Foolproof Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Bacon

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

Mexican food always is high on our list for dinner and cheesy chicken enchiladas certainly increase the excitement factor. If you love chicken enchiladas, this dish will most certainly be on your favorites list – it has been on my family’s favorite for years!

WHY I LOVE THIS CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPE

• PANTRY INGREDIENTS.  Almost all, if not all, of these ingredients used, can found in your pantry, refrigerator or freezer.
• CHEESE AND BACON.  All in one dish! Oh heck yes please.
• FOOLPROOF. You don’t need to be a cooking superstar to make this enchilada casserole perfect every time.

Recipe Shortcuts

1. You can use leftover chicken, fresh chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, or make Instant Pot Whole Chicken 
2. 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.
3. 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.

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5 from 1 vote

Foolproof Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Bacon

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

Prep Time :10 minutes

Cook Time :40 minutes

Servings 8 Servings

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
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Sour cream, optional
• Green onions, sliced optional

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.

Notes

• 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: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1154mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 340mg | Iron: 3mg