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These Cheesy Shredded Chicken Enchiladas are easy to make and extra cheesy and delicious thanks to a special ingredient: homemade nacho cheese sauce!
Looking for some delicious, easy to make comfort food that the whole family will love? Then you need to try this shredded chicken enchilada recipe! It’s extra cheesy thanks to a homemade nacho cheese sauce, baked until bubbly and golden and waiting for all your favourite toppings. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or casual entertaining (paired with a Fresh Citrus Margarita of course😉)!
Do you watch Schitt’s Creek? Funny back story – this recipe was inspired by the hilarious “Fold in the cheese!” scene in Season 2, Episode 2. This is the scene in which Moira and David struggle trying to make enchiladas for dinner and get really confused when the recipe says to “fold in the cheese”. I collaborated with CBC Television on an article in which I was asked to create a few recipes that aligned with some of their most popular TV shows. One of those shows was Schitt’s Creek so it just seemed fitting to create a cheesy enchiladas recipe. I am so happy that I did because my family loves it!
What Makes These Enchiladas Different
These chicken enchiladas are a little different from most. This recipe trades the traditional enchilada sauce for a homemade nacho cheese sauce. Extra cheesy and delicious!
Reasons To Love This Recipe
The top 3 reasons I love this recipe are:
- Easy To Make: This meal comes together quickly which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner! Also a great option for casual entertaining. Check out these Chicken Fajita Tacos, these Ground Beef Fajitas or these Halloumi Fajitas for more easy Tex-Mex inspired meals.
- Family Friendly: It is always a win when the whole family is happy with a meal. The kids can keep it pretty plain if they prefer while the adults can go crazy with the toppings.
- Delicious: This is obviously super important because who wants to eat food that doesn’t taste good? These enchiladas are delicious comfort food that can be customized with your favorite toppings!
Ingredients Needed
You will need the following ingredients to make these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas…
- Tortillas: I like to use large flour tortillas since they are easy to roll but feel free to switch things up with your favourite type of tortilla.
- Nacho Cheese Sauce: This Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce is what makes these enchiladas a little different and extra cheesy. The recipe for this cheese sauce is also included in the recipe card below.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken: Cook and prep your own or simply shred up a store bought rotisserie chicken.
- Corn: I like to use frozen corn kernels that I keep in my freezer.
- Salsa: Use your favourite salsa – I tend to keep it mild to make it kid friendly. This is the mild salsa that my kids love.
- Cheddar: I tend to use cheddar since I already need some to make the nacho cheese sauce anyways. However, you could also also use Monterey Jack or another variety of shredded cheese instead.
- Toppings: The fun part! Some options include: salsa/pico de gallo, diced avocado, guacamole, sour cream, chopped cilantro, green onions, etc.
How To Make These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Once the cheese sauce is made, the rest of the process is just assembly. To make these enchiladas, simply…
- Make The Nacho Cheese Sauce: This is basically a classic cheese sauce with the addition of a variety of flavourful spices. Full instructions are included in the recipe card at the bottom or in this post for Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce. A quick overview is as follows: make a roux, whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened, whisk in the spices and cheese until incorporated.
- Prepare The Filling: Mix together shredded chicken, salsa, corn and half the nacho cheese sauce in a bowl.
- Assemble The Enchiladas: Divide the filling between the tortillas. Roll them up and place them seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread the remaining nacho cheese sauce over the top and scatter over the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden and edges of tortillas are slightly crispy.
- Topping Time: Serve the enchiladas with a generous amount of toppings (never enough in my book!). Some ideas include: salsa or pico de gallo, diced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, chopped green onions, cilantro, etc. Now it’s time to dig in and enjoy!
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few tips that you might find helpful when preparing this recipe.
Prep the shredded chicken in advance
These enchiladas come together quickly if you have shredded chicken ready to go. You can either cook and shred it yourself as part of meal prep or make things easy and simply shred up some store bought rotisserie chicken. Either way, store the shredded chicken in a container in the fridge so that it is ready to use.
