These delicious Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas are filled with shredded chicken, refried beans, and cheese, then topped with a red enchilada sauce and baked to perfection. This easy recipe utilizes many pantry staples, which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner.
I am a sucker for an enchilada. There is something so comforting about the warm sauce and cheesy and creamy filling. Enchiladas were one of the foods I missed eating when I went gluten-free 10 years ago, so of course I decided to make my own.
Did you know that you can make a delicious and rich-tasting version at home that tastes great and is made with wholesome ingredients? Yep, it's, true! A huge part of my mission is showing you that you can still enjoy your favorite dishes, even while focusing on real minimally processed foods. Also, one of my favorite things about this recipe is you can use leftover chicken, and store-bought sauce so everything comes together with minimal effort!
I'm telling you, these homemade enchiladas are in frequent rotation at our house. I've experimented with making this recipe with beans, without beans, and with different types of cheese—and this variation is our family's favorite. They are so good and utilize simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
If you are a fan of Mexican food, check out my Dutch Oven Barbacoa, Barbacoa Tacos, Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas, and my Shrimp Tacos With Mango Salsa.
If you are looking for more Gluten-Free comfort foods check out my Gluten-Free Lasagna, Gluten-Free Tortellini Soup, or Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick And Easy: This recipe utilizes many shortcuts making it the perfect easy and delicious weeknight meal.
- Customizable: While this recipe is gluten-free, you modify it as needed. Feel free to add your favorite fillings and experiment with the toppings.
- Family Friendly: Both adults and kids will love this recipe. It's packed with flavor and totally irresistible.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: You will need shredded chicken for this recipe. You can make my Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it. I tend to just use my crockpot and cook the chicken for a few hours with some additional spices like garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, and sea salt. You can also use leftovers from this Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe.
- Green Chiles: Canned diced green chiles work well for this recipe.
- Cheddar Cheese: A sharp white cheddar is my favorite, however, if you don’t do dairy, you can leave this out or use your favorite non-dairy cheese.
- Refried Beans: Refried beans add a good amount of flavor and creamy texture to these easy enchiladas. I love using Siete Refried Beans. You can also use refried black beans if you like or regular pinto beans.
- Tortillas: You can use any kind of tortilla you like, however, if you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, be sure to read the label. If you are looking for good gluten-free tortillas, I highly recommend Siete Tortillas. It's great because you can find their products at almost all grocery stores. They taste great and are good quality. You can also use gluten-free corn tortillas. If you can handle gluten, flour tortillas will also work.
- Gluten-Free Enchilada Sauce: While you can always make homemade enchilada sauce—but, to keep this quick, I’m a huge fan of getting a little help from the grocery store. I love the Siete Red Enchilada Sauce—as it's made with high-quality ingredients.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variations
- Protein: Swap out the shredded chicken for ground beef.
- Dairy-Free: To make this dairy-free, skip the cheese or use your favorite plant-based cheese.
- Extra Spicy: Add some diced jalapenos and cayenne pepper to the chicken mixture.
- Green Sauce: Swap red sauce for green enchilada sauce.
- Cheese: Experiment with your favorite cheeses like Monterey Jack cheese, or Peper Jack. You can also check out my Best Cheddar Cheese Substitutes for ideas.
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Shred the chicken, and add it to a bowl along with the green chilis. Mix to combine.
Add a little olive oil to a pan and heat tortillas one at a time on low heat for thirty seconds per side, or until tortillas are warm and pliable. If you skip warming the tortillas, they will be more challenging to work with and may tear or break.
Step 2. Grease the bottom of a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Fill warmed tortillas with 2-3 tablespoons of the shredded chicken filling, 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese, then roll it up tightly and set it seam-side down in the baking dish.
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Step 3. Once you have rolled each tortilla, and arranged them all in the baking dish, top them with the enchilada sauce, then add the remaining cheese.
Step 4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Once it's cooled slightly add your favorite toppings.
Expert Tips And Notes
- To save time you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it yourself. You can also use any leftover chicken you have on hand.
- Don't forget to warm your tortillas before handling them! If they are not warmed through they may crack and can be difficult to roll.
- You can also assemble the enchiladas earlier in the day and bake them off right before you are ready to eat.
- Be sure not to cook the enchiladas too long, or they may dry out.
Serving Suggestions For Gluten-Free Chicken Enchiladas
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Pickled Red Onion
- Jalapenos
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Green Onions
- Easy Creamy Guacamole
- Green Chilies
- Mexican Rice
- Tortilla Chips
- Side Salad
Storage And Reheating
- Storage: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, place them in a baking dish, cover them with aluminum foil, and bake at 250 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat enchiladas in an air fryer!
- Freezing: To freeze, assemble the enchiladas in a casserole dish but don’t bake them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake directly from frozen.
Recipe FAQs
You will want to use a cheese that melts well. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Queso Blanco will work well.
Yes! Corn tortillas are gluten-free, and you can certainly use them in this recipe.
I prefer baking them uncovered, which will prevent them from getting soggy. If you want to bake enchiladas for a longer period of time, it would be wise to cover them with tin foil so they don’t dry out.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
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Gluten-Free Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast cooked, and shredded
- 4 oz Green Chilies canned
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese grated
- 1 cup Refried Beans
- 8 Tortillas gluten-free
- 15 oz Enchilada Sauce red
Optional Toppings
- Cliantro
- Cheddar Cheese
- Jalapeño
- Green Onions
- Picked Red Onions
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
Instructions
- Add the shredded chicken to a bowl along with the green chilis. Mix to combine.
- Add a little oil to a pan and heat tortillas one at a time on low heat for thirty seconds per side, or until tortillas are warm and pliable.
- Grease the bottom of a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Fill warmed tortillas with 2-3 tablespoons of the shredded chicken filling, 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans, a sprinkle of cheese, then roll it up tightly and set it seam-side down in the baking dish.
- Once you have rolled each tortilla, and arranged them all in the baking dish, top them with the enchilada sauce, then add the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.
Notes
- To save time you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it yourself. You can also use any leftover chicken you have on hand.
- Don't forget to warm your tortillas before handling them! If they are not warmed through they may crack and can be difficult to roll.
- You can also assemble the enchiladas earlier in the day and bake them off right before you are ready to eat.
- Be sure not to cook the enchiladas too long, or they may dry out.
Nutrition
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