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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Enjoyed this post? Check out more:
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- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Enchiladas
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Editor’s Note: Originally published Sep 14, 2012
Michele, Great idea!
Instead of chicken, what kind of beef could I substitute? And how much beef could I use?
You could use ground beef, about 1 pound.
I have made these twice now. Once in the crockpot where the shells came out soggy and once in the oven. The flavor is so intense that I really wanted them to work in the oven and they did. Huge hit and I think a new family favorite.
How long did you have them in the oven? At 350* ?
Barb, 30- 45 minutes should do it. Check them after 30.
One of mine AND my family's favorite meals year round!
This is my favorite SkinnyMs recipe! So delicious!
This is my favvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv because it has yummy ingredients and the kids love it!
Can't do flour tortillas…..have a gluten allergy!
This is my favorite recipe so far….I think it is because your photo of it makes it looks delicious!
This is in the 2nd paragraph of the directions.
might I suggest eliminate the first step by purchasing a (whole) rotisserie chicken and shred off the bone that way?
Cynthia, The only thing is that most rotisserie chickens are full of preservatives and added sodium. 🙁
Just as the instructions state: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breast on the bone, with skin, in a covered baking dish, bake until juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Chicken should have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Allow to cool. Remove skin and bones, discard. Shred chicken or cut into bite size cube
These were delicious. I used the regular oven method. Might use a little more enchilada sauce next time.
The whole family loved them.
can I use ground turkey instead of chicken? I don' t like chicken in my taco/enchilada's.
Sure, that will work.
seems like nobody read the recipe before commenting. "The recipe should not say corn will work." The recipe SAYS corn will NOT WORK. "I'd love to,know if it will work with corn tortillias," !!! "Has anyone tried this with corn tortillias? " Remember literacy?
if u read through all the comments there are varying opinions about types of tortillas for this recipe. Some say wheat only, some say corn is great, some say flour only.
I think, perhaps, some slow cookers cook differently than others and so some recipes just need some tweaking. And perhaps some of those people used too much liquid….
Would this work if you substitute red enchilada sauce with tomatillo sauce? I thought they were great- a bit soggy, but really good. One of my kids was not thrilled with the red sauce, so I was hoping the milder green might help.
Colby, Yes, try the verde sauce next time. 🙂