This is the easiest Chicken Enchilada Casserole you will ever make. Using fresh chicken and your own homemade sauce, you get some of the best Mexican you will ever enjoy. Plus it is healthy with 7 gr of fat and less than 300 calories per serving.
Introduction
I love it when my wife suggests a recipe, and that hap,pened with this recipe, but this is not even close to that inspiration recipe. I will not name that recipe due to some issues I have with it.
I ended up with a crock pot variation of my Healthier Chicken Enchilada Casserole in 60 Minutes which is a stovetop/oven recipe.
I do love that recipe. I use fresh chicken and make my own enchilada sauce (which I love) to braise the chicken in before shredding.
And by using lower fat cheese, corn tortillas, and well-trimmed chicken, that recipe had under 300 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving.
Before I made enchiladas with a rolled method. It was much fussier and messier. The oven recipe recipe solved that issue, but this version is half the work.
My Rating
A lower five from my wife first and then I joined in. I would really say high 4 or low 5. I prefer the oven version slightly but this is minimum work.
🐓The Chicken
I suggest skinless boneless chicken breasts. Anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds will do.
If you want to use skinless thighs, it will work, but you need to get to the 180° internal temperature range to shred well. Probably about 3 to 3 ½ hours before shredding.
You can use pre-cooked chicken. You need about 3 cups, which will be about 1 ½ pounds. The sauce needs to cook a bit (about 1 hour should do) before adding the pre-cooked chicken.
⏰Cooking Time
This is the biggest issue with most of the online crock pot recipes with chicken. Those recipes typically cook the chicken for 8 hours before shredding on low and 4 hours on high. Well, I have been around the block a few times, and I see no reason to kill the chicken a second time. Generally, chicken breast in chunks will take 2 ½ to 3 hours on low.
While a whole breast may take a bit longer, it won't be that different. Mine are generally done in 2 ½ hours, but some pots may run a bit cooler and need 3 hours.
The thing about casseroles is that most people what some browned cheese on top, and think you can't do that in a crock pot. But cheese browns fairly well in a crock pot. It takes about an hour.
✔️Tips
You could also use can sauce, but really do you want to do that?
You can use ½ of a smaller onion for the onion powder. 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic for the garlic powder.
I used a lower fat but not fat-free cheese to stay on the lower fat theme. You can use full fat.
This is not spicy, and you could add a touch of cayenne pepper.
Some green chilis and black beans would be good additions.
Toppings of your choice, but we just use sour cream and some chopped onions.
Chicken thighs would be fine but would need 15-30 minutes more cooking time since they should be at about 180° to shred well.
Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
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🖼️Step-by-Step Instructions
I suggest raw chicken breast but you can use thighs. You can use pre-cooked chicken. You need about 3 cups which will be about 1 ½ pounds. The sauce needs to cook a bit (about 1 hour should do) before adding the pre-cooked chicken.
Trim two skinless boneless chicken breast and cut into three pieces each. Aim for about 1 ½ pound, but anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds total should be fine.
In a 2 ½ to 4 quart crock pot add one 15 oz. can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
Add the chicken pushing into the sauce to cover a little. Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Internal temperature needs to be about 165° to shred well. 180° if using thighs.
Chop 6 corn tortillas (6-inches) into bite-size pieces. Stir into crock pot when you remove the chicken for shredding. Mix well to coat all sides and break apart any that stick together.
Remove the chicken to cutting board and shred.
Return the shredded chicken to crock pot, add ½ cup shredded cheese and mix well. Smooth top.
Top with 1 ½ cup of the same cheese.
Cook one additional hour then serve with toppings of choice.
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts - 2 breasts
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 6 corn tortillas - 6-inch
- 2 cup shredded cheese
- Toppings of choice.
Instructions
- I suggest raw chicken breast but you can use thighs. You can use pre-cooked chicken. You need about 3 cups which will be about 1 ½ pounds. The sauce needs to cook a bit (about 1 hour should do) before adding the pre-cooked chicken.
- Trim two skinless boneless chicken breast and cut into three pieces each. Aim for about 1 ½ pound but anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds total should be fine.
- In a 2 ½ to 4-quart crock pot add one 15 oz. can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
- Add the chicken pushing into the sauce to cover a little. Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Internal temperature needs to be about 165° to shred well.
