Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas – with red sauce

These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are a dinner-time hit! Easy to make with 6 essential ingredients that have classic Tex-Mex flavors!

This Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas recipe is my version. I have had enchiladas with only the canned red enchilada sauce and felt it did not have enough flavor. I have always enjoyed the flavor of the taco sauce from Taco Bell. So I added Oretego’s taco sauce to the enchilada sauce and taco seasoning to the meat to fill up your taste buds. This very much tastes like an enchilada despite the added taco seasonings.    

What ingredients are in Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with red sauce?

The main ingredients in Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are shredded chicken, flour tortillas, refried beans, cheddar cheese, taco seasoning, taco sauce, and red enchilada sauce.

These enchiladas have a smear of refried beans covered with seasoned shredded chicken coated in sauce. The refried beans give extra protein and texture. Cheese will be sprinkled on top of the chicken and later on top of the enchiladas! I feel you have to have sour cream and chopped green onions on top! The green onions are not just for show! 

Substitutions

• Swap out 1 lb chicken for 1 lb ground beef
• To save on calories…. use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and low-carb tortilla shells 
• You can omit the refried beans
• Fry the tortilla shells in butter on a skillet if you prefer chewy-crunchy tortillas

How to make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with red sauce!

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Steam the chicken with the onion powder and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Steam until easy to shred with a fork. (If using hamburger cook in a skillet until no longer pink in the middle. Drain the beef.)

I usually steam my chicken in my Insta pot. For my Insta pot, I have to run it through the meat setting twice so the chicken is shreddable. You can also use a crockpot or you can simmer the chicken in a pot of water, don’t overcrowd the chicken. Drain the chicken and shred it with 2 forks.

Next, cook the chicken or beef with water and taco seasoning. Follow the directions on the taco seasoning package. Cook the chicken as if it were the beef. Set aside to cool and drain if there is excess moisture.  

How to assemble Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

In a bowl mix ⅔ cup of the enchilada sauce with ⅔ cup of the taco sauce. (You will have extra sauce and refried beans so you can easily double the recipe for 2 13×9 pans without having to buy more taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or refried beans.)    

Now remove ⅔ cups of the sauce mixture and put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, set the rest aside for the top. Next, add the chicken to the remaining sauce in the bowl (⅔ cup) and stir until combined. Use 1 cup of shredded cheese to fill the enchiladas, and set the other cup aside for the top.

Smear 1 to 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the middle of a tortilla shell. On top of the beans put a layer of the shredded chicken mixture (about ¼ cup) and a sprinkle of cheese.  

Roll up the tortilla like a burrito and place one by one, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. After all the enchiladas are placed in the dish, there should be about 6 enchiladas, Pour the remaining sauce on top and spread evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese evenly on top! 

Bake uncovered until bubbling and the cheese is melted. About 15 – 20 min. Top with sour cream and chopped green onions. Store leftovers in the fridge, covered tightly for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven. 

Can you make enchiladas ahead of time?

Make the enchiladas up to 24 hours before you need them. Cover tightly and store in the fridge until dinner time and bake as usual. You can freeze enchiladas however the tortillas may turn out to be somewhat soggy. I would advise frying the tortillas in butter to give them a harder shell and freeze them before you bake them. They can remain in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen enchiladas will need about 10 extra minutes to bake, cover with foil for half of the bake time.   

Can you freeze enchiladas?

You can freeze enchiladas however the tortillas may turn out to be somewhat soggy. I would advise frying the tortillas in butter to give them a harder shell and freeze them before you bake them. They can remain in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen enchiladas will need about 10 extra minutes to bake, cover with foil for half of the bake time. These enchiladas are best when fresh.    

Let me know below how your enchiladas turned out…….

MORE DINNER IDEAS BELOW ……

Grilled Tuna Sandwich (with Sourdough and Muenster Cheese)

Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup – Healthy and Low Carb

Fried Eggs in Olive Oil (with cherry tomatoes)

Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Bacon (made with a Frozen Pizza)

Also … Here is a creamy chicken enchilada recipe from the Campbell’s Soup website that my family has tried and enjoyed. It’s made with cream of chicken soup and Monterey jack cheese………

Campbell’s Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with red sauce

These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are a dinner-time hit! Easy to make with 6 essential ingredients that have classic Tex-Mex flavors!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb of chicken or ground beef
• Light sprinkle of Salt and Pepper
• ½ tsp Onion powder
• 6 8- inch flour tortilla shells
• 1 16 oz can of refried beans
• 1 19 oz can of red enchilada sauce
• 1 16 oz bottle of Ortega taco sauce original
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour Cream & chopped green onions for topping

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Steam the chicken with the onion powder and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Steam until easy to shred with a fork. (If using hamburger cook in a skillet until no longer pink in the middle. Drain the beef.) Drain the chicken and shred it with 2 forks.
• Next, cook the chicken or beef with water and taco seasoning. Follow the directions on the taco seasoning package. Cook the chicken as if it were the beef. Set aside to cool and drain if there is excess moisture.
• In a bowl mix ⅔ cup of the enchilada sauce with ⅔ cup of the taco sauce. (You will have extra sauce and refried beans so you can easily double the recipe for 2 13×9 pans without having to buy more taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or refried beans.)
• Now remove ⅔ cups of the sauce mixture and put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, set the rest aside for the top. Next, add the chicken to the remaining sauce in the bowl (⅔ cup) and stir until combined. Use 1 cup of shredded cheese to fill the enchiladas, and set the other cup aside for the top. Smear 1 to 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the middle of a tortilla shell. On top of the beans put a layer of the shredded chicken mixture (about ¼ cup) and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up the tortilla like a burrito and place one by one, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. After all the enchiladas are placed in the dish, there should be about 6 enchiladas, Pour the remaining sauce on top and spread evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese evenly on top!
• Bake uncovered until bubbling and the cheese is melted. About 15 – 20 min. Top with sour cream and chopped green onions.

Notes

I usually steam my chicken in my Insta pot. For my Insta pot, I have to run it through the meat setting twice so the chicken is shreddable. You can also use a crockpot or you can simmer the chicken in a pot of water, don’t overcrowd the chicken.

Store leftovers in the fridge, covered tightly for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven. 

Make the enchiladas up to 24 hours before you need them. Cover tightly and store in the fridge until dinner time and bake as usual.

You can freeze enchiladas however the tortillas may turn out to be somewhat soggy. I would advise frying the tortillas in butter to give them a harder shell and freeze them before you bake them. They can remain in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen enchiladas will need about 10 extra minutes to bake, cover with foil for half of the bake time.