This is a super easy, quick fix for dinner. I made the basic version with just chicken, pasta, sauce, and cheese, but you could get really creative with the add-ins. Try black beans, corn, green chiles, or anything else that usually goes good in enchiladas. I’m sure you could even make this into a delicious vegetable enchilada pasta, too! Sauté up some squash and other veggies instead of the chicken and you’re good to go!
I used homemade enchilada sauce, which only takes a few minutes to make, tastes better, and costs much less than store bought. Of course, you could always use canned instead, but at least check out the recipe because it’s super easy. You could also use shredded rotisserie chicken for this if you don’t have chicken breasts.
I got a couple of good deals that also helped keep the price of the recipe low. 1) This is chicken that I had in my freezer from when it was on sale for less than $2 per pound. 2) The pasta was on sale $1/lb. Both of those ingredients are things you can stock up on when they’re on sale and then save for later. Always keep your eyes open for deals like that when you’re in the store because taking advantage of them will save you a lot in the long run. You just have to remember to actually use it later ;)
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.10)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.28)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 lb chicken breast ($1.95)
- 1 cup enchilada sauce** ($0.40)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.40)
- 12 oz uncooked pasta ($0.75)
- 1 cup shredded monterrey jack ($1.22)
- 2-3 whole green onions ($0.19)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with vegetable oil until soft and transparent (about five minutes). Meanwhile, slice the chicken into thin strips. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until no longer pink (5-7 minutes).
- Make the enchilada sauce or warm up canned enchilada sauce. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside. Shred the monterrey jack cheese (if not shredded already) and slice the green onions.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions and then drain well in a colander. Combine the pasta, sauce, and chicken mixture either in the skillet (if it’s big enough) or in the pasta cooking pot. Taste to see if you want more salt or other seasonings. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and sliced green onions. Serve warm.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Step By Step Photos
Cook the onions and garlic in a skillet with vegetable oil until softened.
Slice the chicken into thin strips. Thinner than you’d think. The smaller the pieces, the more you’ll have in every bite.
Add the chicken to the onions and garlic, then cook until no longer pink.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions and then drain well.
Either make some enchilada sauce using this recipe (make a half recipe), or warm up some canned enchilada sauce. Whisk in the sour cream.
Shred the Monterrey jack cheese and slice the green onions. Monterrey jack is perfect for this dish because it’s nice and creamy.
Finally, combine the cooked and drained pasta with the chicken and sauce. You can do this in the skillet if it’s big enough, or in the pot that you cooked the pasta in. Either way, have the heat turned off or just on it’s lowest setting to keep it warm. Taste the mixture to see if you want more salt or other seasonings.
Sprinkle on the cheese and sliced onions and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Serve warm!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I wish I would have added some black beans! Yum!
Made this tonight for my husband and I. So easy and SO delicious! I’m pretty sure we’ll be eating this all the time now. Thank you for the recipe!!
Just made this tonight…I already make your enchilada sauce and keep it in batches in the freezer, so this was super-easy. The three of us loved it, and went back for 2nds. We will have it again – but halve the recipe in the future so we don’t have to have leftovers.
This is one of my kids’ favorite dishes. I found that about a pound of chopped summer squash is a must in this dish as well as bell peppers. Tomatoes are nice if I’ve got them on hand.
Funny thing is, the last time I made this, I added white northern beans and left out the chicken. There were no leftovers that night.
Made this for dinner tonight – husband and mom both loved it. I liked it alright, but I’m not a big fan of Mexican food so that was no surprise. But I gave it a go for the hubby, it was nice to find something with those flavors we can both enjoy.
I have to say I am obsessed with your blog! Your step-by-step photos are extremely useful for a kitchen novice like me! Thank you!
Back to the recipe…. It is very hard to find sour cream where I live – is it possible to use yogurt instead? would that greatly alter the taste? Also,you have another enchilada sauce recipe where you use some unsweetened cocoa powder; do you recommend using it here as well?
Yes, I love the unsweetened cocoa powder in all my enchilada sauce now. It makes it more earthy and delicious. Although I don’t like yogurt in place of sour cream, many people enjoy it just the same. So, I think that’s just a personal preference.
I made this tonight for dinner, but I added black beans and bell peppers. So tasty and easy!
I made this tonight for dinner and made your enchilada sauce for it too. I love when such a simple and inexpensive recipe tastes absolutely wonderful! Will make again and add some crushed tortilla chips as a topping for a bit more texture.
Fantastic recipe! This is the first recipe of yours I have tried and I was not disappointed. I was a little skeptical about enchilada pasta, which I shouldn’t have been. This dish was easy to make, tasty and affordable. What more could you want?
2 nights in a row we have used your recipes and 2 nights in a row we have LOVED dinner. This was yummy! I only made 1/2 a recipe but froze the other 1/2 of the ingredients so we could have it again in a week or 2.
I made this tonight, it was my first venture into “real” cooking. Never cooked with chicken before, never cooked with pasta and i’ve certainly never tried to make my own sauce. I followed the instructions in this recipe though and even though there was a few points where I thought I had messed it up I stuck with it and the end result was delicious.
The sauce may have been a bit watery but I was converting from American to British measurements on the fly, such a rookie mistake but it still turned out ok.
Thanks for the recipe! i’ll definitely be trying your other ones soon.
Made this the other day because I only thawed out chicken for 2 and had people come over so I knew this would go further and wow, everyone loved it! And it made a ton and I had leftovers for lunch the next day! Great great recipe!
I just made this and substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream, it was delicious!!
I am going to make this tonight and certainly adding beans, but think I am going to add corn as well. I have some fresh corn still on cobs and some frozen corn and don’t know which would be best for cooking with this dish?
The fresh corn would probably taste awesome, although you’d probably want to cook it somehow first (roast or boil), since it won’t cook much once added to the pasta. Frozen corn is already partially cooked, so that would be easiest. You could just add that to the skillet frozen and let the heat from the pasta/sauce warm it up.
That was soooooo good! I roasted the corn and added a jalapeno, a banana pepper, and a green bell pepper to add some extra veggies. This site is my go to place for recipes and has really helped me get into cooking even on my shoestring budget.
Took the extra few minutes to make the enchilada sauce and it was amazing. This recipe was so successful with my picky family. They loved it and so did I! The only changes I made were throwing in half a can of black beans and baking it for twenty minutes so the cheese melted. thank you SO Much for this awesome recipe!
I tried this with the green enchilada sauce with an extra can of chopped green chilies. It was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!