These healthy chicken enchiladas are the perfect mix of comfort food flavors and nutritious ingredients. With the chicken breast and whole wheat tortillas, they’re naturally high in protein and fiber, but it’s the homemade enchilada sauce that makes them a meal planning must-have. Smoky, bold, and a little spicy, you will definitely be making these again!
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Healthy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
My family loves these chicken enchiladas, especially on busy nights when we need something cozy and filling
The tortillas soak up the homemade red enchilada sauce, which adds flavor and warm spices into every single bite. Top them off with a little Greek yogurt, avocado and cilantro to balance the heat, and you’ve got a new go-to on your hands!
For more delicious Mexican food, be sure to try out these Authentic Mexican Chicken Fajitas and my Low Carb Chicken Fajita Casserole too!
Why We Love These High Protein Chicken Enchiladas
- Uses simple pantry staples so you can avoid excess sodium, sugar, and preservatives
- Easy to throw together at the last minute
- Ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
- Fantastic for meal prepping (and they make a great freezer meal, too!)
- Packed with lean protein from the chicken breast to help keep you full for longer
- Family-friendly flavors to feed the whole crew
Ingredient Notes
- Broth: Use a low sodium chicken broth for this recipe. You can also sub in vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand.
- Seasonings: Bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder infuse plenty of flavor into the shredded chicken.
- Chicken: Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you need to get supper on the table ASAP, you can also use a rotisserie chicken and skip the steps where you cook the chicken from scratch.
- For the red enchilada sauce: When mixed together, the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and chili powder incorporate a nice smoky flavor into the sauce.
- Tortillas: Swapping white for whole wheat tortillas increases the fiber, iron and B vitamin content. You can also use gluten-free tortillas if there are any intolerances.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Enchiladas – Step-By-Step
Step 1: Prepare Shredded Chicken
- Place a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, and onion and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts to the pot, bring back to a boil and cover with a lid, reducing heat to medium. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
- Using two forks, shred the cooled chicken. Transfer the shredded chicken to a bowl and add ½ a cup of the cooking liquid, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, green chiles, tomato paste, and a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Step 2: Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- While the chicken is poaching, prepare the easy enchilada sauce. In a sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to low, keeping the sauce warm until ready to use.
Step 3: Make Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce (about 1/2 cup) on the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole or baking dish. Divide chicken mixture equally between the tortillas (about half a cup per tortilla) by piling it up on the bottom half of each tortilla and rolling it into a tube.
- Place enchiladas seam side down on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Once all the enchiladas are in the pan, pour remaining enchilada sauce over them evenly. Top with shredded cheese, if desired. Spray the bottom side of a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the dish.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Serve warm and garnish with desired toppings.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable healthy enchiladas recipe!
Tips for the Best Enchiladas
- When making this chicken enchiladas recipe, typically I use large 10-inch whole grain tortillas but you could also use 7-8 inch tortillas if you want the enchiladas to be smaller. If you use the smaller tortillas, the recipe will make about 10-12 enchiladas.
- To get dinner on the table super fast, I recommend preparing the chicken and red enchilada sauce recipe ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble the enchiladas when meal times rolls around.
- If you’d like to make this recipe even quicker, you can skip step number one (the part about cooking the chicken breasts) and instead sub in 3 cups of store-bought rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken.
- You can also add black beans and corn to the shredded chicken mixture to give it more texture and flavor.
- If you choose to melt cheese on the enchiladas, try Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar cheese, or Pepper Jack cheese since these cheeses tend to have a better melting consistency.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, although for best results I would recommend prepping the enchilada sauce and shredded chicken and storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the enchiladas.
You can also bake them in advance if you prefer. They still turn out really good when reheated!
Typically 8-10 inch flour tortillas work well for enchiladas. If you go the corn tortilla route, 6-inch tortillas are typically a good size as they fit in most baking dishes.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Refrigerator: Allow the baked chicken enchiladas to cool completely before storing. Cover entire dish with plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezer: You can make up the enchiladas and freeze them unbaked for up to 3 months. You can cook them right from frozen for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Baked enchiladas can also be frozen. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat: Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Broil on low for 5-8 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and the tortillas are slightly crispy.
