Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Updated February 08, 2012
Karen Steffens

When it’s Tex-Mex night, take your pick from any one of these easy chicken enchilada recipes. 

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Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

Chipotles can be a touch spicy, but you can use only half of what's called for to decrease heat and still get great smoky flavor.

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Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Ginny Branch

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Because you layer this Tex-Mex dish, lasagna-style, instead of rolling each enchilada individually, you save time in the kitchen, and the results are ultimately healthier because the tortillas don't have to be fried or softened in oil before you assemble the casserole. Look for Mexican crema at Latin food markets or with the Mexican cheeses in the supermarket.

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Chicken Verde Enchiladas

Credit: Andrew Purcell; Styling: Alistair Turnbull

Chicken Verde Enchiladas Recipe

How do you shred chicken superfast? Insert two forks into the meat while it's still warm. Then pull apart to shred.

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Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Charles E. Walton IV

Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Store-bought rotisserie chicken adds ease and great flavor. If using corn tortillas instead of the larger flour tortillas, you'll have about an extra cup of filling.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Victoria Cox and Elise Mayfield; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Using canned enchilada sauce makes these Chicken Enchiladas super easy to make.

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Green Chile-Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Green Chile-Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

New Mexicans prefer these over the beef enchiladas associated with other Southwest cuisines. Prepare the sauce and the chicken mixture up to two days ahead, and refrigerate separately until ready to assemble the enchiladas.

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Light Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr

Light Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

This dish offers make-ahead options: You can assemble the enchiladas up to two days ahead, cover, refrigerate, and bake them before serving. And if your family eats in shifts, just make individual servings, as we did in the photo on the left.

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Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Jack Cheese Sauce

Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Jack Cheese Sauce Recipe

Top chicken enchiladas with a tasty Spicy Jack Cheese Sauce for added flavor.

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

These enchiladas are a cinch to assemble and easy to freeze--just cover one of the pans with foil.

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How to Make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Trade the traditional enchilada sauce for a creamy, cheesy topping on this Mexican chicken casserole recipe. Your family will never know they're enjoying a lightened meal.

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Credit: Jan Smith

Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Mix all your favorite Mexican flavors into one easy chicken enchilada casserole. It's great to make ahead and tastes even better the day after.

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Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Credit: Randy Mayor

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde Recipe

Bottled green salsa and rotisserie chicken are the shortcut ingredients in these hearty, yet mild enchiladas. Just a simple splash of fresh lime juice perks up the flavor of the bottled salsa.

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20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.

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Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Leo Gong

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Though the sauce for this impressive layered enchilada dish tastes complex, it's made with canned chile sauce doctored up with sweet spices, raisins, pine nuts, and smoky chipotle chiles. For a hotter sauce, add more chipotles and adobo sauce to the chicken mixture.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Howard Lee Puckett; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

One online reviewer claims that these are the “best chicken enchiladas I've had, home-made or restaurant. Ooey-gooey, delicious and best of all, simple.”

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

If you're looking for an easy Mexican main dish recipe, try these creamy chicken enchiladas. Eight ingredients and a few minutes of prep time are all you need to get these enchiladas baking away in the oven.

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Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Peden & Munk; Styling: Amy Wilson

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

These chicken enchiladas get their earthy flavor from roasted New Mexico chiles. You can use rotisserie chicken for the filling, plus you can bake the enchiladas and freeze for up to a month.

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Enchiladas de Pollo (Chicken Enchiladas)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Enchiladas de Pollo (Chicken Enchiladas) Recipe

This lightened version of chicken enchiladas from Cooking Light will satisfy your craving for a cheesy Tex-Mex dish but isn’t as high in fat and calories as a traditional enchilada recipe.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

To make this recipe ahead, prepare the filling and assemble the enchiladas, then chill overnight or freeze up to one month. Once they are baked, then you add the toppings of your choice.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

You can freeze the chile mixture and filled tortillas separately up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you’re ready to bake. Then just prepare and bake as directed in the recipe.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Oxmoor House

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

The kids can fill each tortilla, roll them up, and place them seam side down in the pan. Then they can top with the sauce and cheese.

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Light Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr

Light Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

This dish offers make-ahead options: You can assemble the enchiladas up to two days ahead, cover, refrigerate, and bake them before serving. And if your family eats in shifts, just make individual servings, as we did in the photo on the left.

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Quick Chicken Enchiladas

Quick Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

These easy, cheesy chicken enchiladas come together in a snap and are faster and way more delicious than fast food. If you have leftover roast chicken, use that here. Alternatively, you can buy a rotisserie chicken if you don't feel like cooking your own. Also, don't use corn tortillas, as these have a tendency to break and be hard to roll. Whatever you do, though, don't forget the fresh tomato, avocado, cilantro, and green onion topping—the freshness livens up the dish. 

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Fast Chicken Enchiladas

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Fast Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Fast Flourish: Char one side of the tortillas directly over gas flames for a few seconds using tongs.

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Chicken, Chili and Cheese Enchiladas

Chicken, Chili and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

This easy chicken enchilada recipe features the convenience of rotisserie chicken, a jar of salsa,  and canned green chiles.

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Credit: Oxmoor House

Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Make this casserole recipe come together even more quickly by swapping rotisserie chicken for the called-for boiled chicken.

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Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa

Credit: Lisa Hubbard; Styling: Sara Quessenberry

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa Recipe

Mix tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to make the green salsa for these enchiladas.

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Chicken-and-Black Bean Enchiladas

Credit: Van Chaplin; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Chicken-and-Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

This Chicken Enchilada recipe requires just 7 ingredients and 3 simple steps!

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Speedy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Speedy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

Rotisserie chicken and prechopped vegetables make this a quick casserole.

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Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Chicken Enchiladas Verde Recipe

This recipe features ecipe features corn tortillas filled with a cheesy chicken mixture and topped with a green chile sauce and red pepper puree.

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How to Make Our Best Chicken Enchiladas

See how to make delicious and simple Chicken Enchiladas for a flavorful, easy dinner. This top-rated simple recipe includes fresh ingredients like cilantro, avocado, and tomatoes that make this classic Mexican dish pop with flavor.

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Green-Sauced Chicken Enchiladas

Green-Sauced Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

In this recipe, we dry-sautéed the tortillas instead of frying them (the traditional method) and decreased the cheese.

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Chicken-and-Rajas Enchiladas

Credit: Howard L. Puckett; Styling: Cathy Muir

Chicken-and-Rajas Enchiladas Recipe

Rajas is Spanish for roasted-pepper strips. Red bell peppers can be substituted for the poblano chiles, if you like. Be sure th prepare the Refried White Beans before starting this recipe.

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