Enchiladas are known in my family to be the ultimate comfort food. I grew up all my life eating them in a variety of different ways: red sauce, green chile, a tomatillo salsa version, avocado and even sour cream. In my opinion, all enchiladas are worthy of eating.
The first time I made these refried bean chicken enchiladas, one of my besties and fellow food bloggers, Sarah, and I devoured them after a long day of photography and recipes. Our minds were teetering on the verge of delusional and delirious, but our bellies were happier than ever.
Back when Tony was playing baseball I would make him turkey meatballs, healthy chicken parm, pepper jack and chicken pasta, and of course, these beautiful enchiladas when he’d come home from traveling. Because he was an athlete I made sure that my recipes were both satisfying, filling and tasty. Fast-forward. many years and I’m still whipping up nourishing, delicious eats for him and our two kiddos!
These chicken enchiladas are seriously the perfect comfort food to feed the whole family or a group of friends. They’re freezer-friendly, too, so whip up a batch and enjoy any time.
Ingredients in these healthy chicken enchiladas
These delicious chicken enchiladas are easy to customize and are the perfect way to use up leftover chicken. Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:
- Homemade enchilada sauce: this is the most exciting part of the recipe. Making your own enchilada sauce is easier than you can imagine. Just tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, onion, chicken broth (or vegetarian broth), apple cider vinegar, and a few spices. You are going to be making it again and again! And best yet, you can make it while you’re cooking your chicken (if need be) so you get two things done at once.
- Chicken: you’ll add cooked, shredded chicken straight to the enchiladas, so this is the perfect way to use up any leftovers! Get all of our tips for cooking perfect chicken here, and shredding it here. You can also use a rotisserie chicken if you’d like.
- Refried beans: I love, love, love using refried beans in my enchilada recipes because of the added nutrition, fiber and protein. Plus it makes the enchiladas literally melt in your mouth. Black bean refried beans are a favorite.
- Cheese: I didn’t go crazy with the amount of cheese in this recipe. Frankly, it isn’t necessary thanks to the wonderful creamy beans and flavorful enchilada sauce.
- Tortillas: I love to use soft corn tortillas, but feel free to use any tortillas you’d like!
- To garnish: add some avocado, fresh cilantro and diced onion on top for the perfect bite every time.
Simple ingredient swaps
Because these chicken enchiladas use plenty of simple ingredients, they’re also easy to customize!
- Go vegetarian: feel free to leave out the chicken and add a can of black beans or even some roasted veggies. You’ll want to check and make sure your refried beans are also vegetarian.
- Add veggies: I recommend adding the following: zucchini, bell pepper, corn, onion, cooked sweet potato or butternut squash. I would refrain from adding more than 1 cup of veggies so that you avoid overstuffing the enchiladas.
- Make them dairy free: use your favorite dairy free/vegan shredded cheese.
- Keep them gluten free: be sure to use gluten free corn tortillas, or a different gluten free tortilla (see a note on tortillas below).
- Choose your sauce: for ease, you can also use a 28 ounce can of your favorite enchilada sauce instead of making it yourself.
Choose the right tortillas
As I mentioned, I like to use corn tortillas for the flavor and easy rolling capability. If you want to use a different type of tortillas, keep these notes in mind:
- For flour tortillas: you may need to use 8-10 instead of 12 and will need to slightly increase filling, cheese & sauce in each tortilla.
- For grain free tortillas: be careful with these as they may be harder to roll depending on the brand and what they are made of.
Tips for assembling perfect chicken enchiladas
Homemade enchiladas can seem a bit intimidating with the filling, rolling, etc. But they’re SO easy and delicious with a few simple tips:
- Warm your tortillas. You can do this in the microwave for about 20 seconds so they are easier to roll. You can splash a little water on them before microwaving to make them more pliable.
- Don’t overfill. Fill them with just about 1/4 cup of the refried bean & chicken mixture so that they stay together and don’t burst at the seams.
- Lay them correctly. Remember to place them seam-side down so that the filling stays inside, and arrange them tightly next to each other in your pan to help them stay together.
Can I make them ahead of time?
Absolutely! I’ve included instructions for how to freeze chicken enchiladas below, but you can also assemble the enchiladas one day ahead of time and store them covered in the refrigerator. Bake them for about 10-15 minutes longer once you’re ready to cook them, and then serve!
How to make the best chicken enchiladas
- Make your sauce. In a medium pot sauté your onion and garlic, stir in the spices, then add the tomato sauce, paste, and broth. Bring it all to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes to thicken up. Once it’s ready stir in the apple cider vinegar and add salt & pepper to taste.
