The Best Red Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

Red sauce chicken enchiladas are a staple in our house. Mostly because everyone loves them, but also because they are simple to make. 

There is not a lot of ingredients involved and I can make them ahead of time to just pop in the oven when we are ready to eat!

If you have learned anything about me yet, it would be that I love a plan-ahead kind of a meal. The less actual cooking I have to do, when its dinner time, the better! Having a meal plan definitely helps in this department. Check out how I make a weekly meal plan.

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By using a gluten free flour to make your enchilada sauce and corn tortillas, this recipe is easily made gluten free! I usually use corn tortillas but you can also use the Mission brand of flour tortillas or make your own gluten free soft flour tortillas.

This is a delicious way to feed a crowd! Just add some gluten free Spanish rice and refried beans on the side, and you have a yummy filling meal that is sure to please your whole family!

Store bought or homemade enchilada sauce?

Did you know making your own red enchilada sauce is so easy? I didn’t up until a couple years ago. I had always bought store-bought sauce.

But one day I goofed up.

I put red sauce chicken enchiladas on my menu plan but didn’t check to see if I had any canned enchilada sauce from the grocery store in my pantry. It was approaching dinner time and I was trying to figure out how to work into my schedule to get to the store that is 20 minutes away…rural living problems.

That’s when I thought, “how hard could it be to make it?”

So, I immediately grabbed my phone and started searching. To my surprise there was a ton of homemade red enchilada sauce recipes out there! And they sounded incredibly easy to make.

So I grabbed a recipe that looked easy, I had all the ingredients for, and that didn’t have a ton of spice in it. My family is kind of sissy’s when it comes to spice. 

To my surprise everyone loved it! Since then I have tweaked the recipe some and made it our own, but I have never gone back to store bought enchilada sauce again. I haven’t mastered green enchilada sauce, so I do still buy that for myself on Azure Standard. But since I am the only one that likes the green sauce it lasts a long time. 

The next time you find yourself wanting to make enchiladas and don’t have a can of sauce, try making your own. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

If you have a brand you love and don’t want to risk making your own, however I would encourage you to try it, feel free to use this same recipe and in place of making the sauce just use what you love. 

The important thing is these easy chicken enchiladas should be on your menu plan often because they are so good!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 TBSP taco seasoning
• 2 Cups shredded cheese, plus a little more for the top
• 10-15 tortillas, use corn or gluten free flour tortillas to make these gluten free
• 1 spoonful sour cream

Red Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 TBSP butter
• 4 TBSP flour, use gluten free flour if needed
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken bone broth, you can use water if needed 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

How to make red sauce chicken enchiladas:

1. Add chicken to a pot and cover with water. Add in 1 TBSP taco seasoning. Boil chicken until cooked through.
2. Take chicken out and let it cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, shred it up and set it aside.
3. In a small bowl add the flour, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and dried oregano. Stir to combine.
4. Measure out all other ingredients and have them ready because this mixes up really quickly.
5. On the stovetop in a medium saucepan add the butter and let it melt over medium heat. Pour in your dry flour and spices mix. Whisk until a thick paste is created.
6. Pour in chicken broth and whisk together. Add in tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. 
7. Whisk all together until it has reached your desired consistency. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Making the enchilada’s:

1. Place shredded chicken in a medium bowl and add in a spoonful of sour cream, 2 cups shredded cheese, and 2 TBSP of taco seasoning. Mix it all up to create a mixture.
2. Coat a 9×13 baking pan or casserole dish with a little oil. Add a little bit of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish. Just about 2 tablespoons.
3. Take your tortillas and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. Just to get them warm and soft so they don’t crack when rolling.
4. Take each tortilla and add a spoonful of chicken mixture and a little bit of enchilada sauce. Roll it up tightly and place in baking dish with the seam side down. I don’t measure how much in each tortilla, I just eye ball it.
5. Continue until you have no more chicken mix. Depending on how much chicken mix you add to each tortilla will determine if you need more or less tortillas.
6. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and top with additional shredded cheese. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until cheese melts and is lightly golden. They keep great when made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for that evenings supper. They also freeze well!

The best chicken enchiladas.

​My family loves Mexican food. It is a staple in our house when I’m not sure what to make for dinner and it is fast approaching. 

Making a double batch of these homemade chicken enchiladas is a perfect way to feed your family that night and have another pan ready for a different night. Or you can cover the other pan with aluminum foil and give it away to bless another family that needs it. 

This is the perfect dish to meal prep because it stores so well. 

If you have leftovers make sure to store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or so. If you have remaining sauce left, store in a ziploc bag or mason jar in the freezer. It will keep for 6 months to a year and you will have enchilada sauce ready at your fingertips!

Can I use beef?

Yes you can! This recipe works great with ground beef or even shredded beef!

I like to take a left over pot roast, sprinkle some taco seasoning on it and throw enchiladas together with it. I have also followed this same recipe and used ground beef. 

Simply skip the step of cooking and shredding the chicken and brown your ground beef in a pan seasoned with taco seasoning. Beef enchiladas are just as delicious as chicken enchiladas.

The next time you are craving red sauce chicken enchiladas, there is no need to run off to a Mexican restaurant. Try this chicken enchiladas recipe and be surprised at how much you love it!