I can't think of many cozier dinners than Chicken and Rice Enchiladas, loaded with beans, corn, veggies and a creamy sauce, and baked with enchilada sauce and cheese.
Chicken and Rice Enchiladas loaded with all the good stuff.
Chicken and Rice Enchiladas loaded with all the good stuff.This Chicken and Rice Enchilada recipe is my go-to when I want a comforting meal the whole family will happily eat. It's like a mash-up of chicken casserole and enchiladas; a meal in one, loaded with so much goodness like shredded chicken, rice, veggies, beans and corn. But the real showstopper is the easy homemade enchilada sauce poured on top. Use corn tortillas or flour tortillas.
Lastly, this recipe makes TWO pans of enchiladas, because if you're going through the work, you may as well make a second pan for the freezer for an easy meal another day. Or, give it to a family in need (browse our meal-train recipes here).
Don't miss my other Mexican recipes like Tres Leches Cake, Authentic Mexican Rice, Tamales, and Birria Tacos.
How to make Chicken and Rice Enchiladas:
Make Filling: In a very large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the tortillas and enchilada sauce then stir to mix everything. Add a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce to the bottom of TWO 9×13″ pans (I like to use an aluminum disposable pan to freeze the second batch).
Assemble: Scoop ½ cup of the mixture onto a large flour tortilla. Sprinkle a small handful of shredded cheese on top, then roll tortilla tightly. Place seam-side down in pan (each pan should fit 7-8 enchiladas) and drizzle enchilada sauce on top, dividing it between both pans.
Bake: Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with easy Homemade Salsa or Pico de Gallo and a glass of Horchata.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Follow the instructions to assemble the enchiladas, but don't pour the enchilada sauce on top. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Pour enchilada sauce and cheese on top just before baking. This recipe makes TWO 9×13 pans. I love to serve one for dinner that night, and freezing the other one for another day.
To Freeze: Follow the instructions to assemble the enchiladas, but don't pour the enchilada sauce on top. Cover tightly with two layers of aluminum foil and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze enchilada sauce seperatly, if desired, and thaw overnight in fridge. Pour enchilada sauce over frozen enchiladas and bake from frozen at 350°F (180°C) for about 1 hour, covered in foil. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly
More Enchilada & Burrito Recipes:
- Veggie Enchiladas
- Cheese Enchiladas
- Shredded Beef Enchiladas
- Mole Enchiladas
- Wet Burrito
- Smothered Green Chile Chicken Burritos
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Recipe
Chicken and Rice Enchiladas
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken , shredded (about 3 breasts or 4 thighs)
- 2 1/2 cups cooked rice* (425g)
- 15 oz can corn , drained
- 15 oz can black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 green bell pepper , chopped
- 1/4 onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 4 oz can jalapeño peppers or diced green chiles
- 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup* , or one batch homemade
- 4 oz cream cheese , softened
- 3 cups shredded cheese , mozzarella cheddar, 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 (200 degrees C). Add a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce to the bottom of TWO 9×13 inch pans.
- Filling: Add all ingredients except for the tortillas and enchilada sauce to a very large bowl. Stir everything until evenly combined.
- Assemble: 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 each tortilla tightly and place seam-side-down into pan. Each pan should fit 7-8 enchiladas. (At this point you may freeze the second pan, if desired).
- Pour enchilada sauce over the top, dividing it between both pans. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees (200 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve with 5-minute homemade salsa, or pico de gallo.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2019. Updated March 2025.
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This is a truly outstanding recipe! I was disappointed at first when I saw that it calls for a can of cream of chicken soup since I can’t do gluten or MSG. Then I was delighted to find your link to making the soup from scratch, which turned out to be another fantastic recipe. I fed these enchiladas to a friend who is very fussy about enchiladas as they are her favourite food ever. She pronounced my enchiladas to be the best she’s ever had! Thank you for both of these recipes. I will be making them again and again now.
Delicious! Made these twice in a week! I also made some to take to a friend. I did skip the bell peppers because I forgot to buy them. But still so yummy and highly recommend.
Another amazing meal! We froze a portion for take and bake. We also, saved a a portion of the filler for stuffed bell peppers. There is only 2 of us so we had plenty to work with. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Hi Lauren, well I made your flour enchiladas, last week, very yummy. Now as a Latina, I made the mortal sin-Lol…. of making them with flour tortillas lol…. but u know, I like them, I invited my friends to come and eat with me. We all laughed, what our mothers would say! lol…. hey we loved them. they said they’d try it with their families. My husband, friends, and I really liked them, Thank U. oh I used Poblano peppers instead of bell peppers. very good
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.
You know what mamma always says, “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything”. Who raised you?
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!