This delicious and easy chicken tacos with enchilada sauce recipe is made with three basic ingredients: chicken thighs cooked in a can of enchilada sauce and served with tortillas.

Of course, there are fixens for chicken tacos so pick your favorite toppers. I've listed my favorite taco garnishes below.

One taco filled with chicken, cole slaw, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and 3 sliced radishes. Ingredients in background. — Dress up chicken tacos with your favorite fixens. For chicken tacos with a strong enchilada flavor, I like sour cream cilantro sauce, cooling lime cole slaw, radishes, and a couple sliced jalapenos. BUT, You do You!

Use Chicken Thighs For Dreamy Chicken Tacos

Chicken thighs are so easy to cook with because they are forgiving. Thighs can be cooked a long time which allows them to marinate and cook in the sauce.

Thighs have fat that breaks down and integrates into the chicken and enchilada sauce making the thighs tender and flavorful.

Don't like to cut up raw chicken? Cool, throw it in the pan whole and dice or shred it after it's cooked.

Diced raw chicken thighs on a wood cutting board with a knife in the background. — *Diced raw chicken thighs still-life. EWWWW! 🙂*

Make Tacos With Chicken Breast Instead

This easy chicken taco recipe is made with chicken thighs. Having said that, it can easily be made with chicken breast.

The amount of enchilada sauce will need to be cut in half as chicken breast will cook much quicker. The enchilada sauce will not reduce enough and you'll end up with runny tacos.

12" black skillet filled with chunks of raw chicken and red enchilada sauce. — *No need to heat up the pan first. Dump in the raw chicken and ⅔ can of enchilada sauce and start cooking.*

Use Canned Enchilada Sauce For Chicken Tacos

Canned enchilada sauce comes in mild, medium, and hot. Be on the lookout for your preferred spice level.

This chicken taco recipe is written for red enchilada sauce but green enchilada sauce works as well.

The enchilada sauce is really not a sauce at all. By the time the chicken is done cooking there should be no enchilada sauce or liquid left, just concentrated flavor.

Then, you hit it again with a cooling cilantro lime sour cream sauce or you can add a little sour cream to some of the leftover canned enchilada sauce for a creamy sauce.

Red seared pieces of chicken in a black skillet. Sliced radishes, cilantro, and slaw in the background. — *Cook off all of the enchilada sauce so the chicken really absorbs the concentrated flavors. Try to get a nice sear on some of the pieces. Non-stick skillets help with this.*

Enchilada Sauce For Chicken Tacos

You can cook raw chicken in enchilada sauce.

It's tempting to use the whole can of enchilada sauce with the chicken but it may be too much. It won't reduce enough or will take forever to reduce and could end up drying out the chicken.

Save extra enchilada sauce in a ziploc bag, date and label, and freeze it for later.

The leftover sauce could also be mixed with sour cream to make a nice creamy enchilada sour cream sauce for tacos.

Not all enchilada sauce is gluten free, whole30, and paleo. Double check your brand if you are on a special diet.

One taco filled with chicken, cole slaw, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and 3 sliced radishes. Ingredients in background and cole slaw on the side.

Chicken Enchilada Tacos Garnishes

Tacos are so versatile. Try some of these taco garnishes:

guacamole
salsa
tomatoes
cheese
sour cream
cilantro
pineapple
mango
lettuce
jalapenos
radishes
lime cole slaw
cilantro sour cream sauce

One close up of a chicken taco on a flour tortila with 3 slices of radishes, cole slaw, chopped cilantro, and sliced jalapeno.

Chicken Tacos with Enchilada Sauce

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Print Recipe

EatSimpleFood.com

This easy and delicious chicken taco with enchilada sauce recipe is made with three basic ingredients: chicken thighs, tortillas, and a can of enchilada sauce.

Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 5 (10 Tacos) 1x

Ingredients

Scale

2 lb chicken thighs, fat removed and diced
10 oz enchilada sauce (~ ⅔ of a 15 oz can)
10 tortillas
1 bunch radishes, sliced thin
lime cole slaw - optional
cilantro sour cream sauce - optional

Instructions

Place raw diced chicken in a 12" skillet and add 10 oz (~ 1 ¼ cup) canned enchilada sauce.
Place skillet on medium - medium high heat and cook uncovered ~ 12-15 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until chicken is cooked through and liquid has cooked off. If you're using a non-stick skillet, you may also get some nice crispy seared bits.
Add salt to taste.
Warm up your tortillas on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Make your favorite tacos with your favorite ingredients. Happy eating! Beckie

Notes

You'll be tempted to use the whole can of enchilada sauce but it may be too much and it won't reduce or will take forever to reduce and could end up drying out the chicken. Save the sauce in a ziploc bag, date and label, and freeze it for later. The leftover sauce could also be mixed with sour cream at a later date to make a nice sour cream sauce for a different kind of taco.
Chicken breast can be substituted but reduce the amount of enchilada sauce by half as it will cook much quicker and the sauce will not reduce enough and you'll end up with runny tacos.
The "sauce" is really not a sauce at all. By the time the chicken is done cooking there should be no liquid left, just concentrated flavor and crispy but moist chicken.

Author: Beckie Hemmerling
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Comfort Food, Dairy-Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Fat, Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30

Serving Suggestion

Serve this chicken tacos with enchilada sauce recipe with a complimentary dish like:

Things In My Kitchen:

12" nonstick pan - PFOA free, with lid, and oven safe to 350F.
Benriner mandolin - I have the old green, but am coveting the wide one. I've used a lot of mandolins and like this one the best but you still have to be careful!

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Chicken Tacos with Enchilada Sauce