Prepare chicken enchilada filling in the Instant Pot, then assemble and bake in the oven. This easy make-ahead meal can be prepped in advance and even frozen for later use. You will love these Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas.
Chicken Enchiladas are warm, comforting, and filling. They are a kid-friendly, family favorite and a crowd-pleaser when you’re feeding guests, your kids’ friends, or attending a potluck. These make-ahead enchiladas are also the perfect freezer meal.
Cooking the chicken in the instant pot infuses the meat with the flavorful enchilada sauce.
The chicken is shredded and, along with cheese, is used to fill tortillas and then smothered in more enchilada sauce and then baked to melty, gooey perfection. And as delicious as Instant Pot Fajita Pasta.
It is easy to make and serve this meal right away or freeze a portion to bake later. Buy chicken in bulk to save money and double the recipe. Serve a casserole for dinner and stash the other in the freezer for a night when you need a break from cooking.
Why Make This Recipe
- Tasty – The chicken is infused with the flavor of the enchilada sauce.
- Family-Friendly – Chicken and cheese. Who wouldn’t love that?
- Crowd-Pleaser – You can easily double the recipe and feed a crowd a hearty meal.
- Make-Ahead – Make this casserole in advance and bake when you need it. It’s even easy to freeze!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – While this recipe uses chicken breast, you can also use tenders or boneless skinless thighs. instead.
- Olive Oil – Use canola or another vegetable oil if you don’t have any olive oil on hand.
- Taco Seasoning – If you don’t have taco seasoning, you can make your own blend using chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic, and oregano.
- Enchilada Sauce – This recipe uses red sauce, but you can use green enchilada sauce too.
- Chicken Stock – Chicken stock lends a lot of flavor to this dish, but you can substitute vegetable stock or even water.
- Tortillas – Feel free to use corn tortillas if that’s your preference.
- Cheese – Use a Mexican blend, Monterey Jack, cheddar, or whatever you have on hand.
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas in the Instant Pot
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Add chicken, oil, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When done perform a manual (quick) pressure release, open the lid, and use two forks to shred the chicken.
- To assemble, fill each tortilla with ⅓ cup chicken and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up and arrange in a baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake in a 400F / 204C oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Tips For Success
- Do not stir the ingredients once you add them to the Instant Pot.
- You can warm the tortillas in the microwave to make them easier to roll when filling.
Variations
- Spice it Up – Add some spice to this dish by choosing a spicy enchiladas sauce or adding a teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the Instant Pot. Choose a pepper jack cheese.
- More Mexican Meals – Use the shredded chicken in rice bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and more.
- Italian Enchiladas – Swap the taco seasoning for Italian seasoning, the enchilada sauce for tomato sauce, the tortillas for cooked noodles, and use mozzarella cheese.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Buy Chicken In Bulk – Chicken is less expensive when you buy it in bulk. Freeze individual breasts for easy portioning later on.
- Taco Seasoning – Individual packets of taco seasoning are more expensive than a large jar. You can also make your own seasoning with spices you already have on hand.
- Block Cheese – Many times, block cheese is less expensive than pre-shredded cheese, and it only takes a few moments to shred it yourself.
Make Ahead And Storage
Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas are the perfect make-ahead meal or freezer meal.
Prep Ahead – Prepare the chicken and fill the tortillas and store the casserole in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if the casserole is cold.
- Store – Leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze – This is an excellent recipe for freezing. Make a double batch and enjoy one casserole now and save the other for later. Assemble the casserole and let it cool for about 45 minutes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Defrost – defrost overnight in the fridge and bake according to the instructions.
Meal Prep
- Make an extra batch or two that you can use with other meals throughout the week.
- This recipe stores for 4 days so you can eat it on the day you cook it plus 4 more days.
- Separate leftovers in single portions, place in airtight meal prep containers and let cool completely with the lids off before sealing and storing.
- To vary it up through the week and make different meals, feel free to serve along with salads, salsa, coleslaw, Mexican rice, guacamole, Pico De Gallo, refried beans, etc.
- You can easily convert this into Enchilada Rice Bowls, Enchilada Quesadillas, and Enchilada tacos.
FAQs
Can I Make Chicken Enchiladas in the Slow Cooker Instead?
Yes! This recipe also works well in the slow cooker. Visit our Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas post for the full instructions.
What Kind Of Tortillas Should I Use?
Enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas. We prefer to use flour tortillas, but you can use whichever kind you prefer.
More Recipes You May Like
Tools To Make This
- An Instant Pot.
- Measuring cups and spoons.
- The best Instant Pot Accessories.
Get The Chicken Enchiladas Instant Pot Recipe:
Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) chicken breast skinless and boneless
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 ½ cups (375mL) enchilada sauce
- ½ cup (125mL) chicken stock
- 5 flour tortillas
- 1 ½ cups (125g) cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the chicken, olive oil, taco seasoning, 1 cup enchilada sauce, and the chicken stock inside the Instant Pot insert.
- Close the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When done, perform a quick pressure release and open the lid. With the help of 2 forks roughly shred the chicken.
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 204C.
- Assemble the enchiladas by filling each tortilla with around ⅓ cup of chicken and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up and place in a baking dish.
- When dish is full, pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and add the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly.
Notes
Tips For Success
- Do not stir the ingredients once you add them to the Instant Pot.
- You can warm the tortillas in the microwave to make them easier to roll when filling.
Variations
- Spice it Up – Add some spice to this dish by choosing a spicy enchiladas sauce or adding a teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the Instant Pot. Choose a pepper jack cheese.
- More Mexican Meals – Use the shredded chicken in rice bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and more.
- Italian Enchiladas – Swap the taco seasoning for Italian seasoning, the enchilada sauce for tomato sauce, the tortillas for cooked noodles, and use mozzarella cheese.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Buy Chicken In Bulk – Chicken is less expensive when you buy it in bulk. Freeze individual breasts for easy portioning later on.
- Taco Seasoning – Individual packets of taco seasoning are more expensive than a large jar. You can also make your own seasoning with spices you already have on hand.
- Block Cheese – Many times, block cheese is less expensive than pre-shredded cheese, and it only takes a few moments to shred it yourself.
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