How to Serve High Protein Chicken Enchiladas
I highly recommend topping these healthy enchiladas with any of the following:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Diced tomato
- Sliced jalapenos
- Salsa
- Green onions
- Diced red onion
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Refried beans (try these homemade low sodium refried beans)
- Black beans
- Salsa verde
- Corn kernels
- Squeeze of lime juice
They also taste great paired with a salad like this Grilled Corn Avocado Salad or with this Cilantro Lime Slaw.
Enchilada Variations
- Swap out the tortillas: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- Use beef: You can use leftover taco meat or fajita filling as a substitute for chicken.
- Add beans: Spread some refried beans onto the tortillas before adding the chicken or mix in some black beans along with the chicken filling.
- For a vegetarian alternative: Replace the chicken with a variety of flavorful vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini. Further enhance the dish by adding extra beans and cheese for a satisfying and hearty option.
- Add a kick of heat: Add some diced jalapenos to the shredded chicken mixture before wrapping in the tortillas.
- Swap red for green: Try a green enchilada sauce instead of the red sauce!
More Healthy Mexican Recipes
- Chicken Burrito Casserole
- Grilled Chicken Street Tacos
- Authentic Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
- Crockpot Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Healthy Taco Seasoning
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas {High Protein}
Ingredients
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken breasts
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 4 oz can mild green chiles
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 large whole grain tortillas (10-inch)
- 1-2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- Place a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, and onion and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts to the pot, bring back to a boil and cover with a lid, reducing heat to medium. Cook chicken for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
- While the chicken is poaching, prepare the enchilada sauce. In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, keeping sauce warm until ready to use.
- Using two forks, shred the cooled chicken. Transfer the shredded chicken to a bowl and add ½ a cup of the cooking liquid, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, green chiles, tomato paste, and a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce (about 1/2 cup) on the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole or baking dish. Divide chicken mixture equally between the tortillas (about half a cup per tortilla) by piling it up on the bottom half of each tortilla and rolling into a tube.
- Place enchiladas seam side down on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Once all the enchiladas are in the pan, pour remaining enchilada sauce over them evenly. Top with shredded cheese, if desired. Spray the bottom side of a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the dish.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve warm and garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
- When making this chicken enchiladas recipe, typically I use large 10-inch whole grain tortillas but you could also use 7-8 inch tortillas if you want the enchiladas to be smaller. If you use the smaller tortillas, the recipe will make about 10-12 enchiladas.
- To get dinner on the table super fast, I recommend preparing the chicken and red enchilada sauce recipe ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble the enchiladas when meal times rolls around.
- If you’d like to make this recipe even quicker, you can skip step number one (the part about cooking the chicken breasts) and instead sub in 3 cups of store-bought rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken.
- You can also add black beans and corn to the shredded chicken mixture to give it more texture and flavor.
- If you choose to melt cheese on the enchiladas, try Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar cheese, or Pepper Jack cheese since these cheeses tend to have a better melting consistency.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in February 2016 and was updated in May 2023 to include better tips and photos. The text, photos and formatting were updated again in July 2025.
These are outstanding! So much flavor! I have never made my own enchilada sauce before and this is so much better than any I’ve had. It’s very customizable as far as heat and toppings. I think it would be great with beef or shrimp. too.
That’s amazing, so happy you loved the recipe! I agree, it would be very tasty with other protein sources too :) Thanks so much for returning to leave a rating and review!
Could you make this recipe in a crock pot?
Hey Jo! I haven’t personally tried making this recipe in the slow cooker. I’m sure it could work, but the outside of the tortillas probably wouldn’t be as crispy as they would be if you were to bake them in the oven. I’m sure they’d still taste good though! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it out :)
Made these the other night. They were so delicious and very filling! I’m going to try Elysia’s recommendation to add beans and corn to the recipe next time too!
Amazing!! So glad you guys enjoyed them! Definitely try it with the beans and corn…adds even more heartiness to the recipe :)
i’ve made this and it was delicious. We decided it’s a keeper. And will be making it again tonight. Thanks. I didn’t use store-bought broth. Instead, I simply boiled the chicken with plain water, bay leaf, oregano and onions, to make homemade broth.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Fanny! Love how you made your own homemade broth as well — always better than store-bought! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
These look so fresh and delicious. Definitely something the family would love me to make for them. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much Amy! It’s a family favourite in our house!!