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.
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- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Enchiladas
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Editor’s Note: Originally published Sep 14, 2012
i left the skin on and the bone too. i cut the bone with shears and put a couple pieces in each tortilla-
it was sooooo good. the bone gives it a good crunch and the skin's slimy qualities elevate this to next level crave territory.
the picture looks like a layered casserole to me instead of rolled enchiladas. I'm probably gonna layer.
I tried this recipe. The flavor was good, but something made the enchiladas sweet! We had difficulty eating them. Anyone know what happened?
Beth, I would have likely been the enchilada sauce used. Be sure to read the ingredients label as some of them contain sugar.
<3 this!! It did take extra prep time with putting the chicken in the oven first, but it turned out delicious! For more heat, I added a red bell pepper and a poblano pepper to the mixture and used Greek yogurt to save on calories. The boyfriend and I loved it! For next time, I do hope they don't break apart though. The enchiladas on the bottom of the slow cooker got a tad soggy and broke apart.
Instead of enchillada sauce, I use my homemade salsa blended up with greek yogurt to lighten it up even more… this is FAVORITE in my family!!!
Dawn, Thanks so much! 🙂
If using ground meat should I put the meat in raw or should I brown it first?
Michael, Cook the ground meat just until the pink color is gone, drain off any fat and then add in place of the chicken.
What happpened to the chicken enchiladas? This one has beef. I would love the original version (how much chicken). Also, the recipe calls for a cup of cheese to go inside of the enchiladas but you make no mention of the remaining 1/2 cup. Does that go on top?
Paula, Here you go: https://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-enchiladas/
Paula, Here you go: https://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-enchiladas/
Paula, Here you go: https://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-enchiladas/
Paula, Here you go: https://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-enchiladas/
I have officially lost count of how many times I have made this recipe. I don't like to repeat recipes much, but I make this nearly every week. As someone who is a little obsessed with Mexican food, enchiladas being my favorite, I found this delicious, incredibly satisfying, and a great healthy alternative!!
Corn tortillas fall apart? Never made enchiladas before, have ya?
Corn tortillas work in the slow cooker. For the slow cooker, if you dip the tortilla in the sauce before wrapping and then cover in the sauce it will work. Mexicans most often use corn tortillas for enchiladas. You can also use a little oil when heating the tortilla on the stovetop before wrapping… if making on the stovetop instead. Olive oil will work.
These were amazing and the whole family loved them! Thanks for sharing!
Audrey, Fantastic! You're welcome!
This recipe was AWESOME! The whole family loved it – so you know it's a winner! Thanks for posting.
Can you use boneless chicken breast instead?
Yes, boneless chicken breasts will work.
How did you arrive at 6 SmartPoints? I just I put the ingredients into the app to create the recipe and I’m getting 13 points per enchilada. I’ve titled it “SkinnyMs. Chicken Enchiladas” if you’d like to take a look. Perhaps I missed something?
(We did the homemade enchilada sauce recipe you referenced. And our store only had reduced fat sour cream, but that can’t be accounting for 7 more points)
Very tasty tho! Will definitely make them again. I’ll just eat less for lunch. ?
Isabelle, I just plugged the numbers into my WWs calculator and I got 8 SmartPints, made the update to the data. So happy you enjoyed the recipe…one of my family’s favorites. 🙂
How many chicken breasts can you use if do boneless?
Alison, Depending on the size, 2-3.
Are the WW points per each rolled up?
Barbara, Yes, the points are for 1 enchilada. 🙂