Tips for a smooth nacho cheese sauce
Obviously you want your nacho cheese sauce to have a smooth consistency. So let’s make sure that this happens…
- Grate your own cheese: The pre-shredded cheese that you can buy is usually coated with an additive to prevent clumping. This can make the sauce gritty instead of smooth.
- Don’t use aged cheese: I like to use a “medium” cheddar since I find that it melts better than an “old” or “aged” cheddar which can sometimes become grainy when melted into a sauce.
- Turn off the heat before adding cheese: A gritty, grainy or split texture can be the result of overheated cheese. To prevent this, take the sauce off the heat before stirring in the cheese. If needed, just use low heat to get the cheese to melt in.
What To Serve With Enchiladas
Trying to figure out what to serve alongside? Here are a few delicious ideas…
- All The Toppings: Not really a side dish but piling on the toppings really elevates enchiladas. Ideas are listed in the recipe card below.
- Salad Or Veggies: Some ideas include a leafy green salad, fajita veggies, Mexican coleslaw, Mexican chopped salad, corn salad, grilled veggies, etc.
- Rice: Mexican rice, cilantro rice or rice and beans would all be great.
- Corn: Grilled corn or Mexican style corn on the cob
- Margaritas: Let’s not forget the margaritas! If you like frozen margaritas, try this Fresh Citrus Blender Margarita recipe or if you prefer one on the rocks then you need to try this Passion Fruit Margarita.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
Here are a few more easy dinner recipes to check out:
Did you make these Cheesy Shredded Chicken Enchiladas? Let me know in the comments!
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 8 enchiladas 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican, American
Description
These Cheesy Shredded Chicken Enchiladas are easy to make and extra cheesy and delicious thanks to a special ingredient: homemade nacho cheese sauce!
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- batch of homemade nacho cheese sauce (see ingredients below)
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Toppings: Serve with your favorite toppings (salsa, pico de gallo, diced avocado, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, green onions, etc.)
Nacho Cheese Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- Salt + cayenne pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Make the nacho cheese sauce:
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute to create a roux.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened. Once thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, whisk in the spices and turn off the heat.
- Whisk in the shredded cheese (one handful at a time) until melted into the sauce. Note: If the sauce becomes too thick, just whisk in a bit more milk.
- Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
- Prepare the filling: Mix together shredded chicken, salsa, corn and half the nacho cheese sauce in a bowl.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Assemble the enchiladas by dividing the filling mixture between the tortillas. Place mixture in a line along the lower third or down the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread the remaining nacho cheese sauce over the top and scatter over the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly, golden and edges of tortillas are slightly crispy.
- Serve and enjoy: Serve with your favourite toppings. Dig in and enjoy!
Notes
- Prep shredded chicken in advance: Either cook and shred your own or simply shred up a store bought rotisserie chicken. Store in a container in the fridge so that it is ready to use.
- Tips for a smooth nacho cheese sauce: 1) Grate your own cheese. 2) Don’t use aged cheddar – use a medium or mild version. 3) Turn off the heat before adding cheese.
- Substitute spices in nacho cheese sauce. You can adjust the spices to suit your own tastes or based on what you have on hand. One idea is to substitute the spices listed with 2 tsp chili powder seasoning blend.
⬇ PIN it for later! ⬇
Damn that cheese sauce looks amazing! Totally adding this to my meal plan! Thank so much for sharing.
Lol – it is a pretty darn good sauce worthy of licking the pot.
Can’t wait to add this to my meal planning lineup, thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It will be perfect for when our new baby arrives.
You’re welcome! Congrats!
We always wonder what to do with a leftover roast chicken. Will have to try these enchiladas some time!
Hope you love them! They are a great way to use up leftover roast chicken.
I love the idea of having the chicken prepped and shredded beforehand. Makes life easy! And you just know I’m adding some chili powder to my cheese sauce. Great tip!
Glad you enjoyed the tips on how to make this meal come together quickly.