- Chop 6 corn tortillas (6-inches) into bite-size pieces. Stir into crock pot when you remove the chicken for shredding. Mix well to coat all sides and break apart any that stick together.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred.
- Return chicken to crock pot, add ½ cup cheese and mix well. Smooth top.
- Top with 1 ½ cup of the same cheese.
- Cook one additional hour until browning. Then serve with toppings of choice.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This is for a crock pot of 2 ½ to 4 quart. A double recipe works well in a 6 quart crock pot or bigger.
- You can use precooked chicken. If you do, cook the sauce on low then for about 1 hour then add the tortilla and chicken.
- You can use canned sauce but really you don't want to do that. Mine is much better.
- This is not spicy, and you could add a touch of cayenne pepper.
- The sodium is a bit high for some people. You can cut the salt in half and not notice it much.
- Some green chilis and black beans would be good additions.
- Toppings of your choice but we just use sour cream and some chopped onions.
- If you use thighs, you will want to get them to about 175° or more to shred well.
- Nutrition calculated on lower fat cheese and chicken breasts. Serving size of about 1 cup.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition
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Originally Published April 22, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Cathy
If I use precooked chicken in the crockpot chicken enchiladas
recipe, what is the total cooking time? Is this what you would do: Cook 1 hour on low for sauce, then add chicken, tortillas, 1/2c cheese and cheese topping. Then cook another hour on low? Thanks so much!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the blog.
Cook the sauce on low for 1 hour to help the flavors come to gather. Than add the chicken, tortilla and cheese. Mix. Top with cheese then 1 more hour.
Dan
Dennis McMullan
Dr Dan,
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your site. It has helped me so many many times. I'm retired and have been cooking for my wife and myself. I also cook for a program at my Church called Thursday Meals This is for the sick and shut-in's, most cases I prepare food for 60 to 65 individuals. Before I retired I also fixed meals for my Team at work 25 to 30 individuals Including Managers and Directors, on Thursday. Well to make a long story short They nick named me Chef Bubba. so again Thank you and thank all who make this site so great Thank you, Dennis McMullan (Alias Chef Bubba)
S. Eckels
Dr.Dan, what temperature do we cook the sauce on in the crock pot before inserting the chicken, high or low for one hour?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
The sauce will cook with the chicken. So, no need to precook the sauce.
Dan
Miranda
Have you tried using a hand mixer directly in the crock pot to shred chicken? It’s super fast but does produce a finer shred.
DrDan
Great handy hint. I have not tried it but if it is finer shred, my wife would not be happy. When you look at any of the pictures of shredded meat on the site, it is more of a "chunky" shred which is as far as she will go.
Thanks for the note
Dan
Anne
Thanks for another great recipe, Dr. Dan! I made this the day after you posted it, using my 2.5-quart Casserole Crock Pot. We loved it. For the two of us, it yielded two dinners and one lunch. I did make a couple of minor changes based on what was in my kitchen (as cooks do), but I followed your basic recipe and couldn't have been happier with the result. This one's a keeper!
DrDan
Hi Anne,
Sorry for the delayed reply.
This one is just supper easy. I use my 3.5 qt. most of the time anymore but a 2.5 should work most of the time.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
MartinSlult
Hi All im rookie here. Good art! Thx! Love your stories!
Dutch67
Dear Doc,
First, I enjoy your site and weekly emails. Second, I'm with you on the length of time the chicken breast needs to cook. Dried out breasts are awful! Less time, better results.
Third, this recipe is similar to one my wife makes starting on the stove top and finishing in the oven. She calls it "Deconstructed" Cabbage Rolls. All the flavors of the Balkans and Central Europe are there, but it's much less laborious/fussy to execute yet tastes just as good as the official version. I expect your similar style enchiladas will be easier to make yet just as enjoyable.
Finally, keep up the good work, Dr Dan! It's a labor of love--that's obvious.
DrDan
Sorry for the delayed response.
The overcooked chicken is just careless and 9 in 10 seem to do it. I think they all just copy. Now that cabbage roll thing sounds interesting I may look into it.
Thanks for the compliment and thanks for the note.
Dan