This easy canned chicken enchiladas recipe not only looks yummy, but it also tastes amazing. It’s also simple and easy dinner to make for the entire family.
Some great side dishes to serve with chicken enchiladas are air fryer garlic bread, homemade rice-a-roni, refried beans, or a lettuce salad with your favorite vegetables. You can also serve these enchiladas with Mexican rice, or your choice of chips.
Make Canned Chicken Enchiladas Anytime
The best part about this chicken enchilada recipe is that you can have all the ingredients in your kitchen as pantry staples. You can store canned chunk chicken breast, diced green chiles, and enchilada sauce in the pantry. The corn-flour tortillas and the cheese can be stored in your freezer. This way, you can make these chicken enchiladas at any given time, especially when you’ve had a busy day and didn’t have time to go to the grocery store.
You can also make this easy recipe ahead of time. For example, if you have more time in the morning, or at lunchtime, you can prepare them at that time, and then put them in the refrigerator. And then, 45 minutes before dinnertime, put them in the oven to bake.
🐔 Key Ingredients
Our favorite chicken enchiladas have only six simple ingredients in the recipe, and the recipe makes 10 enchiladas. If that’s too many for you, you can always cut this recipe in half.
- 2 pounds of Mexican blend cheese – Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero – (4 cups of cheese)
- One 28-ounce can of La Victoria red enchilada sauce
- Two 12.5 ounce canned chicken – premium chunk chicken breast
- One package of 10 Golden Blend – corn tortillas and flour tortillas mixed
- About half of a one pound bag of extra sharp cheddar cheese
- One 4-ounce can of Ortega Hot fire-roasted diced green chiles
👩🍳 How to Make Easy Canned Chicken Enchiladas
These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.
Step 1. Heat Oven
Preheat your oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2. Prepare Your Baking Dish
Because this recipe makes 10 enchiladas, we used two glass baking dishes. Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish and then a smaller 8×8-inch square baking dish with your favorite cooking spray or oil, whether it be olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
Note: You can use any kind of baking pan you have. If you don’t have a glass baking dish, baking times may need to be adjusted.
Step 3. Sprinkle Some Green Chiles on the Tortilla
First, open the cans of chicken breast and the can of hot fire-roasted diced green chiles, then drain the liquid out of the cans of chicken breast. After that, open the package of golden blend corn and flour tortillas.
Next, spread a little bit of the hot fire-roasted diced green chiles on the top of one of the tortillas. If you like “hot” flavored chicken enchiladas, then you can add more of the green chiles to each of the tortillas.
Step 4. Add some Chicken
Shred the chicken breast, or you can break it apart a bit, whatever you prefer, but still leave it a bit chunky either way, then spread a little on top of the green chiles.
Step 5. Throw on some Mexican Cheese
After putting a layer of chicken, spread some of the Mexican cheese on top of the pieces of the chicken breast.
Step 6. Fold the Tortilla
Fold the right side of the tortilla halfway towards the center, covering the green chiles, chicken, and cheese. Then, fold the left side of the tortilla towards the center on top of the first fold. Also, it is important to lay the folded side down in the sprayed baking dish.
Step 7. Repeat the Steps for Each Tortilla
After that, repeat the same steps to prepare the rest of the tortillas.
Step 8. Arrange the Enchiladas in the Baking Dish
Lay the prepared stuffed tortillas that are filled with green chiles, shredded chicken breast pieces, and cheese, in the casserole dish side by side next to each other, but remember to put the folded side facing down.
We needed to use two baking dishes. The 9×13-inch baking dish has six enchiladas in it, while the other four enchiladas are in the smaller 8×8-inch square baking dish. Both dishes will fit into the oven together at the same time. But, it’s not time to bake them yet. There are still a few more steps left to do.
Step 9. Pour the Red Enchilada Sauce on the Enchiladas
La Victoria Red enchilada sauce (mild) is what we used to cover the enchiladas in the baking dish. It’s 28 ounces, and we used it all because it’s that good. Pour the can of La Victoria enchilada sauce on top of the folded enchiladas, equally in both of the baking dishes.
Step 10. Sprinkle the Rest of the Mexican Cheese
Spread the rest of the package of Mexican cheese equally on top of the enchilada sauce on both baking dishes.
