Description
Hearty slow cooker chicken enchiladas blend Mexican culinary tradition with comforting home-style cooking. Savory shredded chicken, melted cheese, and rich sauce create a delightful meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 lb (454 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 4 ounces (113 grams) can diced green chiles
Seasonings and Spices:
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Base and Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 cups (473 milliliters) enchilada sauce (red or green)
- ½ cup (75 grams) chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 8–10 small corn tortillas, cut into strips or lightly fried
- 1 cup (113 grams) shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
Optional Toppings:
- Sliced avocado
- Sour cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced jalapenos
- Black olives
Instructions
- Warm a skillet over medium heat, infusing the kitchen with the aromatic blend of sautéed onions, minced garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Let the spices dance and release their fragrant essence for about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken into the slow cooker, generously coating it with enchilada sauce, vibrant green chiles, and the previously sautéed onion mixture. Season with a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.
- Securely cover the slow cooker and allow the chicken to tenderize, cooking on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the meat effortlessly pulls apart.
- Extract the chicken from the simmering sauce, using two forks to gently shred the meat into succulent strands. Reintroduce the shredded chicken back into the sauce, ensuring each morsel is well-coated.
- Create layers of flavor by carefully nestling tortilla strips or lightly fried tortillas over the chicken mixture. Intersperse generous sprinkles of cheese between the layers, creating a molten landscape of texture and taste.
- Drench the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce, then crown the dish with a final lavish layer of cheese.
- Return the slow cooker to high heat, allowing the cheese to melt into a bubbly, golden blanket for 20-30 minutes.
- Garnish with your favorite optional toppings and serve the enchiladas piping hot, ready to delight eager diners.
Notes
- Enhance flavor by toasting whole spices like cumin and chili powder in the skillet before adding to create a deeper, more robust taste profile.
- Opt for low-sodium enchilada sauce to control salt content and accommodate heart-healthy diets.
- Make this dish gluten-free by using corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas and checking that enchilada sauce is certified gluten-free.
- Reduce cooking time by using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, which can be shredded and added directly to the slow cooker sauce for a quicker meal preparation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-8 hours
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg