Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce
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These Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas are a family dinner staple — flour tortillas stuffed with tender shredded chicken and melty cheddar jack cheese, smothered in a garlicky red enchilada sauce, and baked with a secret two-stage method that keeps the tortillas from getting soggy. No frying the tortillas first, no complicated technique, and the chicken simmers right in the enchilada sauce so every bite is full of flavor.
“If I could give this 10 stars, I would. We have the family over every Wednesday, and my number one request from them is your recipe. They LOVE it, as do we, to be fair! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.” —Diane
Sheila’s Recipe Snapshot
This recipe has a happy accident at its heart. One evening I left the foil off the enchiladas longer than I meant to, and the tops of the tortillas got a slight golden crunch before I caught it. I figured I’d ruined them — but when John took his first bite, he raved.
Every time I make these now, he asks the same thing before they go in the oven: “Are you going to let the tortillas crisp up first?” That accidental moment became the signature step in this recipe, and it’s the one thing that keeps these enchiladas from falling apart on the plate like so many others do.
The key is pulling them at the right moment — just golden, with a slight crunch. Leave them too long uncovered and the tortillas get tough and chewy rather than tender. Eight to ten minutes is the sweet spot in most ovens.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts | These are easy to cook and shred, making them perfect for stuffing into tortillas.
- Canned red enchilada sauce (mild or hot) | Choose your favorite brand of mild sauce for a family-friendly dish, or go for hot if you like a little extra kick. You could also make your own homemade red enchilada sauce.
- Garlic cloves | Fresh garlic brings that unmistakable bold flavor — just the right touch for a garlicky punch in the sauce.
- Kosher salt & black pepper | Season the chicken to bring out all the dish’s flavors.
- Shredded cheddar jack cheese | A blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese gives a creamy melt with a hint of sharpness — ideal for cheesy enchiladas.
- Flour tortillas (or white corn tortillas) | Soft flour tortillas are my family’s preference and work best for a tender bite, but white corn tortillas are a great option if you want a more traditional flavor or gluten-free option.
- Cooking spray | Helps prevent sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- Fresh cilantro | Add a pop of freshness to complement the rich flavors — totally optional but highly recommended.
Variations and Substitutions
- I make my enchiladas with flour tortillas, but you can substitute corn tortillas.
- Chicken Verde Enchiladas. You can easily substitute the canned green enchilada sauce instead of red sauce in this recipe. However, you’ll want to stir in a cup of sour cream before you ladle the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas in the baking dish.
- Slow cooker chicken: Cook the chicken in a slow cooker with seasonings the day before, then shred and simmer in the enchilada sauce with garlic before assembling.
- Add black beans and corn: Stir in ½ cup each of drained black beans and sweet corn to the chicken mixture before filling — several readers have had great results with this combination.
- Add sour cream to the filling: Stir 2–3 tablespoons of sour cream into the chicken mixture for a richer, creamier filling.
- Rice on the bottom: Spread a layer of cooked Spanish rice on the bottom of the baking dish before adding the enchiladas — it soaks up the sauce and makes the dish more substantial.
- Add heat: Stir ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder and ½ tablespoon cumin into the enchilada sauce, or add a splash of Frank’s Buffalo sauce to the chicken mixture.
How to Make Easy Chicken Enchiladas
STEP 1 | Cook the chicken
Start by bringing the enchilada sauce and minced garlic to a boil in a large, deep skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then submerge the chicken breasts in the sauce. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook until done.
STEP 2 | Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool for a few minutes. Then, shred the chicken using two forks. Hold the chicken steady with one fork, then use the other fork, with the prongs facing backward, to gently scrape and pull the meat away from the first fork.
STEP 3 | Combine sauce, chicken, and cheese
Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl, then add 3/4 cup of the sauce and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are combined.
STEP 4 | Assemble the enchiladas
First, wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave on high heat until soft and pliable, 20 to 30 seconds.
