Bake up big, cheesy flavor with a tried and tested recipe for Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas starring quick-fix homemade enchilada sauce.
They’re easy, they’re cheesy and they’re about to give your local Mexican restaurant some serious competition. Welcome to the fiesta, Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas!
This recipe represents my dream scenario when it comes to recreating a restaurant-inspired favorite: It’s part store-bought (hello, rotisserie chicken!) and part homemade (I see you, DIY enchilada sauce!). Put them together and you have the best of both convenience and flavor.
Does making enchilada sauce from scratch intimidate you?
It may seem daunting to whip up this flavor-packed sauce in your home kitchen, but the great news is that all the spices used in the sauce are also used to season the chicken mixture, so your ingredient list is lean and mean.
The secret to ensuring your enchiladas are moist is to dip each tortilla (corn or flour) into the prepared sauce before rolling it up with the filling.
And of course a hearty sprinkling of shredded cheese doesn’t hurt either. Enchiladas are all about the beautiful blending of sauce and cheese.
I finish off my enchiladas with all of my go-to taco toppings, from diced avocado and shredded lettuce to sliced olives and chopped tomatoes.
A dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime juice are the final touches atop this surprisingly easy recipe for Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas, which of course are made even better with a big bowl of chips and homemade guac on the side!
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Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 Tablespoon coriander
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon chipotles in adobo, minced (optional, for spice)
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
For the enchiladas:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 rotisserie chicken, picked clean and meat roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
- 8 (8-inch) corn or flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
Make the enchilada sauce:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour until it is combined then cook the mixture for 30 seconds until it is slightly toasted.
- Whisk in the chicken stock, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, oregano, chili powder, chipotles in adobo (optional) and red wine vinegar.
- Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes then taste and season it with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cool (and thicken) while you prepare the enchiladas.
Make the enchiladas:
- Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder and chopped rotisserie chicken and stir until combined.
- Add ½ cup of the prepared sauce to the chicken filling and stir until combined then remove the pan from the heat.
- Ladle ½ cup of the prepared enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- One by one, dip the tortillas into the prepared enchilada sauce then arrange them on a cutting board. Divide the chicken mixture among the coated tortillas, spooning it into the bottom third of each tortilla. Carefully roll up each tortilla then place it seam side down in the baking dish atop the sauce, arranging the enchiladas side by side in a single layer.
- Pour the remaining sauce atop the enchiladas then top them with the shredded cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, then top them with your choice of toppings, such as avocado, sour cream or olives.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This has been my go to recipe for a many meals now. Of course it been tweaked a little. But a very solid beginning for the first time chicken enchiladas cook. Easy to understand recipe. With everyday spices in the spice cabinet.
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Bit Hit for my flavor loving husband, no canned enchilada sauce can compare! Skipped chipotle in adobo (too spicy for me), but replaced 1/2 tsp of chili powder with chipotle chili powder. Now I’ll make the sauce a day ahead, so I can put together a super delicious meal in less than 30 mins. Yum!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Liz!
WINNER! It is deliciousness! I found it easy to prepare so I’m not sure why some commented it took too long. The longest part was taking apart the chicken but that’s par for the course. We all loved this dish, Served with spicy black beans. Thank you Kelly!
You are so welcome, Bethany! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Wow!! These are amazing! Our grandsons ages 6 and 13 were here for supper and there was nothing left over. I had to stop the 13 year old from licking the baking dish!
Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
This is what I love to read, Caroline! I’m so thrilled your grandsons enjoyed the enchiladas!
So good and really easy! I’m keeping this one :)
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Colleen!
Great recipe!! I have made it several times, just added a few extra ingredient to the filling like corn and pickles jalapeños to the filling. Definitely a family favorite and I love using premade chicken!! Thank you
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Dee!
This was a pleasant variation of the traditional enchiladas we usually always have, I’ll be saving this one and making them again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sherri!
