Loaded chicken enchiladas with honey lime chicken, red enchilada sauce and melted cheese in a baking dish

When I had my 4th baby, my friends set up a meal train for me. It was so wonderful and helpful, but everyone who brought us dinner, brought us a different version of enchiladas. We had a good laugh over it, and we also tried many variations of enchiladas to learn what we really liked and what wasn’t our favorites.

My own enchilada recipes have evolved over the years. (You can see one of our Easy Cheesy Beef Enchiladas here) This one has just a touch of heat and also a touch of sweetness from the honey lime chicken filling.

My kids are obsessed with this recipe. I know your family will love it as well! It’s a crowd pleaser for sure and super easy to make ahead, great to take to a friend who has just had a baby, or for a loved one who is recovering from a surgery.

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Loaded Chicken Enchiladas

ingredients:

12 taco size tortillas

1 1/2 lbs chicken, cooked and diced

8 oz cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded

1 cup red enchilada sauce ( we like HEB’s Mi Tienda Salsa Roja para enchiladas

1 cup half and half (or 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk)

1/2 cup honey

juice from 1 lime

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1 corn cob, cooked (or 1/2 cup frozen corn) - optional

1 avocado, sliced - optional

1/4 cup cilantro chopped - optional

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 1/2 lbs of cooked, diced chicken with 1/2 cup honey, juice from 1 lime, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp garlic salt, and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Stir together.

Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Grease 9x13 pan, then take about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture and roll up in a tortilla. Place tortilla in pan. Continue to fill all the tortillas and place them in a row in the pan.

Mix together 1 cup red enchilada sauce and 1 cup half and half in a bowl. Pour over the tortillas in the pan. Top with remaining shredded cheese. If you are using corn, sprinkle on top.

Bake uncovered at 375 F degrees for 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and tortillas are looking a little crispy on the edges (where they are poking out under the sauce).

Remove from oven. Garnish with 1 sliced avocado and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

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Enjoy!

- Hillary -your BFF for family dinner!

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Enchiladas

Use cooked rotisserie chicken, or leftover grilled chicken to save time. This makes the recipe even faster for a busy weeknight.
Don't overfill the tortillas. About 1/2 cup of filling is plenty and makes them easier to roll.
Make them ahead. Assemble the enchiladas, then cover. For less soggy tortillas, store the sauce separately, as well as the cheese you would top it with. Refrigerate until you're ready to bake, then dump on the sauce and sprinkle with cheese. When you bake, cover with foil for the first 10 minutes to heat them up, then uncovered for the regular 20 minute baking time. You can also freeze the enchiladas this same way!
Adjust the spice level. This recipe has just a touch of heat, but you can use a mild or spicy enchilada sauce depending on what your family likes. You can even blend up a chipotle pepper to add to the sauce for a spicier version.
Don't skip the honey and lime. The sweet and tangy flavor is what makes these chicken enchiladas a little different from traditional enchiladas.

What should I serve with chicken enchiladas?

These enchiladas are delicious with Mexican rice, refried beans, black beans, corn, guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, or our Mango Avocado Salad. Grab our Mexican sides recipes here!

You can find our Mango Avocado Salad in our cookbook! Along with many other family faves!

Estimated Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 enchilada
Servings Per Recipe: 12

Calories: 325
Total Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 75mg
Sodium: 610mg
Total Carbohydrates: 29g
Fiber: 2g
Total Sugars: 12g
Protein: 22g