My Recipes
A chicken enchilada with melted cheese, sour cream and cilantro on a white plate

Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans and Green Chiles

Prep 30 min Cook 30 min Total 1 hr Servings 4

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Sep 19, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026

Recipe
About this recipe

Flour tortillas are rolled around shredded chicken, black beans, green chiles, lime and cilantro, then baked under red enchilada sauce and cheese. They bake covered to heat through, then uncovered with a quick broil so the cheese browns and bubbles. Make them a day ahead or freeze them unbaked, and serve with sour cream. Ready in about 1 hour.

This is Kassondra Peters' recipe, and it is a regular in our kitchen.

Tip: Bake the enchiladas covered first so the filling heats through. Then uncover them and put them under the broiler for a short time. The cheese browns and blisters instead of just melting. A little honey in the filling balances the sour lime and canned sauce. It isn't there to sweeten. Warm the tortillas before rolling so they don't split along the seam.

Techniques in this recipe

Ingredients

Method

  1. 01

    Heat the oven to 175C (350F) with a rack in the middle. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, dried oregano and chili powder. Measure out everything else before you start. The filling comes together fast once the pan is hot.

  2. 02

    Heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced half onion and cook about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent but not browned.

  3. 03

    Lower the heat. Add 80 ml of the enchilada sauce and 3 minced garlic cloves. Cook 1 minute, until it smells good.

  4. 04

    Add 385 g shredded chicken and season with 1 tsp fine sea salt. Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the top and stir until the chicken is evenly coated.

  5. 05

    Stir in 425 g drained black beans and the whole 113 g can of green chiles with its liquid. Add 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp honey and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Warm it through, then taste and add salt if needed. The honey is not there to make it sweet. It balances the sour lime and the canned sauce.

  6. 06

    Lightly grease a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) baking dish. Spread about 60 ml of the enchilada sauce over the bottom in a thin layer.

  7. 07

    Wrap the 8 tortillas in a damp towel and microwave about 30 seconds, until pliable. Cold tortillas split down the seam as you roll them.

  8. 08

    Spoon filling along the lower third of each tortilla and add a small handful of the cheese. Roll it up tightly. Lay each one seam side down in the dish so it holds its shape.

  9. 09

    Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Make sure the ends and edges are covered. Then scatter the rest of the 340 g cheese over the top. Any bare tortilla will dry out and get tough.

  10. 10

    Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Uncover and bake a further 13 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is fully melted.

  11. 11

    For a browned, blistered top, broil on low for 1 to 2 minutes. Watch it the whole time, as it goes from golden to burnt in seconds.

  12. 12

    Rest 5 minutes before serving so the enchiladas lift out intact instead of collapsing. Serve with 120 g sour cream and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro.

Notes & swaps

  • Makes 8 enchiladas, served as 2 per person. Cilantro-lime rice or a shredded cabbage slaw rounds out the plate.
  • Warm the tortillas before rolling. Thirty seconds in the microwave under a damp towel, or a few seconds each in a dry pan, is the difference between a tight roll and a split one.
  • Cover every bit of tortilla with sauce. Exposed edges dry out and turn tough in the oven.
  • The honey balances acid rather than sweetening. Leave it in even if it reads oddly on the list.
  • Make ahead: assemble the dish up to the point of baking, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake time when it goes in cold.
  • Storage: refrigerate leftovers covered for 3 to 4 days and reheat at 165C (325F) covered with foil for about 20 minutes. This one also freezes well unbaked.
  • For more heat, add a fresh diced jalapeno with the seeds in, or use a hot red enchilada sauce in place of mild.
  • Corn tortillas can replace the flour ones, but warm them in oil first and expect to fit less filling in each.
  • No rotisserie chicken? Poach 2 boneless breasts in seasoned water for 15 to 18 minutes, then shred with two forks.
  • For a vegetarian version, leave out the chicken and double the beans, or add a can of pinto alongside the black beans.

More Mains

TIKTOK

Most-watched videos

See all 31 videos →

Get recipes via email

Protected by Cloudflare Turnstile