My husband said these were about as good as the ones we get from our favorite restaurant. My son made sounds of delight when he started chewing his first bite. I would love to give these a five star rating but the fact that they took so long to make has me at four stars. My guys are gluten free so I have to use corn tortillas. Simply dipping them in the sauce did not keep them from breaking apart. So I had to heat some oil in a pan and cook each of them a little on each side in the oil THEN dip them in the sauce to make them. Plus, they’re small – like 6″ diameter small – so I had to use more than the recipe calls for and that added time too.
The taste is there but between the time of removing the chicken from the bones and then dicing it and the added time of the tortillas, it took me about 2 hours total to get food on the table and that for a week night is just too much time. So I will make these again, but only on a weekend.
I’m glad your family enjoyed the recipe, Jenelle!
It took a bit longer than started, staying from scratch without cutting onions and garlic and not having the chicken apart yet. It was great!! Hard to stop at one serving, but very filling. Put brown rice (leftover) as a base and it was so good!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tiffany!
i love this recipe so much and my husband does too. tonight i’m making it and my sauce is a little thin..what’s the best way to thicken it up? thank you so much!
Hi Bette! The sauce should thicken as it cools. You can also make an additional slurry (cornstarch with water) and whisk that in. That’ll thicken it instantly as long as you then bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
Absolutely delicious. The depth of flavors, the heat from the chipotle adobo. YUM! I also will not be buying canned enchilada sauce again. So flavorful! Thank you♥️
This is what I love to read, Tamara! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I had intended to make an easy dinner of chicken enchiladas using rotisserie chicken and canned enchilada sauce. While prepping for the meal I realized that I did not have any canned enchilada sauce so I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. Not only is it easy but it is SO delicious!! Likely I will never use canned enchilada sauce again!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Dian!
This is a FABULOUS recipe. Easy, flavourful, adaptable, awesome. My whole family loves enchiladas and this has become my go-to recipe. We like all the add-ons too! Avocado, olives, sour cream and salsa! So yummy. Delicious.
Yay! I’m so happy to read this, Teresa!
This is the most wonderful enchilada recipe. I have made it several times and my husband and I like it more each time. When I first saw the enchilada sauce recipe was included I thought maybe it was really a lot of work but it is so easy! Much tastier then the canned enchilada sauce from the store. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
This is what I love to read, Denise! I’m so happy you and your husband have been enjoying the recipe!
Wow, I was so impressed with this recipe. I read it through and checked my pantry and fridge, and I had everything except the cheese! I will never be intimidated by homemade enchilada sauce again. I consider you my guru now.
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Stephanie!
I love this recipe ROAST CHICKEN ENCHILADAS, OMG this recipe is amazing. I made it the other night, I will be honest I was very nervous making it as I was under pressure to hurry and get dinner on the table. But, let me tell
You it was a piece of cake after I had it done. The recipe for the enchilada sauce was so easy to make. I just
Left out the coriander because I didn’t have any. It still came out fantastic. I had enough chicken left over to feed
My neighbors and us for another night which is tonight because it is just my husband & me. Well let me tell you
I was sitting their in anticipation waiting for my husband to taste it. He took one bite and turned to me and said
What did you do? I looked at him and said why? He said this is fantastic this is the best you have ever made. I forgot
To tell him it was a new recipe and I made the enchilada sauce from scratch. He then said you better keep this recipe and make it this way from now on. And I totally agree. My suggestion is read over the recipe twice and take
Your time making it and you will enjoy this for life. Thank you “JUST FOR TASTE”. I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
This is what I love to read! I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Robin! Welcome to Just a Taste :)
The calories and other nutrition info is for all 8 enchiladas, correct?
Hi Ann! I looked at the estimated nutritional info and realized it wasn’t calculating correctly for this recipe. I just updated it to more accurately calculate the nutritional value for one serving but you may need to clear your cache to see the updated info. Thank you!
