I don’t make a whole lot of Mexican food at home…mostly because I just find it just way too darn good at restaurants.
Now, I do make some tasty fish tacos with pico de gallo, homemade fajitas with steak or chicken and some really good breakfast burritos. But, for the most part, I get my Mexican food cravings satisfied outside of my kitchen. Plus, it’s usually difficult to make Mexican food Dustin will want to eat (he’s really a “meat-and-cheese-only-on-my-burrito” kinda guy).
I like the auténtico type stuff to be made for me by the experts — like chiles rellenos, carne asada, chili verde, chilequiles, machaca, juevos rancheros and all those yummy things. Ok, now I need to go out and get me every one of those dishes I just mentioned! **stomach growling**
I’ve actually never been a big fan of enchiladas at Mexican restaurants….probably because I’m already stuffing my face with all those other types of dishes. I find most places add way too much cheese to their enchiladas. I know, I know…and the problem with that is….? True: cheese (like bacon, sour cream, chocolate and guacamole — but, not together — eww), does tend to make everything better. But, I wanted to make an enchilada recipe at home that had more meat. I suppose Dustin has trained me well.
So, I started to make my own shredded chicken enchiladas at home. Full disclosure: I use store-bought enchilada sauce. Can you still love me? I actually tried making it on my own from scratch, but the final result didn’t seem worth the hassle of dirtying all those dishes and ‘cuz I can be lazy. Maybe, one day, I will try it again, but I really like how these enchiladas turn out — pre-made sauce and all.
I have actually made this shredded chicken enchiladas recipe often for my Personal Chef business, as it freezes very well and is pretty simple to make.
The only thing I haven’t been able to perfect with this recipe is that the darn tortillas have a tendency to fall apart on me. I have tried all types of quality (and non-quality) tortillas, yet they don’t withstand very well once they get filled and covered with sauce. They certainly taste yummy, which is ultimately what matters in my book, but it would be nice to solve this dilemma. So, any suggestions are, as always, welcomed.
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (1 1/2 cups) enchilada sauce (I use Mild)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided
12 6-inch corn tortillas
cooking spray
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Add the minced garlic to the enchilada sauce in a deep skillet and heat to boiling. Generously sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper over the chicken breasts and then nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce, set aside and let both the chicken and the sauce cool.
Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts by holding one fork steady and slowly scraping the other fork, prongs faced backwards, away from the other fork (see picture above). Transfer the shredded chicken to a large bowl. Add half the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup each of the Monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses and the 1/2 cup of cilantro to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.
Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds until pliable and warm. Using cooking spray (if desired), oil a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the center of the tortilla. Gently, but firmly, roll the tortilla around the filling and place into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Lightly spray the tortillas with cooking spray (or brush lightly with olive oil). This will help the tortillas turn golden in the oven and will also help keep them from cracking. Place baking dish in the oven, 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. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro. Lightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place into the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil after 20 minutes and bake, uncovered, for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
Remove form the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes prior to serving.
Feel free to add a dollop (or two!) of sour cream and some more chopped cilantro for a garnish if you’d like.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Chicken, Entrees | 
Tags: chicken enchilada recipe, Mexican food, Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
183 Responses to “Shredded Chicken Enchiladas”
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I made these last night and they were amazing. I kept thinking that it needed to be more complex, add more ingredients or something! Nope – they were AMAZING. I had to make my own Enchilada Sauce as I have food allergies…also made my own flour tortillas as I am cheap. I think my favorite part of the recipe is cooking the chicken in the sauce. It comes out SO tender and filled with flavor from the sauce.
Thank you so much for this recipe – it is certainly going into the rotation.
My mom makes a delicious homemade chicken enchilada recipe. Her trick to making the tortillas stay together despite the sauces and filling is to lightly, lightly brown them in cooking oil on the skillet, let them cool, dip them into the enchilada sauce to resoften them, and then fill them and roll them. Try it! Hope this helps..
Thanks for sharing your mom’s trick, Tessa. I’ll be sure to try it out next time!
I agree with Tessa. My Grandmother used this method and I have always used it with no problems. This recipe is very similar to my Grandmother’s but she also added some sliced olives and sauteed diced onions to the shredded chicken mixture.