Assemble the enchiladas by spooning chicken mixture along the center of each tortilla. Place the tortilla on a plate and place the filling down the center — do not spread it to cover the entire tortilla. Fold one side over the filling, then fold the other side to overlap.
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STEP 5 | Bake and serve
Place the filled tortilla seam side down in the bottom of baking dish so it stays closed and lightly brush the tops with olive oil. NOTE: If making the enchiladas ahead of time, this is the point where you need to cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Bake uncovered for the first 10 minutes, until the tortillas begin to lightly brown — this is part of the secret baking method! Then, lower the oven temperature and top the enchiladas with enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and finish baking.
Recipe Success Tips
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Store leftover chicken enchiladas in the refrigerator in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap for 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat leftovers, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add more cheese to the top of the enchiladas, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, the enchiladas bake uncovered at 425°F for 8–10 minutes first — just long enough for the tortillas to turn lightly golden and develop a slight crunch. Then remove the pan, lower the oven temperature, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and add the rest of the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes so the cheese gets golden and bubbly.
A lot of recipes suggest frying the tortillas for a few seconds in hot oil before filling them to keep the enchilada sauce from soaking into the tortillas too much. I don’t find that step necessary if you bake the enchiladas uncovered at a higher temperature for the first ten minutes.
I find that 7–8 inch tortillas are the perfect size to stuff, roll, and fit snugly into a casserole dish.
Yes — still simmer it in the enchilada sauce with garlic for the best flavor even if using a pulled rotisserie chicken.
Yes — assemble through Step 5, cover and refrigerate, then brush with oil and bake as directed when ready.
These enchiladas don’t freeze well after baking — the tortillas become soft and the texture suffers. If you’d like to freeze them, assemble the enchiladas through Step 5 (before brushing with oil and baking), wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake as directed. You may need to add 5–10 minutes to the bake time since they’re going in cold.
“My second time making these and I love how simple! I used a rotisserie chicken, but still simmered it in the sauce with the garlic. Costco carries Amalia’s Cocina enchilada sauce in a 2-bottle pack that was the PERFECT amount for this recipe. I added corn and olives to the chicken mix at hubby’s request—really delicious, thank you!” —Laurie
Looking for More Mexican Recipes?
If you’re looking for more Mexican dinner ideas, my Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas with a chunky enchilada sauce, poblano pepper, and smoky chipotle chilies is a delicious option. And, check out this one-skillet Easy Beef Enchilada recipe that takes just 30 minutes start to finish.
I also have plenty of chicken recipes to choose from, perfect for weeknight family dinners.
What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas
Traditionally, enchiladas are served with a side of Mexican rice and black beans, either refried beans or charro beans. However, I often make my Mexican Street Corn Salad for a change of pace.
You may garnish these enchiladas with different toppings like cilantro, avocado slices, green onions, green chilies, Avocado Salsa, sour cream, or even extra cheese.
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Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups enchilada sauce
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 8 flour tortillas
- cooking spray
- ½ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Pour enchilada sauce into a deep skillet and add the minced garlic; heat to boiling. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides and add to the skillet, nestling into the sauce. Reduce to low heat and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the sauce and let the chicken and the sauce cool slightly. Use two forks to shred the chicken (pierce the chicken with one fork and hold it steady while slowly scraping the other fork, prongs faced backwards, away from the other fork).
- Lightly coat the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add chicken, 3/4 cup reserved enchilada sauce, and 1 cup cheese to a large bowl. Add cilantro (if desired) and stir gently to combine.
- Warm the tortillas wrapped in a damp cloth or paper towel in the microwave on high for 20-30 seconds. Assemble the enchiladas by spooning a heaping 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the center of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Brush the tops of the enchiladas with a small amount of olive oil. Place the dish into the oven and bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the tortillas begin to turn golden.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese over the sauce. Lightly cover with aluminum foil and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream or salsa, if desired.
