Foolproof Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Bacon

For these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, juicy chunks of chicken are cooked with bacon for the ultimate flavor. Then plenty of cheese, salsa, and black beans unite for a memorable, mouth-watering meal.

Mexican food is always high on our list for dinner. This chicken enchilada recipe has been my family’s favorite for years. If you love chicken enchiladas, this dish will most certainly be on your favorites list.

Why You Should Make This Recipe

• The bacon adds extra flavor right from the start.
• Black beans make the filling hearty and help stretch the pan.
• Jarred salsa, canned beans, and canned green chiles keep the prep simple.
• Almost all, if not all, of these ingredients can be found in your pantry, refrigerator or freezer.
• This is easy enough for a weeknight but still feels like a full comfort food dinner.
• Leftovers reheat well, which makes this a good make-ahead option too.
• You don’t need to be a cooking superstar to make this enchilada casserole perfect every time.

Ingredient Highlights

• Bacon: Bacon gives the filling a deeper savory flavor and leaves behind drippings that help season the chicken.
• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts keep the recipe simple, but cooked shredded chicken also works well.
• Picante Sauce Or Salsa: This adds flavor, moisture, and a little heat without needing a separate sauce.
• Black Beans: Black beans make the filling more substantial and work well with the chicken and cheese.
• Green Chiles: These add mild heat and extra flavor without making the pan too spicy.
• Mexican Cheese Blend: This melts easily and gives the enchiladas their cheesy top layer.
• Tortillas: Flour tortillas are easy to roll and work well for this casserole-style version.

Recipe Shortcuts

• You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or make Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts, or an Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
• I like to use minced garlic from the jar to make the steps a bit faster and less messy. Feel free to use fresh garlic cloves if you prefer. It usually depends upon what I have on hand as to which one I use.
• Use a jar of Picante sauce, canned green chilies, and canned black beans. You can, of course, use a homemade salsa and chop up fresh poblano peppers and/or jalapeno peppers. Using ready-made ingredients makes it so much easier to complete this dish.

How To Make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas With Bacon

This recipe comes together in a few steady steps.

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Set it aside and leave a little of the drippings in the pan.
2. Cook the chicken in the skillet until no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
3. Stir in some of the salsa, the black beans with their liquid, the green chiles, cumin, and salt. Simmer until the mixture thickens, then stir the bacon back in.
4. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and a little cheese. Roll and place seam side down in a greased baking dish.
5. Spoon the remaining salsa over the top, cover, and bake until heated through.
6. Uncover, add the rest of the cheese, and bake again until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and green onions if you like.

Top Tips

• Let the filling simmer long enough to thicken so the enchiladas do not turn watery.
• Warm the tortillas first if they feel stiff. That makes them easier to roll.
• Do not overfill the tortillas or they will be harder to roll neatly.
• Cover the dish for the first part of baking so the center heats through before the cheese finishes on top.
• If you use cooked shredded chicken, shorten the skillet time and just simmer long enough for the filling to come together.

Variations

• Use Rotisserie Chicken: This cuts down the prep and works very well in the filling.
• Swap The Beans: Pinto beans work fine if that is what you have on hand.
• Make It Spicier: Use a hotter salsa or add jalapeno to the filling.
• Add More Sauce: If you like saucier enchiladas, spoon a little extra salsa over the top before baking.
• Add Toppings At The Table: Sour cream, sliced green onions, avocado, or chopped cilantro all work well here.

Make Ahead And Storage

• Make Ahead: Assemble the enchiladas earlier in the day, cover the dish, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Refrigerator: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Reheat covered in a 350°F oven until hot, or warm individual portions in the microwave.
• Freezer: Freeze baked or unbaked enchiladas tightly wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating or baking for best texture.

FAQs

Foolproof Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Bacon

Juicy chunks of chicken, a delectable combination of cheese, salsa, and black beans are tucked into flour tortillas and covered with cheese and picante sauce.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Author Marilyn

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 395 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 5 slices bacon
• 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1-1/2 cups Picante sauce from 24 oz jar
• 16 oz can black beans with liquid
• 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Sour cream, optional
• Green onions, sliced optional

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Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon. Remove from pan, cool and crumble into medium size chunks. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the bacon drippings from the skillet.
• Add chicken to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute or until fragrant.
• Stir in 1/2 cup picante sauce, beans with liquid, green chiles, cumin and salt. Simmer 7 to 9 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in bacon.
• Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken and bean mixture in the center of each tortilla. Add 2 tbsp cheese combination to the top. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 9 x 13-in pan. Repeat for all tortillas.
• Spoon remaining salsa over enchiladas. Cover with tin foil.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese. Do not cover. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes more, or until cheese is melted.
• Serve with sour cream and sprinkled with green onions, if using.

Cooks Tips

• You can use leftover cooked chicken. Cut it into chunks and reduce cooking time in step 2 to 3 minutes.
• Substitute 3 cloves of garlic, minced, for the ready-to-use minced garlic.
• Substitute 1 finely chopped poblano pepper, stems removed and seeded, for the chiles if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 24gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 1154mgPotassium: 447mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 363IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 340mgIron: 3mg

Collections Casserole, Comfort Food

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