Step 11. Toss on Some Cheddar Cheese
Then, spread about half of the 1 pound package of extra sharp cheddar cheese equally on top of the Mexican cheese on both dishes. You can also use more or less cheese if you prefer.
Step 12. Place the Canned Chicken Enchiladas in the Oven
Place the uncovered enchiladas in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. After these easy chicken enchiladas bake in the oven for 45 minutes, they are done baking and ready to serve for dinner.
🌟 Recipe Variations for Canned Chicken Enchiladas
Listed below are a few different ways to serve these delicious enchiladas.
- Shred a rotisserie chicken instead of using premium chunk chicken breast in the can.
- Add some chopped red onion to each enchilada before baking them in the oven.
- Sprinkle chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, or red pepper flakes on your serving of chicken enchiladas.
- Dice some red bell peppers and sprinkle them on top of your enchilada after they are baked, or put them inside the enchilada before baking.
- Put a spoonful of spicy picante sauce, or salsa verde on your enchilada.
- Add a little sour cream inside each enchilada before baking.
- Chop some black olives and serve over the baked enchiladas.
🙋 FAQs for Canned Chicken Enchiladas
You can leave any leftover chicken enchiladas in the casserole dish you baked them in, then cover the dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator. To reheat them the next night for dinner, remove the covering, then bake them in the oven or microwave them until hot.
Yes, you can freeze leftover chicken enchiladas. Put the leftovers in an airtight container that is safe for the freezer. Try to eat them before six months is up, after that they can potentially lose their texture and quality. Take them out of the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat them until hot in the microwave or oven.
💡 Final Thoughts
The next time you’re craving Mexican food, don’t go out to get it, instead, bake up the perfect enchilada meal in your own kitchen with this easy chicken enchilada recipe. It will become one of your family favorite meals, just like it has for our family.
These chicken enchiladas are also the perfect dish to serve at parties with your friends, or take to potlucks and special occasions.
🗂️ Recipe Card
Easy Canned Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
🫕 Equipment
- Baking dish (9×13 inches)
- Baking dish (9×9 or 8×8 inches)
🧂 Ingredients
- 2 pounds Mexican blend cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero)
- 1 can La Victoria red enchilada sauce mild (28 ounce)
- 2 cans premium chunk chicken breast (12.5 ounce each)
- 1/2 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese (extra sharp)
- 1 package Golden Blend tortillas (10 count, corn and flour blend)
- 1 can diced green chiles (4 ounce)
👩🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a 9×13 inch glass baking dish and a smaller 8×8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray or cooking oil.
- Next, spread a little bit of the diced green chiles on one of the tortillas.
- Drain the liquid from the cans of chicken breast.
- Spread a little bit of the chicken breast on top of the green chiles.
- Spread some of the Mexican cheese on top of the chicken breast.
- Fold the right side of the tortilla towards the center, covering the green chiles, chicken, and cheese. Then fold the left side towards the center.
- Lay the tortilla (folded side down) in the sprayed baking dish.
- Repeat the same steps for the rest of the tortillas, laying them next to each other in the baking dish.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas.
- Spread the rest of the package of Mexican cheese on top of the enchilada sauce.
- Spread the cheddar cheese on top of the Mexican cheese.
- Put the enchiladas in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes.
*️⃣ Recipe Notes
- You can use any kind of baking pan you have, baking times may need to be adjusted.
- This recipe makes 10 enchiladas, 1 enchilada per person, or if not serving 10 people, you can have leftovers the next night, or cut the recipe in half.
- You can serve refried beans and Mexican rice as a side dish.
- Tortilla chips are great with enchiladas too, and a salad and vegetables.
💟 More Delicious Recipes You Will Love
- These hot and spicy ground beef enchiladas are made with Mexican style cheese blend, sharp cheddar cheese, red enchilada sauce, and diced green chiles.
- Enjoy these ground beef enchiladas with red peppers and onions, minced garlic, brown sugar, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, and paprika.
- Easy Korean Style Ground Beef Recipe made with soy sauce, white rice, light brown sugar, green onions, sesame seeds, minced garlic, sesame oil, and minced ginger. Yum!
A wife, a mother to a son and a daughter, and a grandmother to three granddaughters. Flo loves sharing recipes passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law, and her grandmother as well as new recipes created with her daughter, Tamara Ray.
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