Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Why We Love It

We love chicken, cheese AND Mexican dishes. So it’s no surprise that we’re obsessed with these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas! Whenever this dish is made with its tangy, cheesy, creamy goodness, it’s a special treat–especially when we have it with Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw.

This enchilada recipe is a little unique because it uses burrito-sized flour tortillas instead of the traditional rolled corn tortillas. The advantage to using the bigger size is that more great enchilada filling can be tucked inside. We use precooked chicken, beans, corn and cheese for a hearty filling. Once the enchilada is assembled (much like a burrito), the delicious and tangy homemade white sauce, along with additional cheese, is drizzled on top.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas always taste great and bring smiles. This is Mexican comfort food at its finest.

Why You’ll Love It

Great for leftover chicken- This recipe uses 4 cups of precooked chicken. You can also use rotisserie. Make ahead if desired- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas can be made in advance up to 1 day ahead of time! Highly customizable- Take things up a notch by adding your favorite peppers, onions, spices and other cheeses as desired. Tastes great with all your Taco Night sauces and condiments- If it goes well with a taco, it goes well with an enchilada! Two of our faves are South of the Border Salsa and Easy Cheesy Guacamole.

Love enchiladas, but in more of a soup mood? Check out our Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup, which was inspired by this recipe!

Ingredients for Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

For the Enchiladas:

• 4 cups precooked chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (can substitute canned corn)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 7-8 oz. bag reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend (I usually use Sargento’s Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican)
• 8 burrito-sized flour tortillas

For the Creamy White Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 &1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 &1/2 cups light or reduced fat sour cream (Breakstone’s or Daisy’s recommended)
• 1 &1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided (save 1/4 cup of this for your topping)

Optional toppings of your choice could include scallions, diced avocado, Rotel, salsa, enchilada sauce and more!

How to make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

You’ll want to gather the following equipment:

• large cutting board
• chef’s knife
• medium saucepan
• stirring spoon
• large casserole dish or baking pan, lightly prepared with cooking spray
• parchment paper

Check out my video from my YouTube channel!

Getting Started

Kitchen Ready Betty tips:

• Before you begin, thaw the frozen corn in a small bowl. You can always add a little water to your bowl to expedite the thawing process. Just be sure to drain the excess water before adding the corn to the enchiladas.
• Rinse and drain the black beans.
• Prep the chicken. Using your cutting board and knife, cut your pre-cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start making Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas by preparing your workspace. Place a large piece of parchment paper on your counter. Create and place 8 separate piles of chicken, black beans and corn as shown.

Next, sprinkle the Mexican Cheese on top. Evenly distribute the entire bag over the 8 piles.

Now let’s get out the tortillas!. Place one plain burrito-sized tortilla on a separate workspace. This could be a large plate, additional cutting board, or even an additional piece of parchment paper for quick cleanup. Scoop up one of your chicken/corn/black bean/cheese piles and place it in the center.

Folding time! Now, I recognize that traditionally, enchiladas are rolled up in corn tortillas, but because I like to use burrito-sized flour tortillas, I fold them. I fold in the two sides toward the center, then I fold the bottom in toward the center and roll the tortilla up to the top. I then flip the folded tortilla over and place it into my prepared baking dish.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Even when I use foil in a pan, I lightly grease it by spraying it with cooking spray.

How to Make the Creamy White Sauce

• Place the flour and chicken broth in your saucepan. Stir over medium high heat until mixture gently boils. Then reduce the heat to low and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit an additional 2 minutes.
• Gently fold the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce. (Remember, we are saving the other 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese for the topping).
• Stir, stir, stir. We want the sour cream and the shredded cheese to blend into the sauce. What we don’t want are large chunks or glops of cream or cheese floating around in there, so stir the sauce until it is smooth.

Drizzle the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan.

Then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Then let stand 5 minutes before serving. Make sure you have your favorite toppings on hand (for us, it’s Rotel and a little guac) for the ultimate yummy experience!

If you’re making Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas ahead of time and cooking it later (like I often do), simply cover your baking dish and place it in the fridge. It can stay there for up to 24 hours. Keep in mind it will most likely take an additional 10-15 minutes to bake if you choose this option because it is starting out cold.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Leftovers?

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within three days.

Reheating instructions: Bake covered at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through.

Because of the sour cream, freezing is not recommended.