Full of warmth and richness, this ground chicken enchilada is a seamless blend of comfort and indulgence. The meat is seasoned with robust spices, then wrapped in tortillas, and blanketed by melted cheese. Everything is topped with colorful veggies that bring pops of fresh and spicy flavors to each bite.
With vibrant flavors and heart-meltingly soft textures, this Mexican classic is an instant crowd-pleaser. What’s better, since it’s so quick and easy to make, you can have an impressive main course ready to go in less than an hour.
Why We Love This Ground Chicken Enchilada
- It’s a phenomenal comfort food: With each bite, you can truly feel the bright, savory, and hearty flavors melting onto the taste buds, making this enchilada a splendid indulgent food that also brings you heart-warming comfort.
- It’s quick and easy: Despite the impressive appearance, this dish is effortless to put together. All you need to do is gather and arrange the ingredients, then let them bake in the oven for less than an hour.
- It’s great for multiple courses: With how effortlessly this dish comes together, you can whip it up at any time for any meal—lunch, dinner, or even an impromptu gathering. Not to mention the leftovers taste nearly similar once reheated, so you can make a big serving once and eat them for days to come.
- It feeds a whole crowd: Our recipe covers enough for a 4-person meal, but you can easily double or triple the portions for large gatherings. With rich flavors and filling ingredients, this dish will undoubtedly be a crowd-pleaser.
- It’s freezer-friendly: Want to save the leftovers or make ahead for the future? No problem. This dish freezes quite well and, once thawed, still retains nearly the same taste and texture.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken: Obviously, ground chicken is required for this recipe. We didn’t have any on hand, so we processed skinless, boneless chicken thighs in the food processor for a similar texture.
- Toppings: We went with jalapenos, red onion, and cherry tomatoes to stick to Mexican cuisine's bright and spicy essence, as well as add a pinch of cilantro and chopped scallions for a fragrant touch.
- Aromatics: The chicken was briefly stirred on the pan prior to being baked, which called for some minced garlic and diced onion to infuse a subtle kick to its mild taste.
- Tortillas: We used corn tortillas for their distinctively mild flavor and slightly chewy texture. Whatever you choose, make sure they’re sturdy enough not to fall apart during baking.
- Cheese: We went with a combination of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cause we love how their tangy and milky notes complement each other.
For the Sauce
Enchilada sauce offers a rich, hearty, and warm mixture of flavors that burst brightly on the tongue. Here’s everything we used to embrace that authentic Mexican taste:
- Tomato ingredients: We used homemade tomato sauce and tomato paste. This combination gives the sauce a rich, tangy flavor base and a thick texture that melts seamlessly into the rich cheese.
- Seasonings and spices: We used ground black pepper, pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, chili powder, dried oregano, and cinnamon to create that hearty, smoky, and intense flavor complexity.
- Chicken broth: This mellows out the sauce's intensity and brings a warming and soothing undertone.
Variations
Enchiladas are pretty flexible and customizable, so if you ever want to switch things up a bit, here are some fun and easy ways to try out:
- Sauce
Make green enchiladas (or enchiladas verdes) with a sauce made from roasted green chiles and jalapeño. It comes with lip-tingling goodness that spicy food lovers enjoy. For those who like something with a bit of vibrancy, give salsa sauce or taco sauce a try. Cream sauces are also fantastic if you want a milky taste and decadently rich texture.
- Protein
Switch out the ground chicken for shredded chicken (like with this chicken enchiladas recipe) or if you want some change in texture. Flavor-wise, you can opt for beef or turkey to get a deeper savoriness. If you prefer milder things, seafood such as shrimp (take a peek at our Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe for inspiration), crab, fish filets, etc. offers a delicately sweet taste that’s quite refreshing.
- Toppings
Corn, olive, red beans, and black beans are practically staples in Mexican dishes, so they’d go marvelously well in this enchilada. You can also try out various veggies such as bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, etc.
How to Store and Reheat
There are two ways to store the leftovers:
- In the fridge: You can store the leftover enchiladas in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- In the freezer: Put it in freezer bags or airtight containers and keep it for up to 2 months. Write the date outside, so you’ll know how long it’s been since you started freezing it. You can defrost by placing it in the fridge for 24 hours or until completely thawed.
