The Best Red Sauce Chicken Enchiladas
These easy and flavorful enchiladas are seriously the best red sauce chicken enchiladas on the planet. Simple pantry ingredients for a fantastic result!
I have to admit that when it comes to enchiladas (and actually, usually pasta, too), I’m often team white sauce.
These white sauce green chile chicken enchiladas are some of my favorite enchiladas ever. There was even a time in my life when I thought red sauce chicken enchiladas really didn’t deserve my time or attention.

All that changed when I made these red sauce chicken enchiladas. {Now’s the time to say: I’m sorry for my enchilada narrow mindedness.}
Wow, they are so good. Like, life changing good. And delicious enough to get me to admit that I’d be just as happy to see these on the table as I would my favorite white sauce enchiladas. I know. This is huge.
Everyone is allowed their personal enchilada opinions. And we can still be friends if you are team white sauce forever. But if you’ve been looking for the best red sauce chicken enchiladas, I can assure you, these are the ones.
Flavorful without being fussy
Even though they are made from-scratch, they don’t take all day to make. And they don’t require any hard-to-find ingredients. Pantry staples. Fantastic results.
The cooking process is simple and relatively quick as you build layers of flavor.
First, onions and jalapeños cook together until tender (I give some notes in the recipe about spiciness – even with the jalapeño, it’s not an overly spicy dish). Chili powder, a bit of sugar, cumin and garlic are added, and the mixture cooks for just a minute or two. Your house is going to start smelling amazing.
Add tomato sauce and water to that delectable spice/onion mixture. You are basically making your own homemade enchilada sauce. It is crazy delicious.
The chicken nestles right into the sauce and cooks, covered, for a few minutes until tender and juicy. Don’t overcook the chicken! It’ll be tough and rubbery if you do. And you’ll be sad and then I’ll be sad. Chicken usually doesn’t take quite as long to cook as some people think. For thicker chicken breasts, you’re probably looking at 12 minutes or so and a few minutes less for thin cut chicken.
Can beef sub in for chicken?
That’s a great question. I have never tried it in this recipe (probably because I’m a devout fan of these slow cooker shredded beef enchiladas), but I’m guessing it will work just fine. Beef will need a longer cooking time, and the cut of meat will be important to ensure tenderness and not toughness. You could probably use ground beef, too – just cook it in a skillet on its own instead of in the sauce.
After the chicken cooks, pull it out with tongs and let it rest on a plate or in a dish for a few minutes while you strain the sauce.
You’re going to use both the sauce and the onion mixture, so don’t discard either. Press on the solids to get as much flavorful sauce into the bowl as you can.
The onion mixture gets tossed with the shredded chicken, cilantro and cheese. It may not look like much, but it is so, so good. Seriously, at this point, it’s almost beyond my self-control not to eat this entire bowl before it is even rolled up in enchiladas.
Which makes me think it would be fantastic in burritos, quesadillas or even on a salad.
Corn tortillas vs Flour tortillas
You can use either corn or flour tortillas in these enchiladas. I use both and love both. It really does boil down to taste preference. The corn tortillas don’t get quite as soft while baking – they retain more of an al dente, firmer texture.
If using corn tortillas, it’s really important to warm them slightly before using – either in a skillet or in the microwave (I cover with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out). Otherwise, they have a tendency to crack. My favorite corn tortillas are the Tortilla Land ones that you quick skillet-cook before using. They aren’t dry like a lot of store bought corn tortillas and don’t crack as much (especially if they are warm).
But flour tortillas work equally as well. I like to use 6-inch tortillas or thereabouts for these enchiladas.
Twelve little enchiladas packed in a dish all ready to get smothered in sauce and cheese. Talk about a good life.
The strained sauce goes over the top followed by the cheese. I use a blend of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar. You guys know I have to go here: if you can, grate the cheese from a block vs buying pre-shredded. It will melt worlds better (pre-shredded cheese is coated with a powdery substance that makes it melt less well).
I feel like right now would be a good time to post a selfie in my t-shirt that says: I Shred My Own Cheese, Dang It, And So Should You. (Not a joke, I legit have a shirt that says that thanks to a hilarious friend who dropped it by after my last diatribe about grating your own cheese.)
Those glorious saucy, cheese-smothered enchiladas get baked for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Yum.
Let them rest just a few minutes and then dig in. They are fabulous served with lime wedges, avocados, fresh cilantro, sour cream, salsa. Or…just plain and simple. The flavor is out of this world delicious.
Enchiladas certainly aren’t the prettiest things to eat. They’re a little messy. A little down to earth. A little all over the place. Kind of like me, come to think of it.
But man, they sure are delicious.