Notes
- Don’t overstuff the tortillas. One-third cup of filling should be plenty and will allow you to easily roll the tortillas up without breaking them.
- Cut off the root end of the garlic clove, then place it on a cutting board and use the flat side of a chef’s knife to smash it. The skin should peel off easily after that. Then, either mince it with the knife or put the clove in a garlic press.
- I make my enchiladas with flour tortillas, but you can substitute corn tortillas.
- Store leftover chicken enchiladas in the refrigerator in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap for 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat leftovers, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add more cheese to the top of the enchiladas, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietitian or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
If I could give this 10 stars, I would. We have the family over every Wednesday and my number one request from them is your recipe. They LOVE it, as do we, to be fair. ;-). Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Followed the Recipe exactly and it was a huge hit! Thanks for sharing your secret for non-soggy enchiladas
I love this recipe I’ve made this many times I only did steps 1-8 because i like my enchiladas wet and they came out great i made some minor changes to the recipe i used rotisserie chicken instead of poaching a chicken, I also use Mexican cheese instead of jack cheese, I also use the enchiladas sauce from Trader Joe’s, I also added some black beans, and some diced green chilies that I also bought at Trader Joe’s, i also use mission flour tortillas that worked out fine.
Husband said better than Mexican restaurant!
What size tortillas do you use?
I normally use 7 to 8 inch tortillas — they seem to fit in my casserole dish the best!
I’ve made these several times and my family loves them! My son just asked for them for his birthday dinner!
Woohoo! So glad this recipe is a big hit for your family!
Can you use corn tortillas?
Diane, sure! Use either flour or corn tortillas; my family just prefers the flour.
Love these – have already made them several times. But I have one question…every time, no matter how I roll & place them in the dish (glass Pyrex), the bottoms of the enchiladas come out too tough to cut with the side of a fork. So, we cut with a knife, & they still taste wonderful, but I’d really like to figure out what I’m doing wrong as it just seems odd to have to cut them with a knife. Help?
Hi, Paula. I’m thinking it may be the difference in your oven and mine. What I would suggest is that you take a little of the enchilada sauce and coat the bottom of the pan before you roll and tuck the enchiladas in the pan. That should give them a bit of moisture on the bottom and help. Let me know if this works for you. Thanks for the feedback!
So simple and easy. My son loves chicken enchiladas with red sauce. I prefer a creamy verde sauce. The cheese in the chicken mix makes this recipe great for both of us. We both like a little more heat so after the first time I made these I have experimented with different spices and peppers to spice it up. The recipe is simple enough to play with without messing it up.
What size tortilla is used in this recipe?
Use a small tortilla, 8-inch.
My second time making these & I love how simple! I also used a rotisserie chicken but still simmered it in the sauce with the garlic . Costco carries Amalia’s Cocina enchilada sauce-2 bottle pack-that was the PERFECT amount for this recipe. I used one bottle for the simmer & poured the other over. Added corn & olives to the chicken mix- hubby’s request-really delicious, thank you.
Oh, adding corn and olives to the recipe sounds awesome! Thanks for the review and tips 🙂
So yummy !
Will these work with white corn tortillas?
If you prefer corn tortillas, they will work but the texture will be a little different from the original recipe. My personal preference is the flour tortillas.
The time fields need to be updated. The cook time is 45 min but that comes after the 30-40 min of prep time. The total time to make this recipe is closer to 1.5 hr.
Danielle, thanks for pointing out that I had not indicated the prep time. That is good info for planning for sure!
I like to use corn tortillas over flour, any changes I need to plan for if making the swap?
Hi, Shannon. I don’t think you’ll need to change anything to substitute corn over flour tortillas. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have made this exact recipe before and they are on the menu again tonight!!! We love them. They are so easy to make and soooooooo delicious too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
That’s fantastic, Lyn! This is definitely one of my family’s favorites as well 🙂
I made the chicken in the crockpot with some seasoning the day before and shredded it to make this a little simpler! Have you tried this recipe with corn tortillas before?
