Easy Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

These easy-to-make Tequila-Lime Chicken Enchiladas are made with hands-down the most unbelievably delicious marinade and sauce ever. Like my Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas, this make-ahead dish is great for meal prep. And it comes together in about an hour and 30 minutes, including 30 minutes to marinate the chicken, and serves 8.

This recipe differs from authentic chicken enchiladas and features shredded cooked chicken marinated in tequila, lime juice, and a “secret” ingredient: brown sugar. Wrap all this sweet deliciousness in a tortilla with shredded cheese, then top it with an out-of-this-world sauce made with salsa verde, crema (a Mexican-style cream), and yes, even more cheese.

Featured comment

Sharon, this recipe is SOOOO good. I've fixed it many times and always receive compliments. I'm leaving a comment today because I shared it with my Cookbook Club, and everyone really loved it. I can't tell if it's the tequila, the lime, or the combination of the two that makes the taste unexpected and yet so delicious for what you're thinking an enchilada will taste like. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. – Harriet

Key ingredients

Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you; it all comes together quickly. You can find the complete list, including measurements, in the recipe card below.

You will need tequila, brown sugar, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, chicken, and flour tortillas. You will also need Monterey Jack cheese or a Mexican blend, green enchilada sauce, salsa verde, and crema. 

• Chicken: I usually use a rotisserie chicken to keep things easy, but you can also make my easy oven-baked bone-in chicken breasts and use the leftover chicken here. You will need about 4 small or 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded, instead of using the rotisserie chicken. 
• Enchilada sauce and salsa: If you’d rather make your salsa from scratch, the homemade salsa verde in my green chicken enchiladas with homemade salsa verde is another option.
• Crema: If you can’t find crema or don’t have it, you can substitute sour cream thinned with milk or half-and-half. You can also use heavy cream instead. 
• Brown sugar: You can substitute honey, pure maple syrup, or corn syrup.
• Tortillas: Yes, I know authentic enchiladas call for corn tortillas, or they aren’t authentic. This recipe is Southern-meets-Tex-Mex, and I prefer flour tortillas. If you prefer corn, by all means, use them instead.
• Lime juice: This is one of those recipes where fresh lime juice is best. Please don’t use bottled lime juice. I have, however, used frozen lime juice before, and it did work.

How to make Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1. Mix the tequila, brown sugar, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl until the brown sugar is dissolved. 
2. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a plastic storage bag or bowl and pour in the marinade. Make sure all of the chicken pieces are saturated. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. The longer the chicken marinates, the better. 

3. When you are ready to bake the enchiladas preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Mix the green enchilada sauce with the salsa verde and crema. Set aside.

5. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray. Pour one-half cup of the enchilada sauce mixture into the bottom of the dish and spread out evenly. Set aside. 
6. Drain the chicken and reserve any remaining marinade. Mix the chicken with three cups of the shredded cheese.

7. Place a heaping one-half cup of the chicken and cheese mixture in the center of a tortilla.  

8. Roll up as tightly as you can. Place the rolled tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. You should be able to fit eight enchiladas in the dish.

9. If you have leftover marinade, add up to one-half cup to the enchilada sauce mixture you made earlier and stir to combine.
10. Pour this mixture over the enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded cheese.

11. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and the cheese has melted.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Sharon’s tips

• It’s just my husband and me, so instead of making one large casserole, I usually divide the enchiladas up into several dishes and bake one and freeze the rest. One and a half enchiladas are a good serving for most appetites. 
• If you do divide the enchiladas up into smaller meals and dishes, they will take less time to bake, so watch them. 
• Leftovers are even better the next day and can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. I usually heat them in the microwave. 
• This dish freezes beautifully and should be frozen unbaked. Cover tightly and store in your freezer for up to three months. Before you cook it, allow it to defrost overnight in your fridge and follow the directions for baking. 
• As you would expect, this is a great make-ahead dish. You can make it up to 24 hours ahead and store it in the fridge unbaked. Before baking, take it out about 30 minutes to come to room temperature, then bake as directed. 

What to serve with this casserole

For an easy Tex-Mex dinner, serve these enchiladas with my Mexican chopped salad with honey lime dressing; the fresh vegetables and tangy lime dressing are a nice contrast to the rich, cheesy enchiladas.

Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas FAQs

More Mexican-style or Tex-Mex recipes

Love Mexican or Tex-Mex food? You might also be interested in these other tasty recipes: 

Need more menu ideas or recipes? Here is a link to all of my Cinco de Mayo recipes and another link to a curated collection of Cinco de Mayo Food Ideas.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I’d love to know how it turned out for you, whether you’re Team flour or Team corn tortilla, or if you made any substitutions and how that worked out.

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