Softening the tortillas in olive oil is an extra step but really doesn’t take that much longer, considering the results.
Ooh, I like the idea of the olives and onions, Ang. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I just read this post after the fact I said the same thing below! I agree with your mom, browning the tortilla in oil does the the trick:)
I have made this recipe so many times! I love how simple it is and how short the ingredient list is. My grandma even loves them, and she swears up and down that she HATES cilantro.
Everyone who I have fed this to has absolutely loved it.
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear, Becky! Thanks for sharing
I made this recipe for the first time a few weeks ago for my mom (who grew up in a Mexican home). And she said they were better than her own!!! The whole pan of enchiladas was gone within minutes! I’m making them again tonight! Thank you so so much!
Wow, Andres, that is so cool!
I am going to make these to have on hand through the holidays. I want to make them ahead and freeze them. Should I completely finish them and bake them, then freeze them, OR should I assemble them oven-ready, and freeze them before baking?
I’d freeze them before baking since you’ll need to bake them again anyway once de-thawed. But, either will work
Enjoy!
Great recipe! I always brown my tortillas in a small amount of oil as well to help with them not falling apart!
Thanks, Amy!
Ditto what Amy said. It doesn’t help all of them, but it helps. Even just heating them up before folding helps. Thanks for the recipe, I will give it a try!
I can’t WAIT to make these tonight !! THANK YOU for posting these !!!!!
You’re very welcome, April. I hope you enjoy them!
You can just layer the tortillas, sauce, meat etc like a lasagna. Very easy and it all tastes the same as rolling them…
Very, very interesting idea, Susanne. Thanks for sharing
I was just thinking the same thing but also layering it in the round crock-pot could be perfect. I will be trying it this week.
A trick that has always worked for me was preheating the tortillas (covered with paper towel) in the microwave for 30 seconds before assembly. has always worked for me!
Good to know!
OK, so talk about lazy…
if you used the minced garlic in a jar, rather then fresh, does that affect the taste?
Myra, I used to use the jarred stuff years ago, but I found it just didn’t taste as good as fresh garlic. In my opinion, it’s not as pungent or fragrant and doesn’t stand up to cooking as well as fresh. Sorry
It’s better than nothing, though.
Hey-
For your tortillas, melt butter in a bowl. Slightly heat the corn tortillas so that they’re warm and more flexible. Coat both side in butter (using your fingers, not dipping them in the bowl). This helps them to roll without cracking as much. Not perfect every time, but it works mostly. Just keep the tortillas warm and the butter melty.
Erica, you had me at “butter!”
At what point would you freeze these? After cooking or before all is cooked?
I like to freeze it before the final bake because that allows all the stuff to bake for the first time in the oven. I hope that helps!
I used to do the oil thing until a friend showed me an easier trick. I pour the enchilada sauce in a bowl and dip the tortillas in it. You can wipe off extra sauce but, it softens the tortillas and adds to the flavor without the added fat and mess
. Can’t wait to try these!!
Oooh, very cool. Thanks, Amy!
My husband and I have been making enchiladas for years and we love your idea of cooking the chicken in sauce! Neither one of our Mexican mothers does it this way. We’ll be cooking the chicken in the sauce next time. With regard to preventing the tortillas from falling apart, slightly fry them first in oil then dip them in the warm sauce. Also my husband has been experimenting with sauces and we think he’s on to a good enchilada sauce which we plan to use next time. Sauce making is time consuming but worth it. We typically make a large batch and freeze some for later.
I made these tonight and they are very good. It was so simple to make too! The only thing I didn’t do was add salt to the chicken, just pepper.. and though the flavor is great, they taste very salty to me and I normally don’t mind salt. I used a different sauce then the one you used, could that be the problem? I’m not sure what to do to make them less salty because I would love to make these again.
I spray my corn tortillas with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray”, then I cover them tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for about 30-45 seconds. They rarely tear or fall apart. Give it a try and see what you think! Wendy
This sounds soooo good and easy! Can’t wait to try it!
Your tortillas look like flour tortillas. Am I missing something?
These sound great! Instead of microwaving them – I have a suggestion to keep the the tortillas from breaking and to avoid the cooking step where you pre-bake the filled enchiladas before adding the sauce to them.