Make-Ahead or Freezer Meal
This recipe converts great to a make-ahead or freezer meal. The enchiladas can be made and assembled up to 24 hours in advance. Cover, refrigerate, and then bake per the recipe (maybe adding a few extra minutes to account for them being a lil’ bit chilly). They can also be covered with a double layer of foil and frozen for a month or so. You can thaw them in advance of baking or bake from frozen (see the notes of the recipe for details).
Making ahead of time and/or freezing means the tortillas will probably be slightly softer after baking, but it’s not a deal breaker to us. We love them so much.
The search is over
I first posted this recipe way back in 2011, and eight years later, they’re still a huge favorite. I’ve never even branched out to another red sauce enchilada recipe since then, that’s how much I love them. Some may question my sanity at times (myself, included), but never, ever question my loyalty to recipes that become tried-and-true favorites.
I know I’m not the only one who has searched high and low for the best red sauce chicken enchiladas. If you’re in the same camp, I can’t wait for you to try this recipe.
What to Serve With This
- Mexican Chopped Salad or Mexican Street Corn Salad
- The Best Cornbread
- Garnishes such as lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, extra cheese, or cherry tomatoes
One Year Ago: Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
Two Years Ago: Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
The Best Red Sauce Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, small diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 cans (8-ounces each) tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, (about 3 large chicken breasts)
- 1 cup (114 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (114 g) shredded Monterey jack cheese
- ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas, (fajita-size if using flour tortillas)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool slightly. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture with a spoon or spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the onion mixture in the large bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or damp paper towels. Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
- Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes, until the cheese browns. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from America’s Test Kitchen
Recipe originally posted September 2011; updated October 2019 with new photos, commentary, recipe notes.
I microwave my corn tortillas in damp paper towels and that seems to help with the pliability factor.
Hi Mel, I tried this recipe a couple weeks ago, and it was fantastic!! I will definitely make them again. Indeed, the sauce is loads better than canned sauce. My question to you is have you ever made a huge batch of the sauce and then frozen it in portions for later use? I would love to just whip out the red sauce for any other recipe that calls for enchilada sauce instead of using a can.
Katie – I haven’t done that but think it’s a great idea. I’m actually working on a homemade red enchilada sauce (version of this) that can be portioned and frozen/canned.
I have frozen red chile sauce made from scratch (from. New Mexico chile pods) that I had leftover from my Xmas tamales. I pulled it out of the freezer 5 months later and it’s just as delicious. I stored it in a plastic container.
I found this post & literally danced in my kitchen! I love-love-love enchiladas, and am proud to say that they are resting comfortably before being devoured by my crew. A couple points I’d like to offer:
1) I used chicken from a bird I boiled yesterday. I just tossed the hot sauce over the shredded meat and allowed it to “hang out” until it cooled enough to add the cheese.
2) I somehow have it in my head that the tortillas are supposed to also be ‘slathered’ in some of the sauce before adding the cheese / chicken mixture. This helped to soften the corn tortillas a little more, no tearing!
3) When softening corn tortillas, make sure that the plastic wrap is tightly sealed – it is the steam that softens them! (Although fried in oil sure sounds yummy too!)
4) I didn’t add the cheese until I removed the foil. I allowed it to melt & turned off the oven. The enchiladas will ‘rest’ in the oven until the Spanish rice (Mahatma brand – best there is!) and beans are almost ready. I’ll pull them just before to allow them to rest at room temp.
5) If you are going to make ahead and freeze, I would offer that the tin foil MUST be sprayed with oil or the cheese will eat through the foil. I know this from experience! Alternately, omit the cheese until fully cooked and add for just the last few minutes to melt.
I made a large pan of flour and a smaller pan of corn for me (gluten intolerant…boo-hiss.)
I so appreciate this post, and am looking forward to many wonderful dinners to come! We are having a Latino guest for supper tonight…let’s see what the verdict is! (But I don’t really care…this recipe is a keeper!)
Finally, I’m curious whether the canning debate ever got settled? I’d like to make a bunch of this up & pressure can it, but am concerned about acidity levels, even using commercially canned tomato sauce.
Please feel free to contact me at reeney26@yahoo.com if you have tips or tricks or a recipe you’d like to share!
Best to you & your family…and thanks so much again!
P.S. The green enchiladas are next!!! I still have leftover chicken! 😉
Hi Maureen – I hope your family loved the enchiladas! As far as the canning goes, I haven’t tried canning this yet so I can’t give any details but I’ll be sure to report back if/when I do. Thanks!
Best enchiladas ever, seriously.
