Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas
Classic chicken and black bean enchiladas for those busy weeknights! Easy to assemble with a quick homemade enchilada sauce!
Ben texted one night, asking what we had for dinner when he got home from work. I joked and replied, “Butters’ famous chicken enchiladas”.
He quickly got home from work and sat down at the kitchen counter, ready to judge just how good these “famous enchiladas” actually were.
He took one bite and grew silent. Then he kept eating. After about 5 minutes of silence, he put his fork down and said, “Babe, that is the best thing you have ever made.”
I looked at him and said, “Really? More so than the creamy red pepper shells?”
He said, “Yes, 10000x times yet.”
Now do I tell him that this is just one of my weeknight quick fixer-uppers or do I just keep that to myself?
I think I’ll keep it to myself. But even as a quick weeknight meal, these really may just be the best enchiladas ever! Using leftover rotisserie chicken and a quick, homemade enchilada sauce, it legit does not get any better (or quicker).
Plus, the leftovers taste even better the very next day.
Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 cups coarsely shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
For the enchilada sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 small poblano pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- ENCHILADA SAUCE: Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and poblano, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, black beans, cilantro and 1/2 cup ENCHILADA SAUCE. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese.
- To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/2-3/4 cups of the chicken mixture in the center. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Top with remaining ENCHILADA SAUCE and remaining cheese.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can I assemble this a day in advance?
making ahead worked for us. I made the enchiladas and refrigerated them without the sauce. Then when I was ready to bake poured the sauce on and put the cheese on top. Worked pretty well although for me next time I would bake without the sauce to melt the cheese inside (for a short time) then add warm sauce and cheese and broil for a few. The tortillas got a bit mushy for our taste but we’re picky Texans when it comes to enchiladas and their texture.
These are a family favorite! They make the best leftovers too!
We followed this recipe exactly and it was delicious! All four kids liked it which is a super win in our household! Will definitely add this into our dinner rotation!
Best ever chicken enchiladas! Easy, and tasted like they came from a restaurant! We are so impressed!
I made this tonight, and it’s definitely a keeper! I didn’t have any leftover chicken, so used canned, and it was fine. I really liked the “from scratch” enchilada sauce. Some other of your recipes call for canned, and I have found those pretty flavorless. Also liked the cilantro forward flavor of this. I’m “so-so” on cilantro, in many dishes, but it makes this one. Mucho thanks for this recipe!
Can you make these ahead and bake later? Or do you recommend making and baking, then reheating the next day or two?
I’ve made these a few times and they always come out delicious. I like using leftover Thanksgiving turkey in place of the chicken. I like to double the sauce like other reviewers recommended.
Best enchiladas ever!! No weird ingredients. Easy to make and delicious. I did add 1/2 cup sour cream to enchilada mixture with everything else
This is my go-to website for inspiration to feed our family of 4 – first time review; loved this recipe. Fried a bunch of green onions and a red bell pepper along with a half a red onion and the poblano pepper. Used Whole Foods ready made enchilada sauce; just added oregano. Used two 15 oz bottles since we like a lot of sauce. Used 12 oz shredded cheese. Needed all 10 tortillas to hold all the stuffing. Served with Greek yogurt & sliced avocado. Easy to add variety and everyone loved it.
Turned out great! An easy, go-to recipe that lends itself to customisation as you like it.
A few minor tweaks that worked:
– We used a packet of enchilada/taco seasoning instead of chili powder (because chilli powder is totally different in Australia and 1Tb would blow your head off).
– Grilled up some chicken thighs instead of using a pre-roasted chook.
– popped some chopped (pickled) jalapenos on with the cheese at the end – as we like extra spice.
Delicious!!! I have been looking for a great enchilada recipe and tried this one for my grandson’s 3rd birthday. So yummy even he ate 2 servings! Best enchilada sauce recipe! I did add a Tablespoon of sugar to the sauce to balance out the acidity and enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. (I do that for all my tomato based recipes). I will definitely add this to my family’s cookbook!
I have never left a review, ever. And I bake all day long. Love food, and love to cook for my family. This is by far the best thing I’ve ever made. Thank you for your contribution.
That makes us so happy! Thank you so much, Jennifer! 🙂
Hi Chungah! I made these last week, and my family really enjoyed them. The home made enchilada sauce was really delicious! The only thing I did was to put the sauce in a blender to make it smooth, because I have a daughter who refuses to eat onions. She didn’t even know they were part of the sauce. 🙂
We love that, Leah! 🙂
Has anyone made this ahead of time and kept it in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking? How were your results? It’s usually easier for me to make/prep meals during my son’s nap.
Question. If freezing better to heat in oven as opposed to microwave?
I prefer to reheat in the oven. 🙂
Sounds delicious but I absolutely hate cilantro should I just omit it or do you recommend a substitute?
Yes, you can omit. 🙂
Absolutely delicious and even my picky 9 year old who won’t eat anything loved these! Will definitely double the sauce next time, as we all felt they could use more.
Thank you, Keri! More sauce is never a bad idea! 🙂
These are perfection and so easy!!
We love hearing that!
I made these last night and they were SO good. Served them with a “Mexican” salad (with a lime-y dressing) that I found on the Cookie + Kate blog. The only thing I’d add is that I’d double the sauce next time, because I like a lot of sauce on enchiladas and I think the leftovers might dry up a bit in the fridge. But, other than that, this is a delicious and easy weeknight recipe that I will be printing and saving and making again! Thank you!
Thank you, Emily!
I made this tonight, and it was really good! Lots of flavors, but everything that I’ve made from Chungah’s recipes are WONDERFUL!! Thank you for another great one!
Thank you, Nancy!
I made these last night. The recipe for the enchilada sauce was what drew my interest. This dish was amazing!!! Umm….no leftovers to worry about putting away!
Awesome!
My very picky family LOVED this!! We hardly ever have a meal that all 5 of us will love and devour. Somebody always has to pick something out. Not this time! It was easy to prepare and I had everything on hand. Thank you!!
That’s awesome, Heather!
Soooooo, say I was gonna use Trader Joe’s Red Enchilada sauce in lieu of making my own. It’s a 12oz bottle. How many bottles would you suggest? Based on your sauce recipe, I am ballparking 1.5 MAYBE pushing it to 2?
1.5 should totally work!
Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour?
Yes, of course!
Are you able to recommend any alternative peppers? My grocery store doesn’t have poblano peppers
Anaheim peppers would be a great substitute.
The enchilada sauce is super delicious!
Really great sounding recipes
Looks great, do you think it would freeze well?
Yes, enchiladas freeze very well! 🙂
How long would the bake time be if you froze these enchiladas beforehand?
Hi Kat! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I think this will totally be a hit in my house. I’m going to make a large batch of the enchilada sauce and freeze it. That way I can make the enchiladas during the week as well.