Enchilada Dinner for the Fam..

I am the type of cook that likes to impress my guests. I had my mom over today and she does not get to eat a home cooked meal very often. Instead of ordering Mexican take out, I decided to make homemade enchiladas. They are not hard to prepare and there are so many variations that can be made. Tonight I made cheese enchiladas with red sauce and chicken and cheese enchiladas with red sauce and green sauce.

I had some frozen chicken breasts in the freezer and canned enchilada sauce. The nice thing with enchiladas is that you usually have the ingredients in your pantry and can be thrown together quickly. So, where do you begin? This afternoon I grabbed four frozen chicken breasts and threw them in a pot of boiling water. I let them boil until they were no longer pink in the middle. Then I pulled them out and shredded them with a fork. I did this early in the day and then I didn’t have to worry about it later. Also, if you do this, you can boil extra and keep the excess shredded chicken in the freezer for future meals. Lots of cheese makes this recipe amazing. Loosen your belts and allow yourself to indulge every now and then.

This recipe is enough to feed 6 people and I still had leftovers. I wanted to make 3 different kinds of enchiladas so I used two 13x9 pans and one 8x8 pan.

You will need:
2 cans (26 oz) of red enchilada sauce (mild, medium or hot).
1 can (26 oz) of Green Chile Sauce
3 bags (8 oz) of Mexican style cheese (already grated)
1 package of corn tortillas
1 small can of sliced black olives
4 medium sized chicken breast, boiled and shredded


Enchiladas can be messy to prepare if you are not organized. Set up a group of bowls with your sauce, chicken, and cheese. Have your tortillas set out because your hands will get sticky. Treat it like an assembly line.

1. Coat the bottom of the pan with sauce; this prevents the enchiladas from sticking.
2. Submerge tortilla in sauce and put in pan
3. Add a small handful of cheese, then chicken.
4. Roll into burrito with ends open, Repeat to fill pan.
5. Pour remaining sauce on top of all enchiladas (one can per dish).
6. Top with 1 cup of cheese and sprinkle with black olives.


Repeat with other dishes. Bake your enchiladas at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This dish is great if it is made ahead of time too! Make it the night before and your life is somehow easy the next day. If you are making cheese enchiladas you can add mild green chilies and use multiple cheeses; sour cream is excellent on these. My family voted and they thought the green chili sauce was the best. My little girl loved it even though she had to have a glass of water to wash it down because it was a little spicy. She ate everything on her plate and my toddler had half of it in his hair and red sauce in his nose. I think it was a hit with him too! I served my enchiladas with a big salad, fat free refried beans, tortilla strips, and homemade guacamole. The kids liked that I served chips with dinner. They dipped the chips in everything.

Enchiladas can be intimidating for some people to prepare but it is so easy! You never know until you try. Try this recipe and let me know what you think. Have fun and don’t be afraid to try new things and make it your own!

Have any great recipes or Dinner suggestions you'd like to share email me at Kellie@OCMomMag.com