You know how much I love easy slow cooking – and I am always trying to come up with new slow cooker recipes that really hit the mark with my family – particularly with my children. If you enjoy the flavours of Mexican food, then you’ll probably count chicken enchiladas as one of your favourite Mexican dishes. There’s something comforting about the combination of tender chicken, a spicy tangy sauce, and melted cheese – all wrapped in warm soft tortillas.
But making enchiladas from scratch can be time-consuming on busy nights, especially if you’re looking to cook something midweek and don’t have the time – or energy. That’s where a slow cooker (or crockpot) can be a complete game changer – and really make cooking fresh, tasty family meals as easy as one, two, three… And what’s great about my slow cooker chicken enchiladas is that you can have a delicious meal that is stress-free and with minimal ingredients.
What are enchiladas?
A traditional Mexican dish, enchiladas consist of tortillas filled with a variety of simple ingredients, including meat such as chicken, beans, vegetables, cheese, and a variety of spices. The tortillas are then covered in a red enchilada sauce, topped with more cheese, avocado, sour cream, jalapeños, and other toppings, and baked.
How are these slow cooker enchiladas different?
By using a slow cooker, you can turn raw chicken breasts (or skinless chicken thighs) alongside spices and tomatoes into a tasty enchilada chicken filling – to be used for traditional cheesy chicken enchiladas as I’ve mentioned above, or as a chicken enchilada casserole (see below), over tortilla chips to make homemade nachos – or even rice, for a filling meal. I like to fill soft tortillas with the filling and other extra toppings and eat them as wraps – not only is this easy and delicious, but a great way for the family to tuck in and suit their own tastes.
What ingredients are needed for crockpot chicken enchiladas?
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need for slow-cooker chicken enchiladas. This recipe is designed to serve up to six people, but you can easily double it if you’re feeding a larger crowd or want leftovers. For the slow cooker chicken enchiladas recipe you’ll need:
– 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or around 650g skinless and boneless thighs)
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 1 sachet of taco seasoning
– 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
– 1 teaspoon of oregano
– 2 cloves garlic, crushed
– 1 carton of passata
– 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
– 100ml chicken stock or chicken broth
– 100g grated cheddar cheese (or a cheese of your choice like Monterey Jack)
To serve – you can use these optional ingredients
– 8–10 soft corn or flour tortillas
– Extra cheese
– Sour cream
– Sliced avocado
– Jalapeño peppers
- Fresh coriander or cilantro for garnish
– Sliced spring onions or green onions for garnish
How to make these slow cooker chicken enchiladas
Prepare the chicken filling – start by prepping your slow cooker. Place chicken breasts or thighs to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Then add all the rest of the ingredients (apart from the grated cheddar cheese) including the passata, spices, a pinch of salt and pepper, onion, black beans and stock cube/stock pot.
Cook the chicken – Set your slow cooker to low and cook the chicken enchilada filling for 6–8 hours (or 3–4 hours on high). The chicken will become tender and easy to shred by using two forks.
One of the benefits of slow cooking is that the chicken will absorb all the flavours of the sauce and spices. Once you’ve shredded the chicken, you can then sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the chicken enchilada filling, then continue to cook on low for another 20-30 minutes until all the cheese has melted. At this point, I like to also add some chopped fresh coriander/fresh chopped cilantro before serving.
How to make crockpot enchilada casserole
If you’re not in the mood for wrapping your own enchiladas, you can make this a one-pot casserole recipe by adapting the above recipe. Add corn tortilla strips or torn pieces (around 4 tortillas is enough) to the shredded chicken filling, making sure the strips are covered in the sauce. Then add the cheese on top – and cook until all the cheese has melted. This can then be served with extra toppings.
Serving easy crock pot chicken enchiladas your way
One of the great things about slow cooker chicken enchiladas is how adaptable the recipe is. Here are a few ways to make it your own and with simple ingredients – you can also serve them in different ways, too.
Add vegetables – If you want to add more veggies to the dish, consider mixing in some sweetcorn, chopped peppers (bell peppers), chopped courgettes or spinach to the chicken mixture around 1-2 hours from the end of cooking.
Make it spicier – If you prefer spicier food, add chilli powder cayenne pepper. You can also opt for a spicier taco seasoning or throw in some chopped jalapeños for an extra kick.
Switch up the protein – While chicken is the star of this recipe, you can easily swap it for other proteins like minced beef or pork. If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and double up on beans and vegetables for a hearty, meatless meal.
Can you freeze leftovers?
If you have leftovers or want to make a big batch, this slow cooker chicken enchilada freezes well. Put the chicken filling in an airtight container and then freeze for up to three months. Make sure you defrost thoroughly and heat on high.
Slow cooker chicken enchiladas offer all the delicious flavours of traditional enchiladas with the added convenience of slow cooking. The tender, seasoned chicken combined with cheese and sauce wrapped in soft tortillas will be a hit for the whole family. Whether you’re a busy parent looking for an easy dinner or just someone who loves the taste of homemade enchiladas, this recipe is the perfect choice.
Easy slow cooker chicken enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or around 650g skinless and boneless thighs)
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 1 sachet of taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 500 g carton of passata
- 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 100 ml chicken stock or chicken broth
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 100 g grated cheddar cheese
- Freshly chopped coriander for garnish
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients
- Place the chicken breasts or thighs at the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Then add the onion, passata, chicken stock, drained black beans, taco seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, crushed garlic cloves and a good pinch of salt and pepper. (see note 1)
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until you can easily shred the chicken by using two forks.
- Once the chicken is shredded, add the grated cheese on top and cover again and continue to cook for another 30 mins or more until all the cheese has melted.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander before serving.
- I like to serve the chicken enchilada filling in warm tortillas with avocado, sour cream and jalapeño peppers. Or serve over tortilla chips and extra toppings to make nachos, or even over rice or potatoes of your choice. You can also make a chicken enchilada casserole (see note 2).
So tasty and so easy. Even my fussy teen loved it!