- Prep your pan. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with a little oil, then spread 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
- Assemble enchiladas. Warm your corn tortillas, then add refried beans, shredded chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce to each one. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in the pan. Repeat for all of the tortillas.
- Top & bake. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake.
- Garnish & serve. Top the enchiladas with fresh avocado, cilantro & onion if you’d like, and add my famous spicy cilantro jalapeño yogurt sauce to take them to the next level!
Two ways to freeze chicken enchiladas
These easy chicken enchiladas can be frozen two different ways for the perfect meal prep dinner! They’re the perfect meal to prepare for new parents or anyone that could use a home cooked meal. Here’s how to freeze them:
- Bake first, then freeze. You can either bake them first, then cool to room temperature, divide them in freezer safe containers and then freeze. Or you can bake them, bring them to room temp, and then freeze the entire pan. Just make sure you double wrap the pan so the enchiladas do not dry out. This is assuming you are freezing the entire pan. Once ready to reheat, thaw it out. Then bake, covered at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.
- Freeze before baking: To freeze before baking, simply assemble the enchiladas as written in the instructions, then double wrap with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to bake, thaw out then bake according to instructions.
More tacos & enchiladas
- Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce
- Sheet Pan Roasted Veggie Tacos (with yummy sauce options!)
- Vegan Butternut Squash Black Bean Enchiladas
- Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Vegetarian Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado Lime Crema
Get all of our taco & enchilada recipes here!
I hope you love these dreamy refried bean chicken enchiladas! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Dreamy Refried Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Amazing chicken enchiladas with creamy refried beans, protein-packed chicken, and a homemade enchilada sauce. This delicious, easy chicken enchilada recipe is freezer-friendly and a crowd-pleasing dinner staple!
Ingredients
- For the enchilada sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, very finely minced or grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- For the enchiladas:
- 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (breast or thighs work great!)
- 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans (I like to use refried black beans for best flavor)
- 1 1/4 cup shredded colby jack or Mexican cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 10 soft corn tortillas
- To garnish:
- 1 avocado, sliced or diced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion or diced green onion
Instructions
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Prepare the enchilada sauce by heating oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add in garlic and onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add in chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper and stir for 30 seconds to allow the spices to cook a bit. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, tomato paste then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Lastly stir in apple cider vinegar, then add salt and pepper to taste. **NOTE: if you don't want to use homemade enchilada sauce, feel free to use 1 (28 ounce) can of red enchilada sauce.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with a little olive oil or avocado oil.
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Begin by spreading ¾ cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.
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Next, warm up your tortillas so they are easier to roll and to avoid them breaking: I like to microwave mine for 15 seconds on a plate then cover them with a warm towel so they stay warm. Please note it is important to use soft corn tortillas, these are the ones that do not easily break!
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Assemble enchiladas: place 2 tablespoons of refried beans in a corn tortilla, then top with a few tablespoons of shredded chicken, 1 heaping tablespoon of colby jack cheese and 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce. Roll tortillas up and place seam side down in pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
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Next pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded colby jack and 1/2 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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Garnish with avocado, cilantro, red or green onion, if desired. Makes 5 servings, 2 enchiladas each. I also love serving this with my spicy cilantro jalapeno yogurt sauce and it makes the recipe extra pretty, too! Just a little drizzle on top really take it to the next level, but it's up to you.
Recipe Notes
If you don't want to make your own enchilada sauce, feel free to use 1 (28 ounce) can of red enchilada sauce.
See the full post for easy ways to customize your enchiladas, plus two ways to freeze them for later!
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 23rd, 2015, and republished on February 20th, 2022.
81 comments
Ohhhhh my. I smell a football tailgate potluck ;D
This looks incred, girl! Bikini friendly food never looked so good!
Agreed. 🙂
this sounds so good! i definitely didn’t eat as many enchiladas as you did growing up, so i’ll have to make up for it now (:
cannot wait to make these!!!! nomomnom
Hope you love them!
Oh wow these look yummy! Making these for Josh would win me a lot of brownie points! He’s obsessed with enchiladas! I’d just take out the chicken in his!
Perfect! 🙂
oh my gee this looks amazing. If I see anything amazing on Instagram I will also tag Ambitious Kitchen.
This looks like exactly what I’m craving at the moment. The enchilada sauce alone would be such an amazing condiment to have around!
