enchiladas

Check out this easy way to cook chicken enchiladas with cheese and veggies. Even better, make it low carb. You’ve gotta try this healthy Mexican food, my go to for enchilada recipes.

It’s a recipe for creamy chicken enchiladas with veggies, and you can leave out the chicken for vegetarian enchiladas.

Additionally, there’s a section on the best low-carb tortillas and comparison between four types of low-carb tortillas. And last but not least, look at the tortilla on-the-go snacks.

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Indulging in this dish will make you feel better than eating at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Here’s why.

These cheesy chicken enchiladas:

  • include fajita-style vegetables, cheese, and chicken;
  • cost less than eating out;
    are low carb;
  • can be made veggie enchiladas only without meat;
  • would also taste delicious with pinto beans, black beans, or refried beans;
  • may be topped with sour cream and green onions

What You’ll Need for the Recipe

  • 1-2 red (green if preferred) bell peppers
  • 1 package low carb flour tortillas (or regular flour tortillas if not making low carb enchiladas)
  • fresh cilantro (optional)
  • 1 package chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken if not low carb)
    1 sweet onion (red onion works if you have it on hand)
  • vegetable oil spray (or use olive oil)
    milk
  • 1 package cubed Pepper-Jack cheese and/or Mexican-style grated cheese
  • 1-2 poblano peppers

The Enchilada Filling

The enchilada filling in this recipe includes only vegetables, and the meat is mixed into the sauce. Sometimes, however, I mix the chicken with the veggies for the filling. Look at the “How to Make the Enchilada Sauce” section below to see how I make my homemade enchilada sauce.

You can, if you prefer, purchase a green enchilada sauce for the sauce. In fact, my sauce does include my favorite Use one poblano and one or two of the sweet red pepper and the onion. Increase the amount of peppers and onion if you double the enchiladas.

Flour tortillas are used in this recipe, but use corn tortillas if you prefer. I make this recipe with keto-friendly, low-carb flour tortillas.

Easy On-the-Go Snacks for Travel

Besides an easy dinner, this enchilada recipe also would make easy on-the-go snacks. Take a package of low-carb tortillas on road trips.

You can keep a package of tortillas at room temperature for a few days, possibly a week or so. However, the packages may say to be refrigerated for freshness.

Meal Prep for Home or Expediters and Truckers

This recipe is great as meal prep for home meals or for expediters and truckers. Store in an airtight container for freezer meals. Prep time doesn’t take long, and remember that the more leftover enchiladas you have, the less cooking you’ll do.

Expediters, you can include tortillas as one of your food staples. Check out this list of on-the-go snacks and quick meals you can make with a tortilla:

List of On-the-Go Snacks

  • Low-carb tortilla topped with bean dip
    Shredded chicken burrito topped with beans and lots of cheese
  • Burrito with your favorite fillings from canned stuff you keep in your van or truck to eat healthy and save money
  • Roll up a tortilla and dip in a jar of guacamole dip or cheese dip for a snack.
  • Stuff the tortilla with an egg, avocado, and/or cheese.

Check out my “Easy Tortilla On-the-Go Snacks” down below.

Staples Needed for the On-the-Go Snacks and/or Meals Listed Above

  • Tortillas
  • Canned chicken
  • Cans of beans
  • A jar of cheese dip (or grated cheese if you keep it in a truck fridge)
  • Small jar of salsa
  • Guacamole dip in a jar or a sliced avocado
  • Boiled egg (You can usually find them now at truck stops.)

Fancy? Maybe not. But hey, outrageous food costs and high fuel prices give all the incentive needed for frugal meal ideas.

How to Make this Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

It’s very simple to make this easy chicken enchilada recipe for one person, two or more. Look at the recipe for more details on how to make the recipe. First, start the process by boiling a chicken breast (if making the recipe for one person or even two). Or boil several chicken breasts if you’re making this for the whole family.

Next, cool the chicken and shred it. Keep it in the fridge until you need it. Shredding it ahead of time provides chicken for several recipes. I like how it makes easy chicken salad, burrito, sandwich, and soup recipes as well as for these enchiladas.

Cut the veggies into thin slices. Proceed to the next
See “How to Make the Enchilada Sauce” and “How to Prepare the Enchiladas” for the next steps.

How to Make the Enchilada Sauce

Make the enchilada sauce like the one in the recipe, or come up with your own version. I make mine as shown in the next steps below, with shredded chicken. However, you can leave the chicken out and have vegetable enchiladas instead (just as delicious).

