Enchiladas, Where Have You Been All My Life?

I made these easy chicken enchiladas with red and green sauce yesterday, and Lou – LOU! – says that this dish is one of the top THREE dishes I’ve ever made. That’s high praise from a man who’s eaten his way through all my kitchen experiments over the years.  (Some early dishes were, let’s say, “meh.” LOL)

Honestly, I’m kicking myself for not jumping on the enchilada train sooner. Rolled tortillas stuffed with juicy chicken and black beans, smothered in BOTH red and green enchilada sauce, and baked under a blanket of cheese? Yeah… it’s a keeper.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Moderate
Nutrition (per serving): 373 cal | 20g carbs | 31g protein | 19g fat | 3g sugar

Ingredients

• • 4 tbsp vegetable oil

• • 1 large onion, diced

• • ½ tsp salt (plus more to taste)

• • ½ tsp black pepper (plus more to taste)

• • 5 cloves garlic, minced

• • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• • Cumin, for sprinkling

• • Chili powder, for sprinkling

• • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• • ¼ cup sour cream (plus more for topping)

• • 3 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese, divided

• • 8 large or 12 small corn tortillas

• • 16oz green enchilada sauce (I use 505SW Hatch Valley Green Chile Sauce)

• • 15 oz red enchilada sauce (I use Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce), divided

• • Diced tomatoes (optional, for serving)

• • Chopped cilantro (optional, for serving)

Instructions

1. Preheat and Season the Chicken:
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with cumin and chili powder. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then shred and set aside.

2. Sauté the Veggies:
Heat the oil in a skillet or small Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.

3. Make the Chicken Filling:
Add the shredded chicken, ⅓ cup of red enchilada sauce, ½ cup of shredded cheese, a little sour cream and black beans. Stir everything together and cook for 2–3 minutes to warm through. Adjust seasoning if needed.

4. Assemble the Enchiladas:
Spread the green enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 inch ceramic or glass baking dish.
Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll them up, and place seam-side down into the dish.
Top with the remaining red enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.

5. Bake:
Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

6. Serve:
Top with sour cream, tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. Serve with refried beans and Spanish rice on the side!

🔪 Tips & Notes for the Best Chicken Enchiladas

Use chicken thighs over breasts:
Thighs are more flavorful and stay juicy even after baking. You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken if you’re in a pinch!

Mixing red & green sauce = flavor bomb:
Combining red and green enchilada sauces gives the dish a perfect balance of tangy and smoky flavors. This duo is sometimes called “Christmas-style” in the Southwest.

Soften your tortillas:
Corn tortillas can crack when rolling if they’re too stiff. Lightly warm them in a damp paper towel in the microwave, or give them a quick toss in a dry skillet for a few seconds per side.

Make it ahead:
You can assemble the enchiladas a day in advance, cover with foil, and refrigerate. Just add a few extra minutes to your bake time if coming straight from the fridge.

Freezer-friendly:
These enchiladas freeze beautifully! Assemble and freeze (unbaked or baked). Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered in the oven.

Serving ideas:
These pair well with:

• • Spanish rice or cilantro-lime rice

• • Refried or charro beans

• • A crisp side salad or grilled corn

• • Margaritas or cold cervezas (yes please!)

Add-ins & swaps:
Make it your own! Add diced green chiles, sautéed zucchini, or chopped spinach to the filling. Swap in Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or even queso fresco if you want to mix it up.

So… What Is an Enchilada Anyway?

If you’ve never made enchiladas before, welcome to the club! I just recently jumped on the enchilada train – and let me tell you, I am not getting off any time soon. These saucy, cheesy, rolled-up beauties are a comfort food dream that you can easily customize depending on what you love (or what’s in your fridge).

At its most basic, an enchilada is a corn tortilla wrapped around a savory filling – usually meat, cheese, beans, or a combo – then smothered in chili-based sauce and baked until hot and bubbly. It’s a traditional Mexican dish, though there are so many variations across regions and households that you’ll never run out of ways to make them your own.

Red vs. Green Enchilada Sauce (Spoiler: I Use Both!)

In my recipe, I use both red and green enchilada sauces because … why pick favorites?

🌶 Red Enchilada Sauce

Red sauce is typically made with dried red chiles, like ancho, guajillo, or New Mexico chiles. It’s got a deeper, earthier flavor and a gorgeous brick-red color. Depending on the type of peppers used, red enchilada sauce can be mild or spicy – and often includes garlic, onion, and spices like cumin and oregano. Tomato paste or sauce is sometimes added to smooth it all out.

🌿 Green Enchilada Sauce

Green sauce is made from tomatillos, which are small, green, and slightly tart fruits (yes, fruits!) wrapped in a papery husk. Add in green chiles – like jalapeños, serranos, or the ever-popular Hatch green chiles – and you’ve got a tangy, vibrant sauce with a little zip and a lot of personality.

Wait – What Are Hatch Green Chiles?

Ahhh yes, Hatch chiles. These little guys come from Hatch, New Mexico, and have developed a cult following for good reason. They’re earthy, smoky, a little sweet, and come in mild, medium, or hot varieties. Lou and I go for the hot ones, obviously – we like our food to fight back just a little. 😂  Once we got our hands on them, we were hooked. We started adding them to everything: soups, stews, white chicken chili, even scrambled eggs. And naturally, enchiladas had to happen next.

Yes, I Use Pre-Made Sauces – And I’m Not Mad About It

Sure, you can make enchilada sauce from scratch, but I’ve had great success using pre-made sauces – and they’ve saved me loads of time without skimping on flavor.

For the green sauce, I use 505 Southwestern® Hatch Valley Hot Green Chile Sauce and … oh. my. goodness. It’s SO good. You can grab it directly from 505Southwestern’s website (they list which stores carry it), or just hop over to Amazon.

For the red, I go with Hatch’s Mild Red Enchilada Sauce – it’s flavorful, smooth, and perfectly balanced. You’ll find it on the Hatch Chile Company’s website or on Amazon as well, and some local stores stock it too.

And here’s the fun part – they taste incredible together. I pour the green sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and finish the top with the red. That combo? Total flavor bomb.

Why I Started Making Enchiladas

Honestly? I just started making enchiladas recently – no big family tradition, no long-lost abuela recipe (though I wouldn’t mind having one!). I was inspired by all those Bobby Flay episodes Lou and I watched over the years. The man loves his chilies, and the way he talks about layering flavor with spicy peppers made us curious.

We ordered some Hatch green chiles and started tossing them into everything we could. And when I found myself with tortillas, leftover chicken, and both enchilada sauces in the pantry … it was go time. Now I can’t imagine not making them.

And just like that, I’m officially hooked on enchiladas. Whether you’re team red sauce, green sauce, or like me – can’t pick and use both – this dish is pure comfort food magic. It’s cheesy, saucy, a little spicy, and somehow even better the next day (if you have any leftovers, that is). If you give these a try, let me know – especially if they end up on your own “Top 3 Dinners Ever” list like they did for Lou. Happy cooking, friends… and don’t forget the sour cream on top!