Yes, it’s the best! 🙂 Hope you love the enchiladas!
yum yum yum. MAKING THESE.
love the way you broke down specifically how you made this recipe healthier! and love me some enchiladas of course 🙂
YUM! I’ve seen enchiladas that look SO SO GOOD! These look even better!
We made these last night and gosh. I can’t even explain how AMAZING they were. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked them!
These were sooo soooo soooo delicious! I am adding them to my dinner recipe rotation. They are super filling and we managed to stretch them for 3 days, which never happens because my husband and I are both big eaters.
I am such a lover of enchiladas especially when they are on the healthy side. I did however make these for my family the other night and i think they thought i was trying to kill them with the amount of chilli powder. I possibly think your measurements of 3 Tablespoons is wrong? I would recommend for anyone trying this to maybe only put 1-2 teaspoons of chilli.
If you’re making homemade enchilada sauce then I do recommend at least 2 tablespoons. also could be the chili powder you are using? Some are stronger then others. Which brand did you use?
These look delicious! What size of tortillas did you use?
I used small corn tortillas 🙂 I believe they are about 6 inches.
Just made these tonight for dinner and LOVED them!! They were soo good and you were right I will never buy enchilada sauce again this sauce was easy to make and had the best flavor I have ever tasted!!! Thank you!!
That’s amazing!!! Love these enchiladas and I definitely need to remake them soon!
I made this recipe for my wife and I and they were delicious!! I highly recommend. My wife is very picky when it comes to food but said the these were “restaurant quality” lol. Im so thankful for this website. Everything I’ve made from her recipes have been received with high praise!!! Job well done
I don’t use corn tortillas very often, and while I’ve made this recipe a few times, I’ve always just used flour tortillas. Should I be cookin the corn tortillas first (in a pan) or can I use them as-is from the package?
Just assembled for dinner tonight, Love your recipe for enchilada sauce, especially on turkey pepper jack stuffed meatloaf. Will NEVER buy enchilada sauce again. Thank you!
These were awesome!!! I even changed someone’s mind who said they didn’t like enchiladas. The sauce is outstanding – i have already shared the recipe. I actually made mine with ground beef, because that is what I had on hand. I will definitely be trying again with chicken, and know they be equally as fabulous!
I just made these and can’t wait to put them together for dinner tonight! I added more chicken and beans, and I used La Banderita low carb tortillas. It was a little more labor intensive than I remembered, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. YUM.
I made these tonight and they were BOMB!!! I used Xtreme Wellness whole wheat tortillas and stuffed them into 8 enchiladas and just reduced the cheese by half (added the cheese to the filling instead). Per Myfitnesspal, 452 calories for a huge plate of food – I LOVED these! Thank you for the recipe!
Dying to try these, we have fat free cheese, sour cream and refried beans, as well as low carb tortillas as we have high cholesterol. I didn’t see cholesterol listed, and will probably have to figure it out as I cook it all up, however, do you happen to know the cholesterol in the nutrition information?
I hope you get a chance to try them! I don’t have the cholesterol nutrition info on-hand, but you could definitely find it if you search the cholesterol in the ingredients you end up using!
We were just told that my husband has to give up red meat. This is a big deal for him. I have been racking my brain to come up with healthy, tasty meals with turkey especially because I make chicken meals alot but have found a twist on some of mine on here.So far these turkey recipes sound the best. I have printed a few and am excited about trying them. Thank you!!
Turkey is such a great substitute! Check out these recipes for some more dinner inspo 🙂
Such a great recipe. My only, “uh oh”, was that the chili powder I used was so hot (they really do vary by brand) and was so hot…we couldn’t even eat them. So…I made again and altered the amount of chili powder and they turned out perfect. Such a great recipe, thank you!
My GO-TO dish! Our favourite recipe on a family classic. NOTE: I would be weary of using too much chili powder – I am based in Australia and our chili powder is much spicier than America! Love Ambitious Kitchen – she is my one stop shop for all food ideas!
Great tip on the chili powder! It does vary depending on the brand and source.
I’m excited to make these! I had leftover chicken and was looking for a way to use it up…curious if you can make this recipe and freeze?
Love it! And yes you can absolutely freeze these.
Yum! I’m trying to decide whether to make these or your pumpkin sour cream ones first! Anyone have thoughts?
Also wondering if this would work with ground turkey? And, if making in advance would you suggest I do everything until the baking for 25 min step, or bake and then reheat?
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!