Included in this sauce is a store-bought cilantro lime sauce, but you may prefer to make your creamy sauce with fresh lime and cilantro. The sauce (shown here from Amazon) is the same that I use.

In a medium to large size pot, add the Pepper-Jack cheese cubes, milk, shredded chicken, green chiles and cilantro. Heat on medium high and stir occasionally until boiling. Continue to stir until cheese has melted then turn the burner off.

How to Prepare the Enchiladas

Prepare the enchiladas to bake by following these steps:

  • Sauté the veggies.
  • I pan fry them in a large skillet sprayed with a vegetable oil spray. Set aside.
  • Place the amount of flour tortillas you want to make into a 13”x9” rectangle baking pan.
  • Place a spoonful of the veggies into each tortilla and roll up.
  • Pour the sauce over the rolled-up tortillas.
  • If using Swiss cheese, place slices over the tortillas before pouring the cheese/milk sauce over the tortillas.
  • Sprinkle a handful of the Mexican grated cheese on top of the sauce if using the grated cheese.
  • Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, possibly longer if you are using previously-cooked veggies and chicken straight from the fridge.

Make it an Enchilada Casserole

You could make this recipe as an enchilada casserole. Instead of rolling up the filling inside the tortillas, tear the tortillas into strips. Then place them in the pan, add the veggie filling on top, pour the sauce on top of the filling, and top with cheese.

Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Pantry Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas

Keep basic pantry ingredients stocked, and you can make recipes like the chicken enchiladas and other easy meals. For example, you can make patticakepantry.com’s easy enchilada recipe with chicken, green chilies, and cream of chicken soup.

You’ll also need flour tortillas, sour cream, an onion, and cheese. Check out her chicken enchilada recipe for directions.

You will like Pattycakepantry.com’s Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, too. For one thing, she makes it simple by showing the cost per item. In addition, her recipe will be super easy for you if you keep basic canned foods in your pantry.

What You Should Keep in the Pantry

What you should keep in the pantry depends, of course, on food your family likes. Recipes do, however, taste better with seasonings and spices. So take a minute to see the post on Stocking the Kitchen Pantry for Newlyweds.

You’ll notice that most of the ingredients for this flour tortilla enchilada recipe are fresh foods. But let’s say you were in the mood for enchiladas and you didn’t have onions, poblano peppers, grated cheese or chicken breasts. Think of what you could keep in your pantry to at least make enchiladas.

Cans of chicken, green chilies, poblano peppers, cilantro lime sauce, enchilada sauce, and tortillas could bring tasty results. Add a jar of cheese to top it off, and you’ll have wonderful-tasting enchiladas. Let’s take a hot minute to see the best low-carb flour tortillas and a comparison between four types.

Best Low-Carb Flour Tortillas

How does one know the best low-carb flour tortillas to use? It’s a personal preference, though there are many varieties. You’ll find large, small, and some with less points for people like me who like to use the Weight Watchers app.

When you shop for low-carb tortillas, read the labels. You might find a package of flour tortillas that have low carbohydrates but are very high in sodium. So, choose the best ones for you and your nutritional needs.

Comparison Between Four Flour Tortillas

  1. One La Tortilla Factory Low Carb flour tortilla, soft taco size, includes 70 calories, 2.5g fat, 0g cholesterol, 250g sodium, 15g carbohydrates, 9g dietary fiber, 1g sugar, and 5g protein. A package of 8 costs about $4.00.
  2. Ole Mexican Foods Xtreme Wellness High Fiber Low Carb Keto Friendly flour tortilla wraps come in a package of 8. One wrap contains 50 calories, 1.5g fat, 0g cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 11g fiber, 0g sugar, 5g protein.The price per package is a little over $4.00.
  3. Ole Mexican Foods La Banderita CarbCounter Carb Lean Tortillas nutrition label shows that one tortilla has 45 calories, 1g fat, 0g cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 15g carbohydrates, 11g dietary fiber, 0g sugar, and 5g protein. One package of eight costs approximately $4.00.
  4. La Banderita CarbCounter Street Taco Flour Tortillas, 16 ct. package, costs approximately $3.00. One tortilla has 20 calories, 0.5g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 5g carbohydrates, 5g dietary fiber, 0g sugar, 2g protein.

My favorite that I use the most is #4, the La Banderita CarbCounter Street Taco kind. I like these best because they are small and have the best nutritional values.

