Chicken Enchiladas for Two (2024)

This recipe for chicken enchiladas, made with corn tortillas, shredded chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, and an easy red sauce, is filled with Mexican flavor in a small package. Made in a 9x5-inch baking dish, these enchiladas are perfect for two!

Recently, we met up with one of Jim's sisters and her husband for dinner at our local Mexican restaurant. We hadn't been there in some time and the meal inspired me to make this chicken enchiladas recipe.

I often look for recipes I can halve or quarter for those days when I don't want to bother with leftovers. This dish is designed for two, but if you need to feed more you could certainly double or triple the recipe.

I'm not big on spicy so these enchiladas are tasty, but fairly mild. Jim usually adds some hot sauce to turn up the heat. You could spice the recipe up by adding jalapenos or bell peppers.

Most of the preparation time for this recipe is spent cooking the chicken. As always with chicken, you want to make sure it's cooked through without any pink inside.

Why this Recipe Works

• Cooking the chicken in the enchilada sauce keeps the chicken moist and adds flavor to the dish.
• Using corn tortillas keeps the enchiladas gluten free.
• This small batch recipe is great when you don’t need to feed a crowd.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Chicken - I use a boneless, skinless chicken breast in this dish.
• Tortillas - Corn tortillas are traditional in enchiladas, and I use them to keep the recipe gluten free. If you prefer, you can use flour tortillas.
• Corn - I like to add frozen corn in this recipe, but you can leave out the corn if you like.
• Cheese - Monterey Jack cheese is my cheese of choice for this recipe, but feel free to use a shredded Mexican cheese blend instead.

How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Enchiladas

1. In a large saucepan, cook the onion in olive oil until softened.
2. Add the garlic, spices, salt, and sugar and cook for another minute.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, remove from heat, and blend until smooth.
4. Return the tomato sauce to the saucepan and simmer.
5. Cook the chicken in the tomato sauce until it’s cooked through.
6. Shred the chicken and combine with the corn, ½ cup tomato sauce, and ½ cup of the cheese.
7. Divide the chicken filling between the tortillas, roll up and place in a glass loaf pan.
8. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm with sour cream.

Step By Step Instructions

(For ingredient amounts see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

In a large saucepan, cook the onion in olive oil, over medium heat, until softened. Add the garlic, spices, sugar, and salt and cook for another minute.

Stir in the tomatoes and remove from heat. Blend the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Return the tomato mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Cook the chicken breast in the sauce, covered for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken with the corn, ½ cup of the tomato mixture, and ½ cup of the cheese.

Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm them in a microwave oven until soft and pliable, about 15 to 20 seconds.

Divide the chicken mixture between the two tortillas and roll up. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x5-inch glass baking dish.

Arrange the rolled-up tortillas in the baking dish and top with the remaining sauce.

Sprinkle the tops of the enchiladas with the remaining ½ cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350-degrees, until the enchiladas are hot, and the cheese is melted.

Serve warm with sour cream.

More Gluten Free Main Dish Recipes

• Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna
• Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup
• Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast
• Chili with Beef, Turkey and Potatoes

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Be sure to add a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the loaf pan. Doing this will keep the tortillas from sticking to the baking dish.
• Warm the corn tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave. Corn tortillas are not as soft as flour tortillas and warming them up will make them softer and easier to roll.
• Adjust the heat of the dish to your taste. These enchiladas are rather mild. If you prefer a spicier dish, consider adding some red chilies or jalapenos to the filling.

If you're looking for some big Mexican flavor in a small package, give this chicken enchilada recipe a try. I know you'll be glad you did!

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Recipe

This post was originally published in 2017. It was republished in 2022 with updated images, additional text, tips, and FAQs.