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Using shredded chicken, plenty of vegetables and a tomato-based sauce, roll these easy Chicken Enchiladas into a family dinner win. Follow this recipe for both the oven method and how to cook these in the air fryer too!
These delicious family-friendly Chicken Enchiladas are always a huge hit in our house, and that’s mainly because they’re super tasty and they’re also really easy to cook.
I love how versatile we can make them – something I have discovered by adapting them into slow cooker versions – and here we’re making them with a recipe that works for both the oven and air fryer too.
We can mix up our favourite fillings, make them with cooked chicken or cook it fresh, and we can make them up ahead of time so it saves time later in the day.
An all round family favourite winner!
More enchilada recipes…
Slow Cooker Beef
Slow Cooker Beef Enchiladas
Slow Cooker
Chicken Enchiladas {Slow Cooker Recipe}
Slow Cooker
Veggie Enchiladas {Slow Cooker Fakeaways}
Why you’ll love this Chicken ENchiladas recipe
⭐️ Packed full of veggies and tastes SO good
⭐️ Freezes well for dinner another day
⭐️ A hit with the whole family
How we came up with this recipe
Having created a slow cooker version of this recipe, I wanted to make sure we had the oven AND air fryer methods up our sleeves for those times when dinner has to be made right now with as little fuss as possible.
My Chicken Enchiladas recipe, like all of them, is inspired by those Mexican dishes but is not necessarily aiming to be an authentic take.
This one is all about simplicity, store cupboard ingredients, nutrition and how we can realistically recreate a dish that feeds and satisfies everyone during a busy week.
I hope you love this one as much as we do!
Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients Notes
- Chicken – We’re using about 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this, but see my top tips below on chicken for options
- For the sauce: Sunflower oil, onion, garlic granules, paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli powder, passata, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To build the enchiladas: Sweetcorn, black beans, grated cheese and tortilla wraps of your choice
Recipe Tip
Chicken options
⭐️ Buy ready-cooked chicken (or a rotisserie chicken) from the supermarket
⭐️ Cook it yourself in the oven (20-25 minutes until it’s cooked through)
⭐️ Cook in the air fryer (you can use my air fryer chicken method, with or without the seasonings)
⭐️ Use your own leftover cooked chicken from another day
How to make Chicken Enchiladas
1. Make the sauce over a medium heat. First, cook the onions, then add the spices, followed by the passata.
2. Remove 2 spoonfuls and put aside for underneath the tortillas when baking. Add the other filling ingredients in.
3. Stir everything together and cook for a further 5 minutes until hot.
4. Lay the tortillas out and share the mixture evenly between them. To fold, first bend over the ends.
5. Tightly roll up the tortillas, making sure to keep the mixture firmly inside.
6. Add half of the reserved sauce into a baking dish (or your air fryer). Tightly pack in your rolled enchiladas, one at a time.
7. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top.
8. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
TO OVEN BAKE:
Bake for about 15-20 minutes in preheated oven at 180C, until the inside of the enchiladas is hot and the cheese has melted.
TO AIR FRYER BAKE:
Bake for about 5-10 minutes in preheated air fryer at 180C, until the inside of the enchiladas is hot and the cheese has melted.
Substitutions
- Black beans – You can substitute these with any other cooked, canned, drained beans. For example, kidney beans.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully before serving or eat cold.
In the freezer
Chicken Enchiladas freeze really well for an even quicker meal on busy evenings. Just cover well and freeze before baking.
The tortilla wraps can go a little bit softer than when cooked on the same day. This isn’t the end of the world, but if you do want to avoid this, just freeze the sauce/filling and then assemble the defrosted filling with fresh wraps on the day you want to serve them.
Top tipS
How to cook Chicken Enchiladas in an air fryer
Follow the recipe to make the sauce, assemble the enchiladas and pop them straight into your air fryer tray.
Cook them for 5-10 minutes at 180C.
Make a double batch
Here’s a small hack for you: I like to make double the recipe and then freeze the second portion for another day!
What to serve with Chicken Enchiladas
These are a meal in their own right, but if you fancy a little bit on the side(!) try:
- Coleslaw
- Tortilla chips with dips (we love guacamole, sour cream and salsa!)
- A Mexican Salad
- Maybe even some rice!
FAQs
You can use whichever kind you prefer in your family: wholemeal, etc. I like corn tortillas as I think they go really well with the flavours and taste slightly more like the real thing.
I’d say it’s low to medium spice, and so suitable for most children. You can adjust the amount of spice by using less or more chilli powder. You could also add chopped chillies on top before serving if you want some extra spice!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Chicken Enchiladas {Oven & Air Fryer Recipe}
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 650 g Chicken breasts, See notes
For the sauce:
- 2 tsp Sunflower oil
- 1 Onion, Peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tsp Garlic granules
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Mild chilli powder
- 680 g Passata
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To build the enchiladas:
- 325 g Tinned sweetcorn, Drained (or frozen if you prefer)
- 400 g Black beans, Drained and rinsed
- 8 Tortilla wraps, See notes
- 100 g Grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and chilli powder. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat until the onions are almost cooked through, coloured and fragrant.
- Add in the passata and heated through. Remove two large spoonfuls of the sauce to a bowl and put to one side (this is for underneath and on top of the rolled tortillas).
- Add in the chicken, beans and sweetcorn and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes until hot.
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 180C.
- Lay the tortillas out and share the mixture evenly between them. Put half of the reserved sauce on the base of a baking dish/air fryer tray.
- Roll each tortilla up and place on top of the thin layer of sauce, being sure that the open end is at the bottom, so the weight of the tortilla keeps them shut.
- Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle on the cheese.
To oven bake:
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the inside of the enchiladas is hot and the cheese has melted.
To air fryer bake:
- Bake for about 5-10 minutes until the inside of the enchiladas is hot and the cheese has melted.
Notes
- Buy ready-cooked chicken (or a rotisserie chicken) from the supermarket
- Cook it yourself in the oven (20-25 minutes until it’s cooked through)
- Cook in the air fryer (you can use my air fryer chicken method, with or without the seasonings)
- Use your own leftover cooked chicken from another day
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My daughters (age 8) new favourite meal.
Didn’t use already cooked chicken, just sliced up a few chicken breasts and cooked along with the peppers and onion. 😊
Really easy to make. I left out the chilli powder as my offspring won’t eat anything spicy. Still a nice flavour. Easy to make a vegetarian and meat option at the same time.
These have become a firm family favourite. The Red Leicester cheese was brilliant now a family staple for melted cheese recipes.
Made these tonight for the first time. We loved them. Never shredded chicken for enchaladas before. Game changer. Thank you.
Oh fab, so pleased they went down well Helen!
Made these tonight – family loved them !
I made these tonight for the first time and my fussy children ate it all and asked for seconds!