Heat a pan on medium with a little olive oil. Place one tortilla in at a time and lightly fry it. Just until it starts to puff up. Flip it and fry it again just until it starts to puff — Remove and repeat with the rest of your corn tortillas. Let them cool a little and then fill them as usual.
Did you know that you can take your cooked chicken, put it in your mixer and within seconds your chicken will be shredded??? I never thought it was possible, but I put the paddle attachment on and it was super fast!!! Just thought I would share!!! Smiles!!
we made these with corn tortillas from giant eagle..never fell apart!! : ) great recipe!! this is our second time making them! : )
Well I was taught to dip the corn tortia in a pan of hot enchilada sauce and then add the filling and roll up. Maybe add less sauce to the shredded chicken so the end result is the same…
As a busy mom of 3 and a full time teacher, I make this alot. But, I make mine in the crockpot. I cook on low all day while at work turn off and let cool then the chicken tears effortlessly. I use 1/2 breast per enchilada and my family prefers flour shells. Super easy weekday dinner paired with saffron rice and retried beans.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ten-minute-enchilada-sauce/
This is a ten minute super easy, one pan enchilada sauce. My mom used to always use the same brand you use in this recipe. Then one day we were out so we tried this one and it is delicious. Thought you might want to try it sometime. I am definitely going to try your recipe, looks delicious!
Made this last night for dinner and it came out amazing! In fact, my picky dad came over to eat and ate almost half the dish! Barely enough for my husband and for his lunch. It was absolutely delicious and to have the tortillas not break, i just warmed them on stove a bit and added some sauce on a plate lightly before rolling.
Wow these were really good. I was skeptical about the chicken cooking in the skillet in 20 minutes, but it did! We used 2 chicken breasts and only filled 6 tortilla’s (Azteca flour tortillas). I also used significantly less cilantro than the recipe calls for (because I don’t really like it…too strong). I also used the 3 cheese cheddar from Kraft & this California Mission Jack w/Jalapeno Romano cheese from whole foods (best cheese ever…it comes in a block). I did not have any issues with the tortilla’s breaking while filling (I just put them in the microwave). I brushed the tortillas with olive oil before I put the rolls in the oven & also after before I poured the sauce & cheese.
Sooooo good and I am a SUPER picky eater!!!
I agree with some of the others…the trick with the tortillas is frying them first and then spreading with some sauce before filling. I know, I know, not the healthiest, but it tastes the best. I have tried several versions (all attempting to be healthier and I have found that I just have to stick with frying them). I don’t fry things often, so I really don’t feel too guilty about it.
And, if it makes you feel better, I also use the canned enchilada sauce. Like you, I attempted to make my own…not worth the hassle, and I actually like the canned sauce better! Your version looks pretty similar to mine, a few tweaks here and there, but pretty much the same, so I know they are delicious!
Please don’t use flour tortillas — corn is the only way to go.
Great recipe — though I do the dip in oil or sauce to keep it from from cracking when you roll it up. Delish & Easy!
When you have a child allergic to corn you have to use flour.
Love your enchilada recipe. I have had good success with my tortillas not breaking by first dipping them into a hot skillet of the enchilada sauce, then filling them and rolling them up. Seems to work for me! Beth
Just tried this receipe tonight and my husband, who typically doesn’t even attempt anything more “south of the border” than Taco Bell at home dinner kits, actually polished off three before I had a chance to serve everyone else! I couldn’t find the sauce that you used so I went with a Chi Chi’s mild – and it was still too spicy for my taste. Is there a brand that is less than mild? Or a way to make a mild brand milder??
I made this the first time using leftover rotisserie chicken because I was too scared I would messup on actually cooking the chicken breast… but I got to say I am so glad I tried it this time. The chicken breasts become so moist and flavorful in the enchilada sauce! I guess I shouldn’t knock it until I try it haha.. AWESOME RECIPE.. added frozen corn and it was amazingggggggggggggg :]
I’ve always had 2 frying pans going – am electric one with oil in it and another with warmed enchilada sauce. Dip the tortilla in the hot oil, lift it out and drain it, then dip it in the sauce. Now they’re ready to roll!