As for reheating, you can do so in the microwave, oven, or air-fryer until thoroughly heated.
What to Serve With Ground Chicken Enchilada
This ground chicken enchilada is already quite filling on its own, with big flavors that overwhelm the taste bus in the best way, so feel free to take it easy with the side dishes. A colorful plate of corn salad or avocado salad will usually do the trick, but you can also go for some guacamole or pico de gallo (accompanied by some fun dipping chips) to make a full-on Mexican meal.
FAQ
1. Is this Ground Chicken Enchilada healthy?
The layer of melted cheese on top might give the impression that this enchilada isn’t healthy, but that’s not true.
With chicken as the main ingredient, you can obtain a decent amount of protein from this dish (around 36 g). We’ve also mindfully portioned the ingredients so that nothing exceeds the acceptable limits. As a result, each serving contains about 477 calories, 6.3 g saturated fat, and 608 mg sodium—quite reasonable for a dish loaded with cheese and meat.
2. Why do my enchiladas end up soggy?
There are several reasons for this, including adding too much sauce to the baking pan, overstuffing the tortilla rolls, the tortillas themselves aren’t sturdy enough, etc.
As a precaution, you can give the tortilla rolls a quick fry on the pan to crisp them up a bit before baking them in the oven. This will allow them to soak up the sauce and any additional liquid or toppings without disintegrating.
How to make Ground Chicken Enchilada
With vibrant flavors and heart-meltingly soft textures, this ground chicken enchilada is an instant crowd-pleaser. What’s better, since it’s so quick and easy to make, you can have a main course that will undoubtedly brighten any meal in less than an hour.
- by Luna Regina, 2024-04-05
- cook TIME 35 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 45 mins
- COURSE Main dish
- CUISINE Mexican
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 477 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 18 oz skinless boneless chicken thigh (sliced into cubes)
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 oz jalapeño (sliced)
- 1 oz red onion (diced)
- 2 oz onion (diced)
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1/2 cup scallion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 2.5 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1.5 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Halve the cherry tomatoes: Slice lengthwise into halves.
Slice the jalapeño: Slice crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
Dice the onions: Slice in half lengthwise. Turn the half vertically and make thin cuts but leave the root intact. Then turn it horizontally and push the knife crosswise into the slices. Then, thinly slice to make small, diced pieces.
Mince the garlic: Cut off the root, remove the peel, and thinly slice each clove. Rock the knife over the sliced pile a few times to finely mince the garlic.
Chop the cilantro: Discard the stems, gather the leaves, and thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the cut pile a few times until they are finely chopped.
Chop the scallions: Slice off the white roots and the first 1-2 inches from the top. Then bunch the stalks together and thinly slice them into small pieces.
Cook
Grind the chicken: In a food processor, put 18 oz skinless boneless chicken thigh and process until the meat resembles ground chicken.
Sweat the aromatics: On a pan over medium heat, quickly stir 1 tbsp garlic and 2 oz onion with 1 tbsp olive oil for around 30 seconds or so until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste: Continue adding 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste and stir for a bit to fully coat the aromatics.
Add the chicken and spices: Add the ground chicken into the pan and break it up with a spatula, then add 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and quickly stir for 2 or 3 minutes until everything's well-mixed.
Add the tomato sauce: Then, add 1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce and 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth and let the pan simmer for 5 - 8 minutes. Take off the heat when done.
Make the rolls: Add a few spoonfuls of the cooked chicken into the center of the tortillas.
Roll the edges toward the center.
Lay them in the baking dish: Preheat the oven to 375 ºF. While waiting, lay the tortilla rolls neatly next to each other on your baking dish, then spread the remaining chicken mixture over them.
Sprinkle 2.5 oz mozzarella cheese and 1.5 oz cheddar cheese over the dish.
Bake it in the middle rack of the oven at 375 ºF for 20 - 25 minutes.
Garnish and serve: When the dish's finished baking, remove from the oven and garnish with 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup scallion, 8 oz cherry tomatoes, 1 oz jalapeño, and 1 oz red onion. Serve hot.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author