Easy Chicken Enchiladas

By Kate Shungu ● Updated February 20, 2025

Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Queso Fresco are perfect for a weeknight. The dish is made with both chicken and black beans to create a filling, hearty entrée that your family will love.

cheesy chicken enchiladas in a casserole dish topped with queso fresco and chopped cilantro.

Featured Comment:

“Super easy and most delicious! Have used this recipe at home and for potlucks.” -Penny

These Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Queso Fresco are one of my weeknight go-to meals. I love a quick meal that tastes great, and is just as delicious the next day for lunch.

And, they’re easily adaptable. You can swap in ground beef for the chicken, or chicken breasts instead of thighs. You can use more meat and leave out the beans. And you can even swap in corn tortillas to make these gluten-free.

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Ingredients

round package of queso fresco on a beige tablecloth.
  • Queso fresco makes these enchiladas just a little bit different than the usual recipe. It’s a Mexican farmers cheese with a little bit of a sour flavor to balance out the richness of the enchilada sauce. You can buy it already crumbled or in a block like you see here.
  • You can use either flour tortillas or corn tortillas here—your choice.
  • The filling is made with diced chicken thighs, black beans, and red onion.
  • Enchilada sauce from a jar, a can, or a packet works perfectly here. Use your favorite brand.

How to make chicken enchiladas with queso fresco

The filling consists of sautéed chicken and onions, plus black beans, queso fresco, and a little enchilada sauce.

chopped chicken and black beans in a red enchilada sauce in a skillet.

Next, we’ll roll the filling into tortillas, and nestle them into a pan (a little enchilada sauce goes on the bottom of the pan first).

chicken and black beans on a flour tortilla, next to a casserole dish filled with enchilada sauce and a rolled enchilada.

The remaining enchilada sauce goes on top, followed by the shredded cheese, then it’s baked to perfection. A little extra queso fresco + cilantro goes on top!

red enchiladas topped with queso fresco and cilantro.

What to serve with enchiladas

Authentic Mexican Rice is a great accompaniment to enchiladas. Add a salad and dinner is done!

To drink, Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Iced Tea) is super refreshing and complements the enchiladas beautifully.

📖 Recipe

enchiladas with red sauce and crumbled queso fresco in a blue casserole dish.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Queso Fresco

Published by Kate
These easy enchiladas are classic comfort food. They’re great for a weeknight meal (they can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake) and they’re a good option to deliver to a friend in need of a home cooked meal.
5 from 7 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 806 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can substitute chicken breasts)
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 16 oz red enchilada sauce (I used two 8-oz Frontera packets)
  • 8 flour tortillas (can substitute corn tortillas)
  • cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • For garnish: chopped cilantro, ½ cup queso fresco

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Place the chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4–5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until golden brown on the other side, about 4–5 more minutes.  
  • Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3–4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  • Empty the enchilada sauce into a 2-cup measuring cup. You’ll have a scant 2 cups.
  • Chop the chicken into ½ inch pieces. Add it back to the skillet with the red onion. Add the black beans, 1 cup queso fresco, and ⅓ cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Pour ½ cup enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan. Tip the pan until the sauce covers the entire bottom.
  • Place a tortilla on a flat surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the tortilla lightly with some of the remaining enchilada sauce. Place a heaping ½ cup of the meat and bean mixture down the center of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla, making sure that the filling doesn’t escape. Place the filled tortilla in the pan. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas.
  • Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Top with 1.5 cups of Mexican blend cheese.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the filling is bubbly. Top with cilantro and additional queso fresco if desired, and serve.

Notes

I like Frontera enchilada sauce for its rich flavor. If you can’t find it, a canned enchilada sauce works here, too.
You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs if you prefer.
Make ahead option: prepare the recipe as directed but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake them, add an additional 5–10 minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition

Serving: 2enchiladasCalories: 806kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 56gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 2742mgPotassium: 882mgFiber: 11gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1313IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 569mgIron: 6mg
Keyword chicken enchiladas, enchiladas
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment below!

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Super easy and most delicious! Have used this recipe at home and for pot lucks.

  2. 5 stars
    One of our favorite recipes. This was simple yet it has some complexity flavor. We smoked our chicken first and that seemed to elevate the experience.

5 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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