Jump to Recipe – Print Recipe Easy spicy Chicken Enchiladas recipe with homemade enchilada sauce. The ultimate comfort food, it’s a great dinner idea to use up your leftover chicken
Give me any meal involving tortillas, chicken, and cheese and I am a happy girl. It is rare that I walk out of a restaurant serving chicken quesadillas without ordering some. Lucky for me, it is usually the cheapest thing on the menu. Also lucky for me, it is super easy to make at home. But enchiladas? That is a whole other story. 
I actually had my first enchilada a couple of years ago, when my husband’s dad made some for dinner. For some reason, it is rare to see enchiladas on a menu in Canada. Perhaps we aren’t close enough to Mexico to make them relevant here. But ever since I tried enchiladas at my father in law’s house, I have been on a mission to make some of my own. The only problem is, every recipe that I have found on the internet for enchiladas uses enchilada sauce. But no matter where I look, I can’t find enchilada sauce in any of the stores. And I have been looking! So what is my only option? Make it yourself! 
Maybe it was laziness that stopped me from making the enchilada sauce from scratch for so long, but I am SO glad I finally tried it out. Sure, making the sauce will make the kitchen smell. Like, a lot. Not smell in a bad way, it just made the kitchen smell like a LOT of spices. It almost makes me want to get a spice kitchen if we ever move to a bigger place. Obviously the biggest selling point of ANY house for me is the kitchen. But if you are a-okay with a very spicy, savoury aroma in your kitchen for a couple of days, the sauce is totally worth it! 
If you haven’t already made enchiladas before, I would highly recommend this recipe, if not for the enchilada sauce alone. Seriously, it is a winning sauce recipe. Or, if you are like me and live in a country that has almost NO easy access to enchiladas in restaurants or in local grocery stores, this is what you need in your life! Sure, I will still order the chicken quesadilla when I see it. But I will keep my eyes peeled for restaurants that serve enchiladas. There must be SOMEWHERE in Toronto that has them available! If you make this Chicken Enchiladas recipe, let me know how you liked it! Rate it, leave a comment and tag me with #atasteofmadness on Instagram! I always love seeing what you are creating! 
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
Enchiladas
- 2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 8 large corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups mozarrella cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and flour on medium heat. Whisk together and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for around 1 minute.
- Add in the spices and mix until a thick paste forms. Add in the chicken broth and whisk well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pour 1/2 a cup of sauce into a 9x13 baking pan.
- Spread 2 Tbsp enchilada sauce along the middle of a corn tortilla. Top with around 2 Tbsp shredded chicken then sprinkle with some of each of the cheeses and roll up. Place in the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Top the rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
This is a perfect weekday dinner option. I love enchiladas because you can do whatever you want with them. They are a black canvas! These looks delicious and simple.
Thanks Nicole 🙂 I totally agree!!
OMG. YUM. So we can’t do all-purpose flour in my household, but I’m fairly confident that the enchilada sauce will turn out just as delicious if I swap it out for a gluten-free alternative. I’m adding making these to my plans this weekend! I’ll let you know how it goes!
I’m sure it would! I hope you love it 🙂
That looks like comfort food. I love how simple and easy this is. My kids love cheesy, especially with chicken. Sounds so good. Can’t wait to try this.
Comfort food at it’s finest 😉 Let me know if you give it a go!
Great idea to use leftover chicken. I have some languishing in the fridge that I would love to try with this recipe! Thanks!
Yes! Do it! It is such a great dinner idea
I think enchiladas are possibly the ultimate comfort food meal and these ones look so delicious. I definitely want them for dinner!
Thanks Corina! They are so easy, you must try it out 🙂
Those enchiladas look cheesy, crispy at the edges, and very flavorful!
Thanks!! They are so good 🙂
haha, you’re right. I haven’t been able to find any enchilada sauce here in Toronto. I’m glad to find this easy recipe for the sauce.
Right?? You do what you’ve got to do 😉
Enchiladas are my family’s favorite. I appreciate all the different ways to make them. A very traditional dish with many possibilities. Thanks for sharing!
They are so good, right??
These look so good! I have to give these a try and they look so easy too!
Yes you do!! They are so easy to make!
We’ve been debating what to have for dinner tonight. I’m now craving Chicken Enchiladas. They look so good. I can almost taste them. I love that sauce you made for them. It sounds super flavorful. Great recipe!!
Yes!! It’s all in the sauce!
These would be a great alternative for tacos on Tuesday! They look amazing and now I am craving them.
Ooh, yes they would!! Thanks Jacque!
My kids absolutely love Enchiladas and your recipe looks easy enough to try out next week. Going to save this one. Thank you
Yes!! Let me know how it goes!