I love the way you cook the chicken in the sauce. I would have never thought of that. I am an amature mexican cook but love trying it all the same. I do add sourcream and diced ortega chili peppers to my shredded chicken mixture and it gives it a creamy texture. I’m going to use your receipe for Cinco de Mayo this weekend!! Thanks.
i always slightly fry my tortillas in a small amount of olive oil and let them cool before i put the filling in. yes, it is adding a little bit of unnessesary fat. but, they hold together and roll nicer.
Love this recipe. Simple but tastes amazing, I have to say my family and I like spicy things so I added Chopped Jalapeno’s to the mixed and it was awesome. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Cooking the same way with green chile enchilada sauce is also delicious (I use chicken thighs). Just add a dab of sour cream and monterey jack cheese to each tortilla. You can also just layer it: tortillas, chicken, mj cheese, sour cream and repeat.
The recipe looks awesome!!! For sure will try it soon. Instead of browning tortillas in oil like other posts say, try blanching them in a pan with hot oil and then pass through sauce, just to give them a thin coating. This will prevent all of your tortillas from falling appart, specially if they are not freshly out of the comal prior to rolling or folding.
This was actually the first time I made enchiladas, and although I varied this recipe a little, they were SO good!
Being the weekend before 4th of July, and rushing in the grocery store last minute, there was not a nare chicken breast to be found. I knew I had a couple cans of chicken at home, so I used those. (After using them once, I’d use them again! They made perfect “shredded” chicken!)
We aren’t a fan of red enchilada sauce in this house, so we used green. And the green was perfect! And I only got one 10oz can and stirred it in with the garlic and chicken and cheese to warm.
After I filled my tortillas, I put them in the oven for about 10 minutes, took them out, and put more shredded cheese on top, and topped them off with a decent amount of white cheese dip I found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store by the sour cream and other cheeses. I covered, turned the heat down a bit, and took out about 10-15 minutes later.
I served with refried beans and a Mexican rice mix that I added corn too. Hubs put a home made salsa on top of his enchiladas for some extra spice, and I topped mine with sliced avocado.
This dish was so good, easy, and inexpensive. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Have you tried pan frying your corn tortillas before baking and assembling them? It helps keep the tortillas from turning soft and to mush.
This dish was soooo good! It was a HUGE hit at my house!–and that’s saying a lot…my family loves Mexican food but it has to be “authentic”. This dish passed the test! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Looking forward to making this
I just made these for the first time and even my no spice girl liked them. I also used the green enchilada sauce and it was really good. I only bought one 10 oz. can, next time I will use two cans so they aren’t so dry. I could only find small corn tortillas, so I was able to make 14 and still had chicken left over. I plan to buy more enchilada sauce and finish making them tomorrow. We will definatley make this recipe again.
I really enjoyed cooking the chicken in a homemade sauce! I’m surprised others have a problem with tortillas falling apart as I never have. Corn tortillas sound great, but I’ve always used flour tort. I lightly coat a metal pan with olive oil and they come right out. A friend puts a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan then continues to assemble and top her dish. I rarely use glass casserole pans, but they seem to stick and be stubborn. awesome awesome site!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight…they all LOVED it! No leftovers! I used flour tortillas instead of corn and they held up beautifully and were nice and crunchy on top. I will definetly be adding this to our menu!
I will be tri this soon but will have to usse flour tortella no my son allergic to corn. This will be my las time tri to make chickn enchilladas, no my las 2 tri didnt work.
I don’t mircowave tortillas I use small pan grill skillet to warm them up
These were delicious! I made minor modifications to suit the ingredients I had on hand, but basically followed your recipe. Both my kids and my husband loved them. Gracias! And welcome to Austin.
Just made these tonight and they were fantastic!!!! No problems with the tortillas at all
only thing I wish I could change would be that they were SO spicy! I even. Ought the mild
I made these the other day for my roommates and I. Four of us ate the entire pan! I sauteed onions and yellow and orange peppers and put that in the chicken mix as well. Also I put refried beans in them as I was rolling them up. This was probably one of the best meals ever!
I have found that the tortillas that are in the refrigerator section of the store that you have to brown on a dry skillet. I have used both the flour and corn varieties of these and they are good. Costco has the best price on the flour ones. I haven’t seen the corn ones there though.