Easy Gluten-free Chicken Enchiladas

Turn up the heat on dinner tonight with the best gluten-free chicken enchiladas the whole family will love!

These gluten-free chicken enchiladas have tender shredded chicken, and melty cheese nestled in gluten-free tortillas and smothered in a homemade gluten-free red enchilada sauce. Don't let it sound complicated to make. Trust me, it is super easy, and you'll have dinner on the table that the whole family will ask for seconds.

Jump to:

• Are enchiladas gluten-free?
• Ingredients.
• Gluten-free Enchilada Sauce
• Gluten-free Tortillas
• Is Cheese Gluten-free?
• How to Make?
• Pro-Tips
• Enchiladas with Rotisserie Chicken
• FAQ
• Make Ahead
• Freezing
• How to Serve?
• More gluten-free dinners.
• 📖 Recipe

Are enchiladas gluten-free?

Not all enchiladas are gluten-free. Sometimes enchiladas are made with flour tortillas or corn tortillas that contain wheat. Another hidden source of gluten in enchiladas could be the enchilada sauce. Some enchilada sauces contain thickening ingredients that could contain wheat.

Don't worry; I'll show you just how easy it is to make a simple gluten-free enchilada sauce that will have you making gluten-free enchiladas in no time.

Ingredients.

To make gluten-free chicken enchiladas, we need a few things.

• Gluten-free Enchilada Sauce
• Chicken
• Gluten-free Tortillas
• Cheese - I prefer to use simple cheddar cheese, but you can use what you like.

I prefer to make my own gluten-free enchilada sauce. It's super simple to make and only needs a few ingredients.

• Onion - I love adding fresh vegetables to this red sauce for flavor and texture. If you can, leave it out or blend your sauce after it has simmered if you want a smoother sauce.
• Garlic - I prefer fresh garlic, but you can use garlic powder.
• Tomato Sauce - This is plain canned tomato sauce, nothing that is already flavored.
• Tomato Paste - You want plain tomato paste like tomato sauce.
• Apple Cider Vinegar - The vinegar adds just a little bit of kick. If you don't want to use apple cider vinegar, you can also use distilled white vinegar.
• Chicken Stock - I love the added flavor chicken stock adds, but you could use vegetable stock or water instead.
• Corn Starch - This is used to thicken the enchilada sauce. You can also use arrowroot starch or potato starch instead if you prefer.
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Jalapeno - Optional if you want extra heat.
• Cayenne - Optional if you want extra heat.

Gluten-free Enchilada Sauce

While I prefer to make my own gluten-free enchilada sauce, you can buy it already made at the store. Here are some brands that sell gluten-free enchilada sauce.

• Hatch Enchilada Sauce
• Las Palmas
• Simply Organic Simmer Sauce
• Ortega Enchilada Sauce

Of these brands, Hatch is my preferred sauce because they are a brand dedicated to being gluten-free.

• Always check your packaging to ensure the enchilada sauce brand is gluten-free if you aren't making it from scratch.

Gluten-free Tortillas

You can use whichever gluten-free tortillas you prefer.

• Mission brand gluten-free tortillas
• Mission brand gluten-free corn tortillas
• BeFree Flour Tortillas
• Siete Foods Grain-free Tortillas - The Siete almond flour tortillas are my favorite ones to make these gluten-free enchiladas. They do come frozen, though, so they need to be defrosted.

Make sure the brand you are using is gluten-free tortillas to keep these enchiladas gluten-free.

Is Cheese Gluten-free?

These enchiladas use cheddar cheese, and most cheddar cheese is naturally gluten-free. Some pre-shredded packaged cheese can contain wheat as a way to prevent caking. If you are using pre-shredded cheese, always check your packaging, just in case.

How to Make?

Step 1: Make the enchilada sauce.

1. Saute the onions and garlic.
2. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, stock, jalapeno (if you are using it), and spices.
3. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Cook and shred the chicken.

1. Once your enchilada sauce has simmered, add the chicken.
2. Let the chicken cook in the sauce for about 20 minutes or until it is done.
3. Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred it.
4. With the chicken removed, it's time to thicken your enchilada sauce. To do this, combine the cornstarch and some sauce until a paste is formed. Add this paste to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer slightly longer to thicken before assembling your enchiladas.

Pro tip: Shred your chicken breasts in the bowl of your stand mixer instead of hand shredding it.

Step 3: Assemble your gluten-free chicken enchiladas.

1. Pour a little bit of the red enchilada sauce into a shallow dish.
2. Dredge your gluten-free tortillas into the enchilada sauce, coating both sides.
3. Add some of the shredded chicken along the center of the tortilla.
4. Top the chicken with some cheese.

Step 4: Bake and enjoy your gluten-free enchiladas.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add some of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of a baking dish.
3. As you stuff your gluten-free tortillas with the chicken and cheese, roll them up and place them seam-side down into the baking dish.
4. Continue until all tortillas have been filled and the baking dish is full.
5. Top the enchiladas with more gluten-free enchilada sauce.
6. Then top with the remaining shredded cheese.
7. Bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the centers are heated through and the cheese is melted.

Pro-Tips

Here are a few of my favorite ways to make gluten-free enchiladas even easier.

• Warm the Tortillas - This doesn't take long. Cover the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for about thirty seconds. Keep them covered until you are ready to stuff them.
• Shredding the Chicken - Okay, this trick is my favorite for not only this recipe but a lot. Don't take forever shredding chicken with a fork. If you have a stand mixer, toss the chicken into the bowl with the paddle attachment. Beat the chicken on medium until it is completely shredded.

Enchiladas with Rotisserie Chicken

Absolutely, you can make these gluten-free enchiladas even easier by using already cooked rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken.

To do so, follow these steps.

1. Make the sauce and thicken it right away.
2. Shred the rotisserie chicken - Trust me, still use the stand mixer to do this.
3. Assemble and bake your enchiladas.

FAQ

Make Ahead

You can definitely make these gluten-free enchiladas ahead of time.

• The enchilada sauce and chicken can be prepped ahead of time, and then you just have to assemble and bake the enchiladas when you are ready to eat.
• You can even prep the gluten-free enchiladas all put together and store them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.

Freezing

Yes, you can prep these gluten-free enchiladas ahead of time and freeze them.

1. Prepare the enchiladas just like you would fresh.
2. Cover and freeze the uncooked enchiladas.
3. When you are ready to bake the enchiladas, let them defrost in the fridge overnight.
4. Bake like they are fresh.

How to Serve?

I love serving these enchiladas with some of my gluten-free Mexican-style rice and some refried beans. Of course, my oldest loves when I make my cilantro lime cauliflower rice. Throw some gluten-free tortilla chips and homemade salsa along with it, and it's just like you are at a Mexican restaurant.

If you want more gluten-free enchiladas to love, you can check out my sour cream chicken enchiladas. These are perfect gluten-free enchiladas for those who like a little less heat. Want something more fun? Check out my homemade gluten-free green salsa verde enchiladas.

More gluten-free dinners.

📖 Recipe