Check out these easy on-the-go packs from Amazon:


Easy Tortilla On-the-Go Snacks

Take a package of low-carb tortillas on road trips because they make easy on-the-go snacks. You can keep a package of tortillas at room temperature even though the packages may say to be refrigerated for freshness.

Expediters and truckers, you can include tortillas as one of your food staples. Check out this list of on-the-go snacks and quick meals you can make with a tortilla:

  • Low-carb tortilla topped with bean dip
  • Shredded chicken burrito topped with beans and lots of cheese
  • Burrito with your favorite fillings from canned stuff you keep in your van or truck to eat healthy and save money
  • Roll up a tortilla and dip in a jar of guacamole dip or cheese dip for a snack.
  • Stuff the tortilla with an egg, avocado, and/or cheese.

Staples Needed for the On-the-Go Snacks

  1. Tortillas
  2. Canned chicken (Consider stocking up on easy on-the-go packs instead of cans.)
  3. Cans of beans (or packs of beans…easy for on the go)
  4. A jar of cheese dip (or grated cheese if you keep it in a truck fridge)
  5. Small jar of salsa
  6. Guacamole dip in a jar or a sliced avocado
  7. Boiled egg (You can usually find them now at truck stops.)

Fancy? Maybe not. But hey, outrageous food costs and high fuel prices give all the incentive needed for frugal meal ideas.

More Mexican Recipes with Chicken

Look at these Mexican chicken recipes that are easy to make:

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Easiest Mexican Chicken Casserole

Try this Mexican-style chicken soup:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

soup
Easy and Quick Chicken Tortilla Soup

Speaking of soups, you may like this delicious creamy chicken electric pressure cooker dish (a favorite of mine):

Chicken Alfredo Pea Soup

Pressure cooker pea soup
Pressure Cooker Chicken Alfredo Pea Soup

In fact, I’m craving the Chicken Alfredo Pea Soup while I’m telling you about the recipe 🤣. It’s a chilly morning, and this chicken soup sounds good to me.

Okay, on to the chicken enchilada recipe…

I’ve made this recipe with cheese mixed in the sauce only. Other times, as in the featured photo, I add cheese on top. Do what you prefer.

The best way? Use what you have on hand. Or go ahead and purchase all varieties of cheese mentioned in the recipe.

Thank you for visiting Kitchen Southern Hospitality today. I’m off to the kitchen to bake a second batch of the chicken and veggie enchiladas for the week.

Chicken Enchiladas with Cheese & Veggies

easy way to make chicken enchiladas

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 each red sweet pepper
  • 2 each poblano pepper
  • 2 each sweet onion
  • vegetable oil spray
  • 2 Cup shredded pre-cooked chicken breasts
  • 1 Cup 2% milk lactose-free
  • 1 Can green chiles
  • 1 Cup Pepper-Jack cheese cubes
  • 1/2 Package Mexican-style grated cheese or Swiss cheese slices
  • 1 Package Low carb flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Cut the veggies into thin slices, put in a skillet, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Rosemary and Herb Seasoning.

  2. Pan fry in a large skillet sprayed with a vegetable oil spray.

  3. Set aside.

  4. Place the amount of flour tortillas you want to make into a 13”x9” rectangle baking pan.

  5. Place a spoonful of the veggies into each tortilla and roll up.

  6. Set aside.

  7. In a medium to large size pot, heat the Pepper-Jack cheese cubes, milk, chiles and cilantro on medium high and stir occasionally until boiling.

  8. When the cheese and milk mixture begins to boil, turn burner on low.

  9. Continue to stir until cheese has melted then turn burner off.

  10. Using a ladle, pour the cheese/milk mixture over each rolled-up tortilla.

  11. If using Swiss cheese, place slices over the tortillas before pouring the cheese/milk sauce over the tortillas.

  12. Sprinkle a handful of the Mexican grated cheese on top of the sauce if using the grated cheese.

  13. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

  14. If not quite done, bake approximately five more minutes.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can use 1 or 2 of each pepper and the onion. It depends on how many enchiladas you’re making. Or, if you love lots of veggies, use 2 each.

Flour or corn tortillas can be used in this recipe, so use corn tortillas if you prefer. I make this recipe with keto-friendly, low-carb flour tortillas.

Calories are approximate and vary depending on which tortillas you use and are based on one serving of two enchiladas.

Optional: Top with slices of Swiss cheese.

You can use 1 or 2 of each pepper and the onion. It depends on how many enchiladas you’re making. Or, if you love lots of veggies, use 2 each.

 

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