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Say hello to this delicious and tasty midweek dinner – Chicken Enchiladas . This recipe uses shredded chicken, lots of vegetables to keep it healthy and a tomato based sauce, all rolled in your favourite wraps and topped with cheese. It’s a meal prep dream, can be frozen and easily adapted to be Slimming World friendly.
Oh hi favourite midweek meal of the moment! We’ve eaten this dish a few times over the last few months whilst I’ve been getting it just right and we still haven’t tired of this Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe.
Honestly, I have no idea how authentic my Chicken Enchiladas are (not very I’d guess). But I think, like fajitas, it’s one of those dishes that have become (or possibly in the UK are becoming) a regular feature.
I’m not desperate to be too authentic, as long as it’s delicious and everyone enjoys it – who’s with me?!
You’ll love this recipe because:
✅ They are a hit with the whole family!
✅ It’s packed full of veggies and tastes SO GOOD!
✅ It freezes, so is great for meal prepping or make ahead dinners.
FAQs about the Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
How do you make Chicken Enchiladas?
You make these Chicken Enchiladas by adding cooked chicken to a spicy sauce with vegetables, wrap them in tortillas, and top with a little more sauce and some cheese, before putting them in the oven to heat through. I like to use a mixture of Mozzarella and Red Leicester cheeses to give good cheeeeeeeseyness (def a word right?) and also a lovely golden colour.
They end up soft and delicious inside, with a crisp cheesiness on the outside.
How do you make homemade Enchilada Sauce?
The secret to these amazing enchiladas is my homemade sauce. It is a thick creamy tomato based sauce cooked with peppers, onions, and spices. It also makes a super tasty and easy sauce that also works well with pasta!
My top tip…briefly fry the pepper (capsicum) pieces before adding to the sauce. This isn’t necessary, but I just like the slightly smoking flavour that charred edges give.
How do you cook chicken to be shredded for Chicken Enchiladas?
This recipe for Chicken Enchiladas specifies cooked, shredded chicken. You can use leftover cooked chicken, or the meat from a Rotisserie chicken.
If you don’t have any cooked chicken, just buy the same weight in chicken breasts raw, and as you make your enchilada sauce, cook them in a another pan.
I like to cook them for shredded chicken by boiling them in a pan of water for about 25 minutes, this keeps chicken breasts super moist.
Is this recipe spicy?
I’d say it’s low to medium spice, suitable for children. You can adjust the amount of spice by using less or more chilli powder. You could also add chopped chillis on top before serving if you want some extra spice.
Which tortillas should you use for Chicken Enchiladas?
Use whichever type of tortilla you prefer, if you’re using very small (mini) ones you may need more than the amount specified in the recipe.
Corn tortillas work really well (available from Ocado) or if you’re following the Slimming World plan, just substitute in a wrap that is specified as one of your Healthy Extras.
Sometimes I use wholewheat wraps for this too to increase the fibre content.
Can you freeze Chicken Enchiladas?
OMG Yes! Chicken Enchiladas freeze really well for an even quicker meal on busy evenings. Just cover well and freeze before baking.
The tortilla wraps can go a little bit softer than when cooked on the same day. This isn’t the end of the world, but if you do want to avoid this, just freeze the sauce/filling and then assemble the defrosted filling with fresh wraps on the day you want to serve them.
What to serve with Chicken Enchiladas:
I mean, they are a meal in their own right, but if you fancy a little bit on the side(!) try:
- Coleslaw
- Tortilla chips with dips (we love Guacamole, Sour Cream and Salsa!)
- A mixed bean salad
- Maybe even some rice!
Fancy some other easy chicken recipes?
- How about my One Pan Chicken Pesto Bake – A firm family favourite.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore? A simple way to make a classic dish!
- Simple Sticky Chicken Teriyake – a brilliant, quick, healthy midweek meal.
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make this Chicken Enchiladas recipe. Please rate the recipe and leave me a comment below if you do.
Also, if you fancy showing me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations.
How to make the Chicken Enchiladas recipe:
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 680 g Passata
- 1 Onion, Chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tbsp Mild chilli powder
- 600 g Cooked chicken, shredded, See recipe notes
- 160 g Tinned sweetcorn, Drained (or frozen if you prefer)
- 2 Red or green peppers, Deseeded and sliced
- 8 Tortilla wraps
- 100 g Grated cheese, See recipe notes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and chilli. Cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat until the onions are almost cooked through, coloured and fragrant.
- Add in the passata, turn up the heat to medium, put a lid on the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove two large spoonfuls of the sauce to a bowl and put to one side (this is for underneath and on top of the rolled tortillas).
- Remove from the saucepan from the heat and add in the chicken, sweetcorn and peppers. Mix thoroughly and if you have time, allow to cool a little so it's easier to roll the tortillas.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Lay the tortillas out and share the mixture evenly between them. Put half of the reserved sauce on the base of a baking dish and spread out.
- Roll each tortilla up and place on top of the thin layer of sauce, being sure that the open end is at the bottom, so the weight of the tortilla keeps them shut.
- Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle on the cheese.
- Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until the inside of the enchiladas is hot and the cheese has melted.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My daughters (age 8) new favourite meal.
Didn’t use already cooked chicken, just sliced up a few chicken breasts and cooked along with the peppers and onion. 😊
Really easy to make. I left out the chilli powder as my offspring won’t eat anything spicy. Still a nice flavour. Easy to make a vegetarian and meat option at the same time.
These have become a firm family favourite. The Red Leicester cheese was brilliant now a family staple for melted cheese recipes.
Made these tonight for the first time. We loved them. Never shredded chicken for enchaladas before. Game changer. Thank you.
Oh fab, so pleased they went down well Helen!
Made these tonight – family loved them !
I made these tonight for the first time and my fussy children ate it all and asked for seconds!