I have made this recipe several times. My husband and I absolutely love it. I would never have thought about making enchilada sauce from scratch but it is so easy and good. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Yay! You are so welcome, Denise! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe :)
We loved this recipe! It was not done in 30 mins however as there are a lot of spices to gather and add, but it was well worth the extra time! We used leftover whole roasted chicken, that was basted with herbs and butter. We just stripped all the meat from the bones and had more than enough leftover chicken to make this dish. Do not hesitate to use any leftover chicken, pork or beef. We also added in a Teaspoon of cinnamon to the sauce to give it more of an “authentic” flavor. It wasn’t overpowering, but you could taste the cinnamon in subtle ways. We also used flour tortillas, my family doesn’t like corn ones. We didn’t have 8”, we had the small fajita size flour tortillas and I was worried they would be too small, but they weren’t. We packed a little into the shells (we did this on a sheet pan so the sauce didn’t spill on countertop using cutting board) and tucked the sides in, rolled them over and ended up with small stuffed tortillas. We had a glass lasagna pan and could fit 12 of these in it, 2 rows of 6. I knew they were little, but even my husband had a hard time eating 2 after putting the “fixings” on the top. We decided not put the fixings on the top of entire dish too, knowing our family of 4 wouldn’t eat all 12 in one sitting. We decided to make plates w 2 each, put the fixings on each plate over them so the tortillas in the dish could be saved as leftovers. We ended up with leftovers from our “leftovers”! But they quickly disappeared! You will enjoy this dish, I say MAKE, but use what you have on hand, this is something very versatile! Enjoy!
Love, love, LOVE reading this, Melissa! I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe!
This is an amazing recipe. While I am not a professional cook I have been cooking for over 50 and consider myself a foodie. This recipe is easy but has taken me longer than 30 minutes of prep time. For the three times I have made it so far it has taken me close to an hour of prep time. There are quite a few spices. However this makes your kitchen and home smell wonderful. I also like to have this for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs on top. Yum!!! I do a low carb version using low carb burritos and it comes out perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Try it; you will love it!
Love the idea of adding a fried egg on top for breakfast! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Tom!
These were amazing! My 10yr old shed a tear and said this was heavenly. Thank you for a wonderful, easy recipe. Next time I’m going to try fresh tortillas, can’t wait! This is officially in my rotation.
I’m so happy to read this, Karen!
Love it. Sauce makes the difference here. Only issue I had was breaking all my tortillas when rolling up. Not as aesthetically pleasing as your photo but still tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
I love this recipe and have made it several times but I have a gripe. Why does it call for 8 inch tortillas (corn or flour) when corn tortillas don’t come in 8 inch size? That leaves you having to figure out how many tortillas you really need in the 6 inch size and sadly, the small packs are 8 count. So I need to buy two packs. I just went with one pack and will end up with leftover filling.
Hi Steve – All major tortilla brands make 8-inch flour tortillas, including the most popular brand, Mission. Check the tortilla section of your local grocery store! Enjoy!
These were fantastic! Even my picky three year old enjoyed them!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled to read this, Steph!
This was delicious! Everyone should absolutely try it. I saw your make ahead thoughts but what about freezing? I would like to do a double batch and I’m looking for ideas on how to freeze and prep this. Thank you!!
Hi Sarah! I’ve never tried freezing the enchiladas so unfortunately, I can’t weigh in on the best method for freezing and reheating them. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
this sounds delicious! Do you think you could make ahead and bake the next day, and/or reheat? Back to school time and need to prep ahead.
Hi Emily! You can prep everything ahead of time and assemble the enchiladas but don’t add the sauce and cheese until right before you are going to bake them. Store the assembled enchiladas covered with foil in the fridge and store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge, too. And you may need to add just a few more minutes to the bake time if baking straight from the fridge. :)
This is the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever had! The recipe was so easy and full of flavor. Will definitely make it again.
Woohoo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Anne!
The enchilada sauce is great.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, Kate!
The best flavored homemade enchiladas I have ever made and the amount of sauce was generous!!❤️
WOW! Love reading this, Julia! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
Insanely easy and so good! I don’t like working with corn tortillas because I can only find small ones but dipping them in the sauce first made them more pliable. I did both corn and flour tortillas.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Diane!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s my new favorite meal. The enchilada sauce is the best and so easy to make!!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You are so welcome, Karen! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!