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Two healthy chicken enchiladas on a plate topped with homemade enchilada sauce, Greek yogurt, avocado, tomatoes and cilantro.
Course Main Course

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

By: Elysia
Servings 6 enchiladas
These healthy chicken enchiladas make a satisfying and delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy! Shredded chicken is wrapped up in flour tortillas and topped with homemade enchilada sauce for the ultimate flavourful dish. Ready to serve in approximately 30 minutes, they are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner! 
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 medium onion quartered
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts skinless and boneless
  • 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 9x13 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 flavour.
  • 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

Calories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 32gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 634mgPotassium: 898mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 680IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 3mg
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