Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
These Healthy Chicken Enchiladas are protein-packed, full of chicken and white beans and lightened up thanks to the use of Greek yogurt over sour cream.
Hi Friends!
I’ve got another easy weeknight dinner for you. These Healthy Chicken Enchiladas come together quickly because they use chicken that’s already cooked. I’ve made a few easy swaps to lighten things up and help make these enchiladas a better choice for a weeknight dinner.
What Makes These Enchiladas Healthier
I made a few simple swaps to these enchiladas to make them healthier:
- Beans – Many enchilada recipes include chicken along with lots of cheese and sour cream. This recipe adds an entire can of beans. I prefer Great Northern Beans because of their mild flavor. Plus their color helps them blend into the filling making them less noticeable to more selective eaters. I take it a step farther by mashing the beans which helps them blend into the filling even more.
- Greek Yogurt – Most recipes include sour cream in the filling to help make it creamy. This recipe uses mashed beans to add some creaminess and ask swaps the sour cream for Greek yogurt which is higher in protein and lower in fat.
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients
The best thing about these enchiladas is that they use a lot of pantry ingredients which makes it easy to ensure you always have the ingredients on hand, especially if you’re using canned chicken. Here’s what you need:
- Chicken – The kind you use is up to you, it just needs to be pre-cooked. Use canned chicken, leftover chicken from another dinner, rotisserie chicken or make your own slow cooker pulled chicken. Use the Instant Pot if you’re in a hurry.
- Great Northern Beans – These are my favorite for this recipe but you can use whatever kind you have on hand. Black beans and pinto beans work great as well.
- Plain Greek yogurt– to add some creaminess. You could also use sour cream.
- Spices– I use a mix of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt. You could also use Homemade Enchilada Seasoning.
- Diced green chilis – An easy way to add flavor. You can use mild or spicy.
- Cheese– I prefer to shred my own because it melts so much better. Colby Jack is my favorite but a Mexican blend or sharp cheddar work well too!
- Tortillas – I typically use flour tortillas just because they stay together better for rolling but you can use corn tortillas if you prefer.
- Enchilada sauce – Most of the time I’m in a hurry so I use canned enchilada sauce. Choose your favorite brand – just make sure you have around 20 oz. And you can use red or green enchilada sauce based on your preference.
How To Make Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
To make these enchiladas, just follow a few simple steps:
- Mash the beans in a large bowl.
- Add chicken and shred (if needed).
- Add yogurt, cheese, chili and spices and stir to combine.
- Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas and roll closed, placing them seam side down in the pan.
- Toss with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake!
Best Enchilada Sauce for Chicken Enchiladas
The best part about enchiladas is you can really use whatever sauce you want! I often grab my favorite from the store to save time – there are some great options from Somos, Frontera and Siete Foods.
You also get to decide whether you like red or green enchilada sauce better!
If you prefer to make your own there are tons of great recipes out there. Try The Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce or learn How To Make Enchilada Sauce.
How To keep Enchiladas From Getting Soggy
There’s always a debate about what kind of tortillas to use when making enchiladas and to me it comes down to personal preference. I grew up eating them made with flour tortillas so that’s what I use but if you feel that flour tortillas get too soggy, you can use corn tortillas.
For best results with corn tortillas, flash fry them in oil before filling them. The oil will create a bit of a barrier to keep too much sauce from being absorbed. It also helps warm the tortillas which allows them to roll easier without breaking.
And finally, you can opt to skip the thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Just make sure you spray the pan with oil before placing the filled tortillas in it.
Make-Ahead Version – Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
To make enchiladas ahead of time you can make the filling and even fill the tortillas, but I would not cover with enchilada sauce and top with cheese until you’re ready to bake.
If you prefer a make-ahead casserole with similar flavors, use corn tortillas cut in half and layer like a lasagna. Start with a thin layer of sauce, then line the bottom of the pan with corn tortillas, top with some of the chicken mixture and repeat. Top with cheese and bake.
What To Serve with Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas make a robust meal on their own but if you’re looking for something to serve with it, try:
- White Chicken Chili
- Kale and White Bean Salad
- Cowboy Caviar with chips for scooping
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
PrintHealthy Chicken Enchiladas
These Healthy Chicken Enchiladas are protein-packed, full of chicken and white beans and lightened up thanks to the use of Greek yogurt over sour cream.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 (12.5 oz) cans of chicken, drained (or 1.5 pounds cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 (15.5 oz) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis, drained
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2–3 cups shredded colby jack cheese, divided
- 2 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce *
- 6–8 (8-inch) flour tortillas (or you can use corn tortillas if you prefer)**
- For topping – avocado, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, pico de gallo etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place drained beans in a bowl. I like to mash mine so they’re less noticeable but you can leave them whole if you prefer.
- Add chicken and shred chunks apart if using canned chicken.
- Add yogurt, 1 cup of cheese and spices and mix well.
- Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce.
- Spoon chicken mixture into 6-8 tortillas (depending how full you want them to be) and place seam-down in the pan.
- Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
- Top with 1-2 cups shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Notes
*If using homemade enchilada sauce you’ll need 2 – 2.5 cups. If you prefer less sauce, you don’t need to use 2 whole cans.
**If using corn tortillas, frying them for 10 seconds per side before filling them can help keep them from getting soggy
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas FAQs
What can I use instead of sour cream in enchiladas?
You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream in enchiladas. It will help keep them creamy with more protein and less fat. Full fat Greek yogurt will work better than non-fat.
Why do my enchiladas get soggy?
Enchiladas get soggy when the tortillas absorb the sauce. To help minimize this you can skip the layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. You can also choose corn tortillas instead of flour and fry them quickly in oil for 10 seconds per side before filling. The oil will form a barrier to keep the tortillas from absorbing so much sauce.
Can you make chicken enchiladas ahead of time?
If making traditional enchiladas, you can make the filling ahead of time but I would wait to assemble the enchiladas and top with sauce and cheese until just prior to baking.
Are chicken enchiladas healthy?
It depends on the recipe. This recipe is healthy thanks to the use of lean chicken for protein, beans for additional protein and some fiber and the use of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for less fat.
Can you freeze chicken enchiladas?
Yes. You can assemble and freeze before baking or bake, let cool completely and then freeze and reheat in the oven or microwave.
Need more Mexican-inspired dinner recipes?
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Taco Salad
- Slow Cooker Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
