Easy, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are the perfect weeknight dinner when you’re craving a flavorful Mexican meal. This recipe is quick, easy, and can be adapted to suit a keto, low carb, or gluten free diet.
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I try to make a lot of my recipes easily adaptable to suit a variety of diets. In my home, I usually eat low carb or keto, my fiancé is gluten free, and my kids can eat most anything.
This crazy delicious, easy, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas recipe is super simple to make fit just about any lifestyle. Sure, I have to buy three different types of tortillas, but in my home, they never go to waste.
If you’re in a similar situation and worried about having leftover tortillas, you can meal plan a second recipe for the week that also uses tortillas, or use any extras to make wraps for lunch with Chicken Salad, tuna, lunch meat and cheese, or veggies with cream cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
This is a really quick and easy recipe, especially if you are using leftover or rotisserie chicken. It can be ready and on the table in just 30 minutes.
It’s not only adaptable in that you can make it low carb or gluten free by using certain tortillas, but you can also easily change the flavor. Swap out chicken for beef, or red enchilada sauce for green.
Add an onion, peppers, or a can of diced green chiles for added veggies. I often serve enchiladas over a bed of Spanish Cauliflower Rice, then pour the enchilada sauce on top.
Using canned enchilada sauce is quick and convenient, but not as flavorful as homemade. This recipe has added spices to give these enchiladas the best flavor.
How To Make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- For the best melting and texture it is preferable to shred cheese from a block, rather than use pre-shredded bagged cheese.
- If you are low carb or keto, you may want to use a homemade or specifically low carb enchilada sauce to greatly reduce the total carb count in this recipe. Just be aware that this may add a little time to the recipe.
- You can use corn or flour tortillas. Tortillas now come in regular, gluten free, and low carb options. I prefer Mission Tortillas, but Aldi also has their own brand of gluten free and low carb tortillas that are also pretty good. La Tortilla Factory is another option for low carb tortillas.
The entire recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
How To Make Shredded Chicken for Enchiladas
You can use a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken for these enchiladas. Simply shred the already cooked chicken with two forks.
If you need to cook the chicken, you can bake it, but the quickest and easiest way to cook chicken for shredding is to cook it in an Instant Pot. Two pounds will take about 15 minutes at high pressure, with a natural release of 10-15 minutes.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use a slow cooker. Either start it at night before bed, or early in the morning.
Prep!
In addition to cooking and shredding the chicken, you will need to shred the cheese and preheat your oven to 350°F.
Create!
Making enchiladas is surprisingly simple! There arejust 3 basic steps (more detailed instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Warm the chicken, spices, and enchilada sauce in a skillet. Stir in the cheese.
- Fill the tortillas and fold closed.
- Bake in a casserole dish with enchilada sauce and cheese.
Present!
Serve with sour cream, jalapeno pepper slices, avocado, and/or salsa, if desired.
Try pairing these enchiladas with tortilla chips and Homemade White Queso.
Tips and Techniques
- For the best melting and texture it is preferable to shred cheese from a block, rather than use pre-shredded bagged cheese.
- You can use corn or flour tortillas. Tortillas now come in regular, gluten free, and low carb options.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
FAQ’s
What Are The Best Tortillas For Enchiladas?
Traditionally, corn tortillas are used to make enchiladas. These are naturally gluten free. Flour tortillas can also be used and come in a variety of flavors and can suit different dietary needs, such as low carb or gluten free.
What Is The Best Cheese For Enchiladas?
You can purchase Mexican blend shredded cheese from the grocery store. For the best melting and texture, it’s better to shred cheese from a block. Both cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese are excellent in enchiladas.
Can You Eat Enchiladas On A Keto Diet?
Yes, you can eat enchiladas on a keto diet, however, you will need to prepare them with low carb tortillas and be mindful of the total carbohydrates in the enchilada sauce that you use.
More Mexican Recipes
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Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken (cooked and shredded)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 19 ounce cans enchilada sauce
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded, plus extra for topping)
- fresh cilantro (optional, garnish)
- 8 tortillas (see notes)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium. Add the shredded chicken, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and one can of the enchilada sauce. Cook to warm through.
- Stir in the shredded cheese until completely melted and well combined.
- Divide the mixture among the tortillas. To close, fold in about 1 inch of the tortilla on both the left and right edges, then fold the bottom up. Roll to the top to close.
- Pour enough enchilada sauce from the second can to coat the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Place the enchiladas into the dish and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle on extra cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are hot and bubbly.
- Garnish with cilantro, if using. Serve with sour cream, queso, sliced jalapeno peppers, and/or salsa, if desired.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- For the best melting and texture it is preferable to shred cheese from a block, rather than use pre-shredded bagged cheese.
- You can use corn or flour tortillas. Tortillas now come in regular, gluten free, and low carb options.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
Adam P says
Cheesy indeed!
Darlene Carbajal says
Wow, that looks amazing!
Manda B. says
Yum! Sounds delish….pinning this for sure!
Audrey Stewart says
We made the Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas this past weekend. We loved it.
Tim says
Enchiladas are like casseroles in that they can be made an endless number of ways. We use them as a way to empty out our freezer or cupboards of things that have been around for too long.