Loaded Chicken Enchiladas are made with shredded chicken, rice, beans, corn, bell pepper, and onion mixed in a creamy sauce and topped with cheese and homemade enchilada sauce.
Mexican food is quite possibly my favorite type of food. After spending several months living in Mexico and learning from true Mexican chefs, I developed an even greater love of the food. My favorite Mexican recipes include 5-Minute Homemade Salsa, Authentic Mexican Rice, and Tres Leches Cake! I have a host of other Mexican recipes you might also enjoy!
Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
Mexican enchiladas are one of those EASY recipes that I am always happy to make because I know that not one of my children will put up a fight when it comes to eating them! These easy chicken enchiladas are loaded with all the good stuff and topped with the most delicious enchilada sauce.
Are chicken enchiladas bad for you?
Due to their saucy and creamy nature, enchiladas are not generally the healthiest food to eat. However, not all chicken enchiladas are made the same way or filled with the same ingredients, and these enchiladas include healthier ingredients than most.
These chicken enchiladas include chicken and black beans (which have protein and fiber) as well as bell pepper and onions (which have valuable vitamins and minerals). You could substitute brown rice for white rice for extra health benefits.
Can I make chicken enchiladas with flour tortillas?
Traditional Mexican enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. However, my family enjoys them with flour tortillas as well. I buy large (not the giant burrito size) flour tortillas when I make enchiladas. You can make these enchiladas with either flour or corn tortillas.
My favorite brand of flour tortillas are the Tortilla Land or Fresca brand of uncooked flour tortillas. You cook them fresh at home, in a skillet. I buy mine from Costco, but they’re pretty commonly found at grocery stores.
Ingredients in chicken enchiladas:
- shredded chicken
- rice
- corn
- black beans
- green bell pepper
- onion
- garlic
- diced jalapeños or diced green chiles
- cream of chicken soup
- cream cheese
- shredded cheese
- large flour tortillas
- homemade enchilada sauce
How to make chicken enchiladas:
- Add the chicken, rice, chopped veggies, black beans, corn, cream of chicken soup, and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Spoon ½ cup of filling mixture into a line on the edge of a tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling.
- Roll your tortillas tightly and place, seam side down, into a 9×13” pan. Each pan should be able to fit 7-8 enchiladas.
- Pour desired amount of enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Make ahead instructions:
To make ahead, prepare the enchiladas as instructed, but don’t add the enchilada sauce on top. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Add enchilada sauce and cheese on top right before baking.
This recipe makes TWO 9×13” pans of enchiladas. I serve one for dinner, and freeze the other in a disposable aluminum pan.
To Freeze Enchiladas:
To freeze, prepare the enchiladas up until baking. Cover the pan tightly with two layers of aluminum foil and freeze the enchiladas for up to 3 months.
Bake the enchiladas from frozen at 350 degrees for about 1 ½ hours, covered in foil. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
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Recipe
Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken , shredded (about 3 breasts or 4 thighs)
- 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (see note*)
- 1 can corn , drained
- 1 can black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 green bell pepper , chopped
- 1/4 onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 4 ounces canned jalapeño peppers (or diced green chilies)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (see note**)
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 3 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or mexican blend)
- 16 large flour tortillas (not burrito size)
- 1 batch red enchilada sauce (or 4 cups store bought)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce to the bottom of TWO 9x13 inch pans.
- Add all ingredients except for the tortillas and enchilada sauce to a very large bowl. Stir everything until evenly combined.
- Spoon ½ cup of filling mixture into a line on the edge of a tortilla. Sprinkle a small handful of shredded cheese on top of the filling.
- Roll the tortilla tightly and place it seam side down into prepared pan. Each pan should be able to fit 7-8 enchiladas.
- Pour sauce over the top of the enchiladas, dividing it between both pans. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve with 5-minute homemade salsa, or pico de gallo.
Notes
To Freeze Enchiladas:
To freeze the second pan of enchiladas, prepare up until baking (I usually use a disposable aluminum pan for the batch I will be freezing). Cover the pan tightly with two layers of aluminum foil and freeze the enchiladas for up to 3 months. Bake the enchiladas from frozen, at 350 degrees for about 1 ½ hours, covered in foil. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.Nutrition
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I’m making this recipe and have a question. Should/can the shredded cheese be mixed in rather than sprinkled on the filling? In the long directions it’s sprinkled on. In the printable recipe at the end of the post it suggests mixing everything except the tortillas and sauce. I expect it would work well either way but thought I’d see what you think. It certainly looks wonderful.
Either way will work great.
I made this for our Super Bowl party. It was a huge hit!
Wow! Absolutely delish! Husband loved it. He’s picky. So, that’s a win in my book.
Made this, it turned out awesome. The recipe is a keeper!
These truly were the best enchiladas ever! I made them for supper yesterday and my family absolutely devoured them! I think adding the soup and cream cheese is the key. I used a pouch of the Uncle Ben’s heat and serve Southwest style rice, (next time, because there will most definitely be a next time!), I think I’ll use 2 pouches. We don’t care for black beans but I had a tin of refried beans that’d been sitting in the pantry for ages so I smeared a spoonful of that on each tortilla and then put the filling on top before rolling up. I made half with flour tortillas and half with corn tortillas, and soon as i took them out of the oven (I baked them at 350 for approximately 40 mins) I sprinkled the top with a generous handful of sliced scallions and diced tomatoes. I also sprinkled a few sliced jalapeno and banana peppers on the top before baking. Served with sour cream and they were just fab!!
Rice-a-roni, canned soup, store-brought enchilada sauce, packaged tortillas, canned jalapeño peppers… not much made “from scratch,” lol.
I’m not trying to be mean. It’s better than eating out. It’s not a fit for me but I’m glad others are enjoying it. Your photos are lovely.
Did you see miss the links to all of those things from scratch? I make all of those homemade, and have recipes to each (to include them all listed out in the recipe would make it massively long and hard to read).
I have a question. Can you freeze the filing rather than the whole pan?
Yes, of course!
Thank goodness because I didn’t have enough tortillas or sauce! Trying to think of something “extra” to make with that yummy filling!
Living in another country where I make everything from scratch (or buy it from nationals that make it from scratch, like the tortillas), I appreciate the ease of preparation in the US and want to say that this is as much “from scratch” as you’re going to get and it is good! Time is money too and here where we live, using fuel and electricty to make so many things from scratch makes life more expensive, but when I get home every so often, I am thankful for the basic ingredients that I can get from the store and make a meal more simply that is still “from scratch”! Meal plans are life (and money) savers and your meals are always a hit with my family of 11! Keep up the good work and enjoy the ease of baking “from scratch” there in the God blessed USA. I appreciate your help to make my life easier!
You should have just left your thoughts in your head…seriously they are alternatives for those who don’t make EVERYTHING from scratch. What a rude comment to make when ‘not trying to be mean’ just stay silent then.
How could you manage to miss the directive to how to make EACH of those ingredients that you so rudely made reference too? Try reading before commenting next time!
Thank u & most delicious
Apologize for some ppl rude behaviour , unfortunately many like to open their mouths before using their brains .
Once again many thx
Aye, Maggie, you certainly are trying to be mean. And we all know it.
This was delicious! I pressure cooked my chicken with a jalapeno, onion and some green salsa and chicken broth. It was juicy and flavorful. I grilled the bell pepper a bit and then added the rest of the ingredients all together. I used green enchilada sauce and made this into a casserole to make it easy to serve. In the future I would make this as a dip and serve with chips. I will make this again and it is a very tasty recipe! Thank you for sharing!