Finally, an enchilada recipe that is easy to prepare and one the entire family will love.
These slow cooker chicken enchiladas may be one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. All you need to do is turn on your crockpot. Create savory layers by alternating whole wheat tortillas, shredded chicken, spicy enchilada sauce, and melty cheese. Three to four hours later, you can enjoy a deliciously filling meal. You won’t believe that it has less than 300 calories!
I love using the slow cooker any chance I get because it frees me up to do other tasks. For this recipe, I can go run some errands, catch the kid’s baseball game, or even go to a movie while the slow cooker chicken enchiladas are cooking. I must admit though, that I don’t always have the time (and sometimes I’m not patient enough to wait). You can always bake the enchiladas in a 375-degree F oven for about 30 minutes instead. Use a 13×9 casserole dish (and spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom to keep the tortillas from sticking). When everything is nice and bubbly, they’re ready to serve!
Making the Chicken
You can use any leftover shredded chicken you have on hand for these slow cooker chicken enchiladas. If you have the time, we like using skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts to make it fresh. You’ll remove the skin before you shred them – so don’t worry about any added fat there. Using this type of chicken breast really results in the juiciest chicken. You can absolutely use boneless skinless chicken breasts if that’s all you can find, but do keep an eye on the cooking time so they don’t dry out.
Feel free to make things quicker and easier by baking the chicken breasts in advance. They can be cooked a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook the enchiladas. It’s much easier to shred the chicken when it’s cooler, and you’ll also avoid burning your fingers.
Another make-ahead option is to use our Slow Cooker Everything Chicken recipe! Again, the slow cooker will do all the work for you (and you’ll end up with delicious, moist, easy-to-shred chicken!)
It might be cleaner to shred the chicken with a fork, but it’s infinitely easier to shred them with your fingers. After washing your hands, use your index finger and thumb to pull the chicken off the bone. Then, you can shred the pieces into long strands. You can avoid all the mess altogether by chopping the chicken into bite-sized cubes, but the texture of the slow cooker chicken enchiladas will be different from chopped chicken.
Bring on the Flavor
Finally, a word of caution about the seasonings. You might think that one teaspoon isn’t a lot of cumin, but it packs a powerful punch. It has a really strong flavor that can become bitter if you use too much. So, make sure you go easy on the cumin and chili powders – one teaspoon of each is just about perfect!
This is one of those recipes that people find themselves making, again and again, so don’t be surprised if this becomes a regular to your dinner rotation. The whole family will love it – even the picky eaters. You also might find that people want the recipe, so be prepared to share these slow cooker chicken enchiladas! To make this a fully complete meal, serve the enchiladas with this Skinny Mexican Rice.
There’s More Where that Came From!
Want more of these incredible southwest flavors? Try our Skinny White Chicken Enchiladas, these Skinny Burrito Bowls, or our super popular Skinny Bell Pepper Nacho Boats, next!
Our “Flush the Fat Away” Lentil and Vegetable Soup is also loaded with awesome flavors and nutrients! It was created as a stovetop recipe, however, you can cook it in your slow cooker if you prefer! Simply set it to high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
See How to Make Them!
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast filets with skin remove skin before adding to enchiladas
- 16 ounces red enchilada sauce jar, no sugar added
- 4 ounces jalapenos can, optional green chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese reduced-fat, shredded
- 8 ounces sour cream container, fat-free
- 6 whole-grain tortillas medium (corn tortillas are not recommended as they tend to fall apart)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a covered baking dish. Bake until juices run clear when pierced with a fork, after about 35-45 minutes. Remove skin and discard. Shred chicken or cut into bite-sized cubes.
- In a medium mixing bowl add chicken, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt to taste. Add to seasoned chicken: green chile peppers, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1 cup cheese. Mix well. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Leave about 2" in the bottom without filling and fold up. Continue until all tortillas are filled.
- Stack enchiladas in the slow cooker, add a little of the sauce on top of each layer as you stack them. There should be 2 layers of 3 or 3 layers of 2, depending on the size of your slow cooker.
- Combine the remaining enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup sour cream. Pour over the enchiladas. Cover and cook on low 3 to 4 hours, or until hot and bubbly. Cut between each enchilada, and carefully remove them, one at a time, with a large spatula. Pour liquid from slow cooker over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Garnish with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.
Nutrition Information
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If you love to cook with your Crockpot, don’t miss 50 Slow Cooker Recipes Under 299 Calories and the Top 10 Weight Watchers Crockpot Recipes. You can also get more great slow cooker recipes by following our Facebook and Pinterest pages.
Enjoyed this post? Check out more:
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- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Pie
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Enchiladas
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Editor’s Note: Originally published Sep 14, 2012
I prefer corn tortillas for enchiladas, but I'll try this at least once.
my family loved when I made these enchiladas last week! An easy recipe to get a realy good mexican meal that is healthy!! We loved it and it will go on my “make again list”!Â
These are sooo delicious! Thanks!
These are sooo delicious! Thanks!
Great flavor, but like others…it’s a bit soggy in the slow cooker
after seeing this recipe, if i dont win a cookbook…i may just buy one! lol
This was not good at all. It was a big pile of mush. Not one person ate more than a bite. I made it with corn tortillas. Will not make again….very bland as well. Blah!
Believe me when I say that using flour tortillas is a must. Corn does exactly what you said when it gets moist… it turns to mush.
Jen, That's all I use when making these enchiladas! Thanks for the feedback.
I just tried your balsamic chicken dish.. SO yummy 🤤 and can’t wait to try out this recipe! What program do you use to input the recipe to get the nutrition data? Can you please share or email to me so I can track my other meals using it and have updated nutrition info when I have to swap/sub some ingredients. Thanks for all your help!!!
The recipe should not say corn will work…..it doesn't! Also, I would stick with sticking it in the oven rather than the cockpot. Flour tortillas got soggy too.
Yum!
Who can resist enchiladas? Who can resist a meal that is ready when you are? Family favorite. Thanks for the wonderful meals…..
Would this work with Turkey instead? Also if you put in oven instead how high and how long?
Yummy! The whole family will love it!
My hubby and I both loved the flavor of these, but they stuck together. I wish mine would have looked as good as the ones in the picture.
I have a suggestion. with so many recipes calling for cooked chicken, anytime I grill chicken or have any leftover chicken from a meal, I cube or shred it in 2 cup increments (i chose 2cup because my enchilada recipe calls for that amount), and freeze it. That way when you have a recipe needing chicken, pull it out, thaw or not and one step is already done!
Lee Ann, That's a great idea! Thanks for the tip, we'll be using this for future chicken recipes.
You can also freeze the cooked and shredded chicken in muffin tins, then you’ll have about 1/2 cup servings and can defrost exactly how many you need.
Thanks for the tip, Chelsea!
I did this in the oven based on reviews. I used whole wheat flour tortillas instead and made 6 enchiladas- left everything else the same except I used rotisserie chicken to cut the cooking time. I cooked it in a 9×13 dish, sprayed with Pam and a little enchilada sauce on the bottom. 350 for 40 minutes. Delicious!