Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe (2024)

This Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe is a great meal that the whole family will enjoy. They can be put together in just minutes and use basic ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge.

Chicken Enchiladas

Looking for a very simple recipe that your family can enjoy for dinner tonight? This recipe only needs a few ingredients and can be very frugal to make. Our family loves to make Mexican-inspired dishes because many of them can be very frugal.

This recipe uses shredded chicken, but you could always change it up by adding Refried Beans or even Refried Black Beans as well.

Either way, this delicious meal can easily be made and put on the table in about 30 minutes.

Tip: Learn to Can Pinto Beans here.

How to Make Frugal Chicken Enchiladas

I usually have shredded chicken on hand from cooking it in the slow cooker. Depending on how much extra I have, I store extras in my fridge or freezer.

You could also use shredded chicken from Home Canned Chicken if you have it!

If you don’t have any salsa from the store, you could always make your own Homemade Salsa or make Homemade Enchilada Sauce to put over the top as well.

Of course, you can make this meal even more frugal by making your own tortillas to use in it.

I have recipes for:

• Homemade Flour Tortillas
• Homemade Gluten-Free Tortillas
• Homemade Corn Tortillas

All are delicious and would work great in this meal!

If you like having quick and easy recipes on hand, be sure to save this canned chicken enchilada recipe for later. Several other easy chicken dinner recipes are listed in this blog post.

Tip: Looking for more yummy Mexican dishes? This 7 Layer Taco Dip is one of our favorites!

Tip: Add some olives or jalapenos on top for some extra flavor!

How to Save Money on Cheese

A note on the cheese….

The price of cheese has gone up exponentially in the past several years. I’ve found that the best way to save money on cheese is to buy it in bulk (by the block) and shred it yourself.

Yes, this takes a bit of extra time and prep, but it can be a big money saver.

If possible, shred all the cheese you bought on the day you bought it and place it in zippered bags in the freezer. This way, you only have to shred it up once, and none will go to waste since the majority of it will go in the freezer until you need it.

Not everyone in our household can eat cheese, but I buy cheese in bulk blocks from Sam’s Club, Costco, or Azure Standard, depending on the kind Ineed.

More Family Dinner Ideas

• Quick and Simple 3 Ingredient Recipes From Scratch
• The 30 Minute Pizza Recipe
• Quick Spaghetti Sauce Recipe You Can Make With 5 Ingredients
• Quick Sunday Dinner Ideas for the Family
• 47 Best Potato Dinner Recipes for Your Family
• 5 Simple Dinners for Busy Summer Nights

Did you make this recipe and enjoy it? Be sure and leave a star rating on the recipe card above and then share it with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and through Email using the sharing buttons below!

Does your family enjoy Mexican-style food? Will you give these Chicken Enchiladas a try?

Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.

This Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in September 2009. It has been updated as of August 2023.