part 2: Make your Enchilada Sauce
Into a small bowl add 4 tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp oregano.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk for about a minute to form a roux. Stir in the spice blend and continue whisking to combine. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Once all the liquid is incorporated, let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. It should reduce by about half. Turn off the heat and let it sit— it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Part 3: Make the Enchilada filling
Transfer the cooked chicken to a separate bowl and, in the same pan, sauté a chopped onion in a tablespoon of oil. Once the onion is soft and translucent, add the drained canned tomatoes, green chilis, and a small can of tomato sauce. Stir to combine, then return the chicken to the pan. If you’re using beans, add them in at this point. Let everything cook together for 5–10 minutes to develop the flavors. Finally, stir in 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese.
If you are using the slow cooker method, all of the filling ingredients and the chicken would have gone in the slow cooker earlier in the day. At the end of cooking, just shred the chicken and add the cheese and you’re done!
Last, Assemble Your Enchiladas
Fill the flour tortillas with some meat mixture, a little more cheese, and roll it up. Place in a greased baking dish. Top with half of the enchilada sauce, more cheese, and black olives if you have it!
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until the cheese looks bubbly and the flour tortillas are starting to get crispy.
THIS LAST STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Serve with sour cream and enjoy : )
My Very Favorite Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 3 chicken breasts to a dutch oven pot. Add some seasonings of choice: a bit of salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. Whatever you have on hand and whatever sounds good! Then top with 1/4 cup of melted butter.
- Cover with lid and bake in the oven at 275 for 3-4 hours. It will shred easily and be fork tender at the end.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-20 minutes until reduced by a 1/3. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Transfer meat to another bowl and saute the onion in the same pot in 1 tbsp avocado oil. Then add in the drained canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilis, beans, and chicken. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Fill flour tortillas with meat mixture, a bit more cheese, roll them up and place in prepared baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce, more cheese, and sliced black olives. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly and the tortillas look crispy.
- Serve with sour cream and enjoy 🙂
- Toss chicken in the slow cooker, season it with some cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic, onion, whatever sounds good. Add in the canned tomatoes, green chili, tomato sauce, onions, and cook low and slow for 4-6 hours. Add 1 cup of cheese at the end of cooking. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.
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