I made these last night, and my husband said they are the best enchiladas he’s ever had! My tortillas stuck to the foil in the oven, so they weren’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever made, but who cares what they look like if they taste that good!
Made these Sunday night, ate for lunch Monday and Tuesday. Thinking about making again this weekend!!!! so delish!!!! wow!!!!
These enchiladas were so good! Thank you for the recipe. I served them with cilantro and lime rice, which my husband said went together perfectly. In fact, he commented on it again this morning. You know it was good when they are still talking about the food the next morning.
It took me a long time to chop, cook, assemble and bake these enchiladas, but they were worth it. I made a double batch and I’ll definitely do that again to make the time:food ratio worth it. I second Mel’s earlier comment: you only need to 1 1/2 times the sauce recipe in order to make a double batch.
My corn tortillas held together in the pan, until I served them. Then they fell apart, so it was like a casserole on your plate, but it tasted heavenly.
I made this recipe for friends tonight and it was a big hit! I will be making it again for sure:)
I made this recipe twice and we love it. Thank you so much 🙂
I have made this a dozen times and my family LOVES it! It is a favorite in our house now!
Looks Yummy! Just wondering if this can be made with your crepe recipe instead of using the store bought tortillas??
Kim – I don’t see why not – it’s definitely worth a try to say the least!
Super yum! The only change I made was to slice the chicken before simmering in the sauce so that delicious flavor would permeate every bite. I will never buy jarred enchilada sauce again.
This sauce is absolutely the BEST! Even my picky 6 year old liked it. The only thing I would have done different is use flour tortillas instead of corn. The corn tortillas ended up getting soggy but still tasted just fine. I will be making this again.
These are the bomb. This is the recipe that brought me to discover Mel. I really did not like making enchiladas because of the processed sauce. The one thing I change in this recipe is that I don’t strain the sauce. I throw it all in my Blendtec and its awesome. It makes it way easier. Bon appetite!
Made these tonight–they were delicious! It was kind of time consuming (I’m a slower cook anyways), but worth it! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂 Great to know they can be made ahead of time!
Excellent recipe! My kids and I loved them. I am excited to try another recipe from your awesome site but I have so much leftover, I can’t wait to eat them again tomorrow.
I have made these before and I am a huge fan! I am always trying to cut back on prep time and I know that others have mentioned cooking the chicken in a crockpot first. I know you probably haven’t tried this, but what about 1 1/2ing the enchilada sauce recipe and tossing the pre shredded chicken with some of the sauce? I’m going to try that in the next few weeks and post a comment with a review.
These are perfect. One of my favorite recipes from you thus far, and that is saying something!
Mel, I have some chicken that I cooked in the crockpot with taco seasoning and chicken broth. Do you think that would work with this recipe? If not, do you have any other recipes you think I could use it in? Thanks!
Mallory – sure, you could try it. I’ve never used chicken prepared that way so you’ll have to experiment to make sure the flavors work out. You might try searching (use the search bar in the right sidebar) for “shredded chicken” and see what recipes pull up that you might sub your prepared chicken in.
This recipe is INCREDIBLE. The sauce was perfect and the final result was even better than I thought it would be. My only suggestion would be to cook the chicken in the sauce for a full 30 mins to ensure tenderness and wonderful flavor.
This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks for sharing!
If you don’t want to dip your corn tortillas in oil to soften them just spray them lightly with cooking spray and heat until pliable in a frying pan.
Umm. sorry about that. I meant to make the creamy green chile enchilada for the shredded chicken and wrote down the wrong name on my frozen chicken. I’ll let you know how the enchiladas taste w/o having simmered in the sauce.
Mel, quick question for you. Earlier this week you showed how you made shredded chicken in advance using ATK method. I did so for this recipe. How do I best incorporate the sauce and simmer when it’s already cooked and I’m to strain the onions? I was confused how to do this. Thoughts?
Salem – I’ve never tried them with anything but chicken. If you do, let me know how they turn out!
So would these be okay with hamburger instead of chicken? I have some in the fridge that I need to use…. P.S. Thanks for your reply about the cornmeal rolls….I was glad I didn’t need to start over. They turned out great!!
I made these enchiladas last week. You weren’t kidding about tasty. I have the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, so I used a combination of their recipe (ground coriander added to the spice mix) & yours (fresh jalapeno instead of canned; double the amount of chicken). I doubt I’ll bother getting my red chile sauce chicken enchilada fix at a restaurant anymore. These take some time to make, but it was nice having lunch & dinner done for several days.
Brooke, I’m not sure about all the enchilada recipes but I’ve frozen these with great success.
On any of your enchilada recipes, how well do they freeze?
