If you have a jar of store bought (or leftover) enchilada sauce – this is what to do with it. Make my easy simmered chicken breast with enchilada sauce recipe. Stuff chicken in tacos or eat with vegetables and rice. It’s so tasty! Let’s make it…
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this enchilada simmered chicken breast recipe.
- Chicken breast tenderloins (or chicken breast cut in tenderloin sized pieces)
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Enchilada sauce
- Cilantro, fresh chopped for serving (optional)
How to simmer chicken breast with enchilada sauce
Now I’ll walk you through it…
- Season chicken tenderloins with salt and pepper.
- Turn a large pan on the stove or cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Add olive oil and once olive oil is hot and shiny, add seasoned chicken. Sear chicken for 3 minutes.
- Flip chicken and add enchilada sauce and water. Turn heat of the burner down to medium and add a lid to the chicken tenderloins in enchilada sauce simmering in the pan.
- Summer chicken tenderloin covered with a lid for 5-12 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. You can flip the chicken tenderloins if they aren’t done at the 5 minute mark. This might help speed them along. The sauce should still be a little liquidy still. If the sauce is getting too thick, reduce the heat to medium low and add a little water (1-3 tbsp) to the pan. This will keep the chicken nice and juicy until they reach the right internal temperature. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of cilantro or make tacos.
Also see this recipe for air fryer chicken breast and how to cook smoked chicken breast…
FAQs
If you’re using chicken tenderloins, which are smaller cuts of chicken breast meat, then you shouldn’t need to bake it after simmering. The reason is because the cuts of chicken are small, they cook quickly and evenly. If you’re modifying this recipe for larger pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast, then you will probably need to bake chicken in the oven (after simmering ~5-10 minutes) so it cooks throughout.
Use up any leftover refried beans, sour cream, black beans, spanish rice and plate it with this chicken in bowls. Or serve up diced chicken with corn tortillas for tacos.
Yes, this recipe works for both red enchilada sauce or green sauce.
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Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about how to simmer chicken using my easy method with enchilada sauce. If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Simmered Chicken Breast With Enchilada Sauce | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp cilantro fresh chopped for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Season chicken breast tenderloins with salt and pepper.
- Turn a large pan on the stove or cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Add olive oil and once olive oil is hot and shiny, add seasoned chicken. Sear chicken for 3 minutes.
- Flip chicken and add enchilada sauce and water. Turn heat of the burner down to medium and add a lid to the chicken tenderloins in enchilada sauce simmering in the pan.
- Simmer chicken tenderloin covered with a lid for 5-12 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. You can flip the chicken tenderloins if they aren’t done at the 5 minute mark. This might help speed them along. The sauce should still be a little liquidy still. If the sauce is getting too thick, reduce the heat to medium low and add a little water (1-3 tbsp) to the pan. This will keep the chicken nice and juicy until they reach the right internal temperature. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of cilantro or make tacos.
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