These Enchilada Cups are the perfect alternative to classic tacos or enchiladas! They are the cutest idea for a new and improved Mexican dinner or a bite-sized appetizer!
Fill with shredded rotisserie chicken, ground beef, steak or veggies! Your choice, but one thing I do promise you is that you may never go back to traditional enchiladas again!
Enchilada Cups
I love a good Mexican dinner night. Tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chips and salsa… just writing about it seriously makes my mouth water! I will almost never say no to Mexican food.
But, it can be hard to find ways to switch it up. I often feel like I am just sticking to the same group of recipes. Don’t get me wrong, my family begs for our Easy Taco Bake Casserole and our Beef Taco Ring, but sometimes I need to shake it up.
So, when I saw these enchilada cups, I was so excited to give them a try. They are such a fun and cute idea for a new and exciting Mexican inspired dinner! And it turns out, they are so easy to make. They are just as easy as any of my tried and true recipes mentioned before.
Enchilada Cups in a Muffin Pan
Another big bonus with these guys, is that they are much less messy than a traditional enchilada or taco! Which makes them the perfect game day appetizer!
Since you make a little tortilla cup for all of the ingredients to sit in they eliminate the mess that comes with a regular taco. You know, when everything is falling out the bottom or sides!
Not to mention, my family has gone bonkers for these! I love to make them when the kids have friends over because I KNOW they will eat them right up.
One batch usually feeds 4 people, so I tend to make at least two batches every time and in about an hour I’ve got a fun and delicious Mexican dinner.
You have to give these chicken enchilada cups a try (or try them with beef too!). They are so fun and delicious. Read on to get the ingredients list and instructions!
Enchilada Cups Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed for your enchilada cups. Please make note that your personal ingredient list might be a bit different! It all depends on the toppings and sides you like with your enchiladas! I’ve listed some ideas for things you might need in the section at the end of this post!
- 12 small flour tortillas
- 10 ounce can of red enchilada sauce
- 14 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounce can of green chilies
- 2 ½ cups of shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie has extra flavor!)
- ¾ cups of corn
- 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning
- 1 cup of shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Roma tomatoes, diced small
- Sour cream topping (optional)
Aluminum foil balls for each cup
How to Make Enchilada Cups
I love how easy these enchilada cups are to make! They come out super impressive with little fuss!
- First, make the tortilla cups using the muffin pan. You are basically going to place one in each cup (they will fit snugly in the cup) and put an aluminum foil ball inside each cup to help keep its shape. Then bake them until the edges of the tortillas are just starting to brown and crisp (do not overcook them).
- Next, make the filling. Combine the enchilada sauce, black beans, green chilies, chicken, taco seasoning and corn together in a large mixing bowl.
- Carefully spoon the filling into each cup and place cheese on top of each tortilla.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is warm. Top with toppings of choice.
Tips for Making the Perfect Enchilada Cups
Here are a couple of tips to help you with making your enchilada cups! They are pretty easy to put together, but after having made them many times these are the things I have learned to be sure they turn out just right.
- Warm the tortillas one small batch at a time before pressing them into the cup.
- Try not to press too hard on the tortillas so that they don’t tear, but make sure that the bottom is pressed in the muffin pan gently pleating the edges of the tortilla in the muffin cups so they will sit up when done baking and removed from the pan.
- If you’re using a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and you can shred it in your stand mixer with the regular mixing paddle. Put the chunks of meat in the mixing bowl and start with a slower speed, and gradually increase to about medium speed until the chicken is shredded to your liking.
What Type of Meat to Use in Enchilada Cups
I recommend using a rotisserie chicken. I prefer this for a few different reasons. First of all, rotisserie chickens are cheap and FULL of great flavor. Second, this makes the recipe even easier! I don’t have to do anything to prepare the chicken, except pick it up from the store and shred it up!
Another option for using chicken in your enchilada cups is to use canned chicken. If doing so, make sure to drain it well and pat it dry!
You can also choose to use ground beef! This gives the cups more of a taco vibe and less of an enchilada taste, but I have tried it before and it turned out delicious! If you’re making a big batch for a large group you could even do half and half (chicken AND beef)!
What to Serve with Enchilada Cups
There are endless possibilities of things you could serve with your enchilada cups! Pretty much anything that would go well with tacos or enchiladas would go well with these.
I listed a few ideas above, such as cilantro and sour cream, but here are a few more ideas just to get your creative juices flowing!
- Jalapeños
- Chips and salsa
- Refried or black beans
- Mexican rice
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Black olives
- Queso Dip
More Mexican Recipes
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- The BEST Chicken Enchiladas
- Rotel Dip
- Campfire Nachos
- The Best 7 Layer Dip
- Walking Taco Bar
- Cheesy Taco Dip
Enchilada Cups
Video
Ingredients
- 12 small flour tortillas
- 1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
- 1 14-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 4-ounce can green chilies
- 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken rotisserie has extra flavor!
- ¾ cup corn
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1-2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 Roma tomato diced small
- Sour cream topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds so they are more bendable.
- Using a regular size muffin pan place one tortilla in each cup and gently press the tortilla down into the cup, pleating the tortilla where necessary, to form a cup. Roll an aluminum foil ball to place lightly inside each cup (not pressing down too far into the cup) to help it keep its shape.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cups has hardened slightly on all sides. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
- While cups are baking in a large mixing bowl combine the enchilada sauce, black beans, green chilies, chicken, corn and taco seasoning mixing well.
- Carefully spoon the filling into each cup until the cup is full.
- Place a small amount of cheese on top of each cup. Return pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling has heated up.
- Remove from the oven and serve as is or sprinkle each cup with cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes. You can top with sour cream if desired.
Jenn’s Notes
- Warm the tortillas a small batch at a time before pressing into the cup.
- Try not to press too hard on the tortillas so they don’t tear but make sure the bottom is pressed to the bottom of the cup so they will sit up when done baking and removed from the pan.
- If using rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and you can shred it in your stand mixer with the regular mixing paddle. Put the chunks of meat in the mixing bowl and start with a slow speed and gradually increase to about medium speed until the chicken is shredded to your liking.
- You can use canned chicken if it is drained and patted dry.
Nutrition Info
These enchilada cups have easily become my favorite Mexican dinner and my go-to appetizer! They are so cute, easy to make, and perfect for a crowd. Not to mention, I can switch them up every time I make them. You will have so much fun making and serving them.
Recipe inspired by Gimme Some Oven
I made this with vegan chicken and it was delicious. My husband loved it too. So easy to make too.
Can these be made ahead and reheated?
I would recommend serving right after baking them
Can these be frozen?
These were amazing! I can’t wait to make them again!