These Easy Red Chicken Enchiladas are so simple to make and taste delicious. Corn tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken and green chiles, and smothered with a delicious homemade red enchilada sauce and Mexican cheese. These are the BEST red sauce chicken enchiladas, and they're sure to become a regular in your meal rotation!
I love a good casserole dish, and these easy chicken enchiladas don't disappoint. They're super comforting with a spicy red tomato sauce, melty cheese, and delicious red enchilada sauce. I love that these use just 5 main ingredients and take only about 10 minutes of assembly time before popping them into the oven.
They're a great make-ahead meal (you can make your own enchilada sauce or use a store-bought sauce to make it easier), and I've also had fantastic results freezing a pan of these for future meals. We make this easy chicken enchilada recipe on the regular. It's so delicious - you'll want to make a double batch!
Key Ingredients
This recipe for red chicken enchiladas calls for only FIVE ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- Corn tortillas. This is a personal preference, but I love the taste of corn tortillas in this enchilada recipe. They're a little harder to work with as they're a bit more delicate than flour tortillas, but they make all the difference. Plus, using corn tortillas makes these enchiladas gluten-free!
- Enchilada sauce. You can use a store-bought brand here if you're short on time, but if you can, I totally recommend making your own red enchilada sauce. It's pretty easy to do, uses simple pantry ingredients, takes just 15 minutes, and the flavors are so much richer than the sauce you buy in a can. This recipe for my favorite homemade enchilada sauce will get you the perfect-sized batch for a pan of 8-10 chicken enchiladas, and you can even double or triple the recipe and freeze it to make future meals a breeze. (It's my go-to recipe for the BEST enchilada sauce!)
- Shredded chicken. Use whatever chicken you have on hand. I cooked a few chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, then shredded them for this recipe. But I've also made these shredded chicken enchiladas with store-bought rotisserie chicken to save myself some time, and they turned out beautifully. This is also such a great recipe for using up leftover chicken.
- Green chilies. Feel free to omit these if you don't want the spice, but canned green chilies add a nice subtle flavor here and complement the chicken and red enchilada sauce well.
- Shredded cheese. You can't make cheesy chicken enchiladas without the cheese! I use shredded Mexican blend cheese for these enchiladas, but feel free to substitute alternatives like Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, cotija cheese or even a dab of cream cheese. Just make sure the cheese melts easily!
- Optional toppings. I love topping these with chopped scallions, chopped onions, fresh cilantro, avocado, lime wedges, hot sauce, and sour cream.
How to make homemade chicken enchiladas
Making these flavorful enchiladas doesn't take a ton of time, but assembly is a tiny bit tricky.
- Prepare your baking dish. Spread a thin layer of your red enchilada sauce into your baking dish - enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Warm the tortillas. Wrap your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and pop them in the microwave for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through. I find warm corn tortillas a bit easier to work with than room temperature ones - they don't fall apart as easily.. (Note - if you do use flour tortillas, you can use this same trick.)
- Assemble your enchiladas. Add the chicken, green chilies, and a bit of cheese to the center of each tortilla and roll the tortilla up, placing it seam-side down in your baking dish. Repeat with all tortillas until your baking dish is full (around 8-10 tortillas).
- Add the flavorful red enchilada sauce. Pour the enchilada sauce over the assembled tortillas.
- Add the cheese. Top the tortillas with the shredded Mexican blend cheese.
- Bake. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Garnish. Serve with cilantro, chopped green onions, sour cream, hot sauce, or avocado.
Expert Tips
- Warm your corn tortillas before assembling them. Heating them for just a minute in the microwave makes them so much easier to work with. Be sure to wrap them in a damp paper towel so they don't dry out during this process.
- Be liberal with your sauce and cheese. This is an area I never skimp on. I love a well-smothered enchilada, and you really need to ensure you have enough sauce and cheese to cover the entire dish well.
- Mix up the flavor. These delicious chicken enchiladas with red sauce are great as is, but you can adjust the flavor easily by adding different ingredients. Add a bit of chipotle sauce for a smoky flavor, and change up your protein by using pork, beef, leftover turkey, or even shrimp. Make them vegetarian by using beans and veggies, or making them into pure cheese enchiladas. Or, substitute the red sauce for green enchilada sauce for a fresher flavor. They're super customizable with whatever you have on hand.
What should I serve with these easy red chicken enchiladas?
You can add all sorts of sides to round out this easy meal:
- Crock Pot Pinto Beans
- Quick And Easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Chips And Homemade Pineapple Salsa
- Guacamole
- A simple green salad with a cilantro lime dressing.
Did you try these Easy Red Chicken Enchiladas? Let me know what you thought in the comments below. And don't forget to tag me with a pic @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece!
More Mexican Dishes
- Chicken Mole Tacos
- Shrimp Tostadas
- Easy Chicken Tamale Pie
- Baja Shrimp Tacos
- Vampiro Tacos With Carne Asada
- Sheet Pan Nachos With Chorizo
Recipe
Easy Red Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup shredded chicken
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce get my recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce
- 8-10 white corn tortillas
- 2 ½ cups Mexican blend cheese
- 4 oz can Hatch green chiles
Optional Toppings
- avocado
- diced onions
- chopped scallions
- shredded lettuce
- sour cream
- cilantro
- squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- If making homemade enchilada sauce, you can find my recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce here. Or, you can use your favorite store-bought brand of enchilada sauce.
- Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce in an even layer at the bottom of baking dish.
- Carefully add shredded chicken mixture and green chilies and shredded cheese to each tortilla (don't fill them too full!). Roll up the tortilla carefully then place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas, and sprinkle cheese liberally over the top.
- Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle green onion, or chopped cilantro over the top and serve with your choice of additional toppings.
Notes
- Warm your tortillas in the microwave for 1 minute before assembling to make them easier to handle.
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to make this recipe fast!
- Don't want to assemble the enchiladas? Make a casserole instead by layering the ingredients in a lasagna-like fashion.
- Store baked enchiladas in the fridge for up to two days.
- To freeze, allow the enchiladas to come to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer. Chicken enchiladas will keep for 2-3 months in the freezer. Thaw completely before reheating at 350 in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Make this dish ahead of time! Assemble everything and then place it in the refrigerator prior to baking. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken enchiladas keep well in the fridge for about 2 days. In fact, you can make these enchiladas ahead of time by assembling everything, covering it, and leaving it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them. Easy!
These chicken enchiladas with red sauce freeze really well.
To freeze them, allow them to cool completely, then transfer them to an air-tight container and place them in the freezer. Chicken enchiladas will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Reheating frozen enchiladas: When you're ready to reheat them, allow the dish to thaw in the fridge, then bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
I get it - even though it's not that difficult, sometimes you just don't have the time to assemble each of these cheesy chicken enchiladas individually. The good news is you can easily make this as a casserole. Simply layer the sauce, tortillas, chicken, chiles, and cheese as you would in a lasagna, being sure to coat everything well with the sauce and adding a top layer of cheese to finish. Then bake as directed. So simple and it tastes just the same!
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