Dinner is ready and much lower in carbs than the typical restaurant version with this Easy Chicken Enchilada recipe. Plus, cheese, chicken and tortillas usually please even the pickiest eaters!
After Milly’s diagnosis, we rediscovered the joy of Mexican cuisine. Sandwiches, pizza, subs…many of the foods we used as a quick, easy meal caused blood sugars to run too high. We discovered the protein and cheese that made up many of our favorite foods worked very well in Mexican form. Buying low-carb tortillas or even smaller tortillas instead of the larger ones helped lower the carb count while still keeping the taste and yum factor intact.
Table of Contents
What makes Easy Chicken Enchiladas so easy?
The ingredients are quick to assemble! By using rotisserie chicken or chicken that is already cooked, this recipe mixes together in one bowl in fifteen minutes. Every week I cook a three pound bag of chicken and divide it into portions. By having access to quick protein, meals involve more assembly than actual cooking.
Prepare the baking dish and use the same spoon you used to mix the filling. Then add a scoop to the center of each tortilla. Then, wrap each side to the middle. Place them seam side down in the dish, and the meal becomes a one pot/one pan wonder for easy clean-up.
Don’t let those tortillas crumble!
The hardest part in making these enchiladas is rolling them. Tortillas can be somewhat stiff even when first out of the package. They will definitely be stiff if coming straight from the fridge.
If your flour tortilla seems to crumble or break when rolling it around the filling, warming the stack of tortillas is a quick fix. Zap all twelve for about twenty seconds in the microwave!
Another trick to roll them uses hot water and clean kitchen towel. Use hot water to warm and dampen a clean kitchen towel and lay it in top of the stack. The steamy warmth helps the tortillas release from each other and become more pliable.
Twelve Chicken Enchiladas?
Yes! In a 9×13 baking dish, twelve small flour enchiladas fit. Add ten in a row and then place two on the side. One of the advantages to this recipe is that smaller enchiladas mean more Easy Chicken Enchiladas! Two smaller servings have a similar carb count to a regular, larger serving. Most folks agree that two of anything is better than one. As a result, a sensible portion feels like even more.
Creamy and Cheesy
By pouring a cup of heavy cream over the tortillas, a magical sauce appears. The cream softens the flour tortillas and prevents them from drying out as they cook. In addition, topping with a cup of cheese allows the two toppings to melt together and form a light, cheesy sauce in the bottom of the dish. Spoon the sauce over the top to add even more creamy, cheesiness.
If fat spikes or concerns about cholesterol prevent using heavy cream, half and half or even whole milk can be substituted. When using either of those ingredients, use 3/4 a cup rather than a full cup since those liquids contain less fat and tend to pour more easily. Dairy free folks can use almond milk with success as well, but use about half a cup and cover the pan more tightly with aluminum foil. The sauce will not be as thick and creamy, but the enchiladas will still soften.
Regardless of the type of milk used, the steam created softens the shells. The opposite is also true. Evaporation dries the shells out and makes them more crispy if the aluminum foil is removed.
Ready to eat!
A side salad with sour cream or Greek yogurt and salsa complements the creaminess of the dish beautifully. Mexican cauliflower rice or even cauliflower rice simply mixed with salsa adds extra staying power and nutrition. Sides such as fat-free refried beans, tortilla chips, guacamole, tomatoes, roasted onions and peppers…the possibilities abound.
At our house, I always double the recipe and serve the second batch a day or two later after the enchiladas soak in the sauce. They reheat beautifully, and cooking once to eat twice takes an item off my to-do list!
I serve them with a side salad on day one and guacamole with peppers and tortilla chips on day two. If we have company or want to stretch the meal further, we add Mexican cauliflower rice and fat-free refried beans as well. Switching up the sides adds variety to the meal and makes dinner time more simple all around!
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
- Bowl
- Measuring spoons (tbsp and tsp)
- Measuring cups (1 cup and ½ cup)
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken breast Cooked and shredded
- 8 oz Lite cottage cheese
- ½ cup Fat free Greek yogurt
- 4 oz Canned green diced chilis
- ½ cup Salsa Choose your preferred level of heat!
- 1 tsp Garlic salt
- 1 tbsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Onion powder
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 12 6 inch Flour tortillas
- Cooking spray
Instructions
Set Up
- Preheat oven to 375
- Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray
- Set heavy cream, cheddar cheese, and tortillas to the side
Make the filling
- Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl
- Adjust seasonings as desired
Preparing to bake
- Fill each flour tortilla down the middle with a heaping spoonful of the chicken filling. Spread the filling to reach across the length of the tortilla
- Roll the edges of the tortilla around the filling and place it with the seam side down in the greased baking dish
- Pour the heavy cream on top of the tortillas making sure that each tortilla has a line of cream down the center. The cream will run down the sides to cover the tortillas and blend into a sauce
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the tortillas
- Cover with aluminum foil and crimp the edges to create a seal around the edges of the pan
Bake
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and some of the filling is melting out of the ends of each enchilada
- Remove aluminum foil and bake until the top of the enchiladas are golden brown
Notes
- If you want to go lower carb, use low carb tortillas or even a lavash bread to lower the carb count.
- To lower the fat, use reduced fat cheddar cheese and half and half.
- Lower sodium by using garlic powder instead of garlic salt.
Delicious!! Using small tortillas we made 17 enchiladas and had two dinners – Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! Two meals are definitely better than just one!