This recipe is SO good. First time made for family dinner and was SO impressed. Second time made for friends and she had to have the recipe too. Third time I am made with leftover pulled pork and AmAzING!!! Love your blog!
OMG I just made these for dinner tonight and they were to die for! My boyfriend said they tasted like they came from a restaurant. 🙂 Thank you so much for posting. I WILL be making these again!
Just made these and they came out delicious!!!! The tip to making the corn tortillas soft is to dip them or brush them in a little olive oil and heat them on a skillet. Yummy!
great reecipe and a twist to it instead of water (1 cup) added to red sauce use chicken stock. I also make a shredded beef enchilada in this red sauce, awesome…
For all who love the corn tortillas, fry them (tortillas) till they start to bubble on each side then dip in red sauce which softens them a bit. This process will allow you to roll them, keep flavor and will hold together!
These look amazing! I noticed someone asked how they make these with corn tortillas without them splitting. My husband is Mexican and the way his family does tacos or enchiladas is with corn tortillas and they never split. Unfortunately, it isn’t very healthy. Put a small amount of oil in the bottom of a fry pan to cover the entire bottom. Fry each tortilla for 3 seconds on each side, set on paper towl to blot, then fill and roll.
I have never been a fan of red enchilada sauce from the can. I saw you had a homemade one, I gave it a try and I will never have chicken enchiladas any other way again! LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve tried other recipes for enchilada sauce before, and have always been disappointed. I came across this recipe and loved the simplicity of it. I followed it to the T, just adding corn and green chiles ’cause that’s how we like them. I’m thrilled to say the enchiladas turned out fantastic! The sauce has just the right flavor without overdoing it, and it thickened up nicely. This is definitely a keeper. I’m so glad to have found a red sauce recipe I’m happy with, I’ll never have to buy it again! Thanks so much for sharing.
-Jess
Just made these and they were wonderful! I used chipotle chili powder for a more smokey flavor. One jalapeno offers flavor, but little heat, so next time I might use two =)
Thanks!
Ashely – I think the chicken will be missing a bit of flavor, but I’m all about shortcuts so I definitely think it’s worth a try. Let me know how it goes!
Mel this recipe looks fantastic! I plan to make it on a week night for dinner. Woul it work to cook the chicken ahead of time in the crockpot and shred that way or will it not be as flavorful? Thanks!!
I have made this no less than 3 times since I decided to try it. The hubby loves it, by the way. It’s a good thing it’s such a delicious recipe, because it gets lots of requests at my house…but it’s a bit labor intensive. I tried to find ways to cut back in the labor department… I cooked the chicken in a crock pot with a jar of salsa until it was falling apart. I made the sauce as usual, and then (since I was running late) I made it casserole style by layering tortillas, sauce, meat and cheese in a 9X13 pan. They turned out delicious and the whole family loved them (again) including the grumpy pants who doesn’t like anything new. I’m trying to figure out if there is a way to make this a mostly crock pot meal. The chicken is so tender this way. And packed with flavor, too!
I just made these last night for dinner and my husband said it was the best enchilada sauce he has ever had!!!!! love your blog.
Beverly – I’ve never made them in advance so I’m not sure if they would get soggy but I’ve made other enchiladas in advance so it may work. I’d suggest maybe only making them 8 hours ahead of time. You could make all the components (like sauce/chicken/grated cheese) ahead of time and then pull it out and assemble quickly before dinner. Good luck!
Your recipe looks tasty and sounds straight forward. How much prep can you do ahead of time? as maybe 1 day ahead? or would it be soggy? Thanks so much for what looks yummy and fresh. Could I make it all and throw in the frig. then pull out only to add grated cheese and bake? I need a timesaver for actual day of dinner.
My whole family loved your recipe! 🙂 Thank you!
I know everyone has said it but I had to add in… I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!! and I’m not an enchilada lover. Made these a few weeks ago and I am making them again tonight. YUMM
What kind of chili powder do you use? Ancho chili powder or just regular chili powder lableled as “chili powder?”
😀 – I use regular chili powder but you could definitely experiment with ancho chili powder, if you like.
This was A-FREAKIN-AMAZING. Is that a word? Thank you for the recipie. Just found you and made this for supper last night. I used chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts, but everything else was the same for the base and I made a crepe like noodle for the wrap instead of the actual wraps. LOVE LOVE LOVE. This is a keeper.
I just tried these a few days ago, they came out delicious!
made this tonight and couldn’t get enough! thanks for sharing – so delicious!
I tried these last week and LOVED them! My husband isn’t a huge fan of red sauce but he loved these as well. This recipe will for sure be a repeat! Thanks for all the work you do and for giving us such yummy recipes! 🙂