They’re both so delicious – you can’t go wrong! And yes, ground turkey works! If you make these ahead, I suggest prepping and assembling them and then placing in fridge until ready to bake. Enjoy!
Hi,
Can I use flour tortillas?
Hi! Yes they will also work 🙂
Hella good enchilada recipe. You would never know that I had all the ingredients on hand after tasting it (and looking at it!)! Thank you for the awesome recipes to help us all make delicious pandemic eats!
So good!! Glad you loved these! 🙂
I use either chicken or veggie broth instead of the water for more flavor. You can use beef broth too, if that’s the flavor you are going for.
Great tip!
I made these enchiladas last night! the sauce had a lovely, slow heat, it was very delicious. I will for sure be making again.
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Making these for probably the twelfth time ever. Know the recipe by heart by now, including your fabulous enchilada sauce, but had to get on here and share that we LOVE these so much. They’re so satisfying and creamy. Love topping them with cherry tomatoes and jalapeños doused in lime juice and some salt. We usually do blackened zucchini and mushrooms on the side. Thanks, Monique!
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Rosie 🙂
My whole family loved this recipe! I added sautéed bell peppers and left out the chicken for my vegetarian sister, and they were a success! The sauce was awesome, and we loved that it was homemade. Super huge portions too; my family of 4 had lots of leftovers. Thanks!
Love that! This is one of my favorite enchilada recipes 🙂
Love this recipe and especially the homemade enchilada sauce! We’ve used chicken breast and also rotisserie chicken – both are good. This is a great recipe for having lunch leftovers.
Amazing! Happy to hear that 🙂
didn’t have time to make the sauce from scratch, had to use store bought – but still ended up tasting fantastic!
Make this! So easy to put together and full of flavor!
We loved this recipe! So easy to make and tasted so good! I will definitely be making again and in a mild version for our baby 🙂
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This tasted good but it took about 40 minutes prep time.
Glad you enjoyed! And noted on the prep time 🙂
These are amazing! We subbed in Siete tortillas and it was so good. They are so filling and delicious. We will be making these a lot in the coming winter months!
This is super easy to make and is DELISH! We’ve happily added it to our weekly rotation. Thanks for sharing.
YAY! So glad you’re loving this recipe!
Cant wait to make this for me soon on thursday after work also cant wait to use mushrooms / avocado salsa and tomato wrap and vegan mozzarella cheese to make lazy version of this after work i never had dreamy refried bean chicken enchiladas before perfect for my after office meals
That all sounds amazing! Hope you love them, Ramya 🙂
These enchiladas are easy to make and taste amazing! Even my pickiest eater loved them.
These enchiladas are the go to recipe in my house. I make them at least every other week. So yummy, and I know I’m feeding my family something healthy and nutritious.
I’m SO happy you love them, Bettianne! Thanks for the sweet review 🙂
Hi Monique! This recipe was perfect. I used Amy’s brand organic black refried beans. So delicious, the whole family enjoyed. We will make this one frequently. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
I’m so glad you loved it, YAY!
I’ve never made a homemade enchilada sauce before but this was easy and delicious. My family stopped eating enchiladas because the sauce is high in sodium so this is perfect for us and it’s a meal everyone happily eats!
Yes, making it from scratch is a great way to control the sodium levels! So happy you all love this one 🙂
So yummy, excellent and a great way to use leftover chicken. I bought enchilada sauce (bad) but it saved me some time and you can really add anything to the enchiladas. The combination with this recipe is delicious as is.
Amazing flavor. I used a can of black bean instead of chicken and added a diced zucchini. So quick and so good.
This is my go to recipe. I make it at least every other week. There are four adults here, my husband and I, and my two twenty somethings. This is a meal that everyone loves.
Yum! First time making enchiladas and these were so yummy. Not too spicy. My only issue was my corn tortillas all completely broke. Still tasted great, will try flour or the soft corn brand next time.
So easy to make with your detailed instructions and so delicious. Thank you for another recipe in our dinner rotation that everyone loves! The homemade enchilada sauce was very good and worth making!
Absolutely! One of our fav dinners, too 🙂
Enchiladas are one of those meals that I’ll never get sick of…specifically this recipe. I love making the homemade enchilada sauce, too. It’s so easy! I’ve also prepped these in advance and kept them in the fridge until we were ready to eat them. They turned out awesome!
Agreed!! SO happy you loved them 🙂
How did you cook the chicken? I bought chicken breasts but concerned if I just throw in oven they’ll get pretty dry? And I never like buying a full chicken roast precooked to shred, they’re never good.
Thanks!