I have been baking this chicken enchilada recipe from scratch since I was in high school. A friend and I even made a video of us making them for our high school English class project! Growing up in San Diego, Mexican food was a huge part of our culture. As much as I love taco shop food, I also love making my own Mexican food at home (like Carne Asada and Taco Seasoning, which I use for lots of things).
I hadn’t made my chicken enchilada recipe in a while, so I was excited to head to the store and pick up all of the ingredients. When I first started making enchiladas, I used canned enchilada sauce from the store. But it’s easy (and much healthier) to make your own, so that’s what I do now.
It is a time consuming process to make this chicken enchilada recipe, but it’s well worth it to make your own. I always make two pans so we can enjoy them for a few days, or so I can freeze the second pan for later. You can halve my chicken enchilada recipe if you only want to make one pan.
My Famous From Scratch Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds shredded cooked chicken
- 6 green onions
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce spice mix
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
- 24 organic corn tortillas
- Olive or coconut oil
Directions
- I like to put my chicken in the crockpot the night before I’m going to make this chicken enchilada recipe with some chicken stock and let them cook overnight. The chicken is really easy to shred in the morning.
- After you shred the chicken, chop the green onions and then stir into the shredded chicken.
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, then whisk in the enchilada sauce spice mixture to make a paste.
- Add 2 cups of chicken stock, and whisk until smooth.
- When the mixture is warm, add the tomato paste and whisk until smooth.
- Add the rest of the chicken stock and continue whisking until smooth.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently with a large wooden spoon.
- Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oil (about 1/4″ deep) in a frying pan. Fry each tortilla for about 10 seconds on each side. You just want to soften them, not fry them until they’re crispy.
- As you fry the tortillas, set them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
- Next, dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce and place in a 9×13 baking pan. Add chicken mixture and cheese to the tortilla, then roll.
- Repeat until the pan is full. I can typically fit 8 enchiladas across the pan, and then 4 more lengthwise at the bottom of the pan. This chicken enchilada recipe will make enough for 2 pans. You can freeze the second pan or cook them both and enjoy leftovers for days.
- After your pans are full, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of them, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas covered for 20 minutes at 350° F, then for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered. If you refrigerate the pan of enchiladas before cooking (I often do this with the second pan), it usually takes about an hour to cook them thoroughly.
- We love to serve our enchiladas topped with sour cream and hot sauce, but they’re great on their own as well.
Print My Chicken Enchilada Recipe for Later
My Famous Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Do you love enchiladas as much as I do? Making your own enchiladas from scratch is easier than you might think! Follow my recipe and everyone will be raving about your cooking skills!
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 3 pounds shredded cooked chicken
- 6 green onions
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce spice mix
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound cheddar cheese grated
- 24 organic corn tortillas
- coconut oil
Instructions
- I like to put my chicken in the crockpot the night before I'm going to make enchiladas with some chicken stock and let them cook overnight. The chicken is really easy to shred in the morning.
- After you shred the chicken, chop the green onions and then stir into the shredded chicken.
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, then whisk in the enchilada sauce spice mixture to make a paste.
- Add 2 cups of chicken stock, and whisk until smooth.
- When the mixture is warm, add the tomato paste and whisk until smooth.
- Add the rest of the chicken stock and continue whisking until smooth.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently with a large wooden spoon.
- Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oil (about 1/4" deep) in a frying pan. Fry each tortilla for about 10 seconds on each side. You just want to soften them, not fry them until they're crispy.
- As you fry the tortillas, set them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
- Next, dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce and place in a 9x13 baking pan. Add chicken mixture and cheese to the tortilla, then roll.
- Repeat until the pan is full. I can typically fit 8 enchiladas across the pan, and then 4 more lengthwise at the bottom of the pan. This recipe will make enough for 2 pans. You can freeze the second pan or cook them both and enjoy leftovers for days.
- After your pans are full, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of them, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas covered for 20 minutes at 350° F, then for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered. If you refrigerate the pan of enchiladas before cooking (I often do this with the second pan), it usually takes about an hour to cook them thoroughly.
- We love to serve our enchiladas topped with sour cream and hot sauce, but they're great on their own as well.