I like your suggestion for prepping the chicken in a slow cooker! I have not tried this recipe with corn tortillas—they are not usually my favorite—but if you do like them, it would be worth trying.
I have now made this twice. It’s a great recipe, but I did add a few things for more flavor. I minced half an onion, a Pablo pepper & 2 Serrano peppers. I softened them up with some olive oil for 5 mins. Added the garlic for another minute, and put the sauce in. I added a 1/4 t. Of Chipotle powder & 1/2 T. Of cumin. Turns it a bit more heated & flavorful.
Sounds like some spicy goodness to me! Thanks for sharing these ideas 🙂
Came across your recipe for easy cheesy enchiladas…so I gave them a try and they were quite the hit at my house! I added a litlle bit of sour cream to the chicken and cheese mixture to make it a bit creamy then topped it all with some freshly chopped green onions and cilantro. Served it with Mexican style rice, restaurant style tortilla chips and salsa. Pan was practically licked clean! Super easy to make and having the added crunch to the enchiladas was quite delightful! No soggy enchiladas here! Easy to make, simply delicious and super yummy! Family has already requested I make them again! Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s what I like to hear — family dinner was a hit! Thanks for your comments 🙂
Love, love, love! I put Spanish rice on the bottom of the baking dish. I also add some Franks Buffalo sauce to the chicken mixture to make it a little spicy. This is one of our family favorites. Thanks for the recipe!
Can these be assembled and refrigerated and baked the next day?
Paula, follow the recipe through step 6, then cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to bake, remove from the fridge, uncover and brush with olive oil (see step 7) and then proceed as directed. THANKS!
Question, Is the chicken being cooked in all 3 cups of enchilada sauce? And then is this the same sauce going in the bowl and covering the enchiladas???
Yes, that’s exactly right!
Is it one can equals one cup of sauce or one can is three cups of sauce?
Taylor, one can=one cup of sauce.
Ooooo my goodness!!! So good… So good!
This was a big hit… the crowd went wild.
What enchilada sauce do you use?
Courtney, I like Old El Paso, but any brand will work in this recipe.
I made these for dinner today. I used a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to make them pop!! They were delicious. Thanks a lot! Will be making them again.
These were so delicious!! My family really enjoyed them. Thanks for an amazing recipe !,
This was a huge hit in my house tonight. Deliciois! And so easy to make. My kids are asking me to make it again. Definitely saving this recipe. Thank you
That’s great to hear, Molly! Thanks for letting me know.
These are in the oven right now. Very easy to make. I used a plain rotisserie chicken so I didn’t have to do that step. Long day. 🙂 I know they will be amazing!
Debi, I hope your family enjoys the enchiladas! I’m with you on taking shortcuts – it’s been one of those long days for me as well!
Haven’t heard of the ClickList sounds like need to look into. These enchiladas look amazing!
I am a huge fan of ClickList. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and I’m hooked! These enchiladas look perfect and I love all the cheese!
These enchiladas are drool-worthy! And I’ve been a ClickList customer for several months now… it’s seriously amazing!!
We love enchiladas! They are one of our favorites! These look delectable!
We love enchiladas, and I need to try your method to make them a little crispier next time. They look perfect!
Thanks, Dee! The little extra crunch on these enchiladas is almost like having taquitos, only way better!
Now THAT is a pan of enchiladas! I grew up with a Kroger, but don’t live by one any more. I miss it!
Thanks, Brandy! Wish I could share a plate with you 😉
Enchiladas are always a hit at our house! These look so good!
Thank you, Jessica — you should definitely try these!
Wow! These look so good! Such an easy recipe too! Love it!
Thank you, Meg!
Family favorite at our house
Can you cook then freeze for later
Delores, I would not recommend freezing this dish after baking.