Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas: With all of your favorite chicken enchilada ingredients simmered in a crock pot and topped with cheddar cheese, this easy slow cooker enchilada recipe will be a family favorite in no time!
Our family loves the flavors of Mexican food. Enchiladas, street tacos, and beef and cheese burritos make a regular appearance on our dinner menu. We’ve turned them into a creamy chicken chili, a tasty chicken casserole, a layered taco appetizer dip, taco pinwheels and even taco soup! And now, I’m sharing a twist on classic baked enchiladas that you can make in your slow cooker!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Slow cooker enchiladas are an easy weeknight main course. You can pop the ingredients in the slow cooker on low for most of the day and have a delicious meal ready to eat in about 30 minutes.
Sometimes, the thought of filling and rolling a big pan of enchiladas is a little overwhelming. This recipe for slow cooker chicken enchiladas simplifies that process. There is no rolling, no mess and I don’t even have to turn the oven on!
The familiar flavors of cumin, chiles, chili powder, garlic and onion are a crowd pleaser so this is a great recipe to make for pot lucks, family dinners and taco Tuesday!
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Ingredients
You can grab all of the ingredients for this crockpot chicken enchilada casserole at your local grocery store and they are easy to keep stocked in your fridge, freezer and pantry.
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 lbs)
- One 28 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
- One 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- One 4 oz. can of mild green chiles
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- One 15 oz. can of corn, drained
- 10 corn tortillas, cut into strips
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
See the printable recipe card below for ingredients, nutrition information and detailed recipe notes.
Instructions
This slow cooker recipe is very simple, but we’ve made sure to include step-by-step instructions with photos below to ensure that your crockpot chicken enchiladas are a success!
- First, spray a 6 quart slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place 4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 – 2 lbs) in the slow cooker insert.
- Then, in a large bowl, combine 28 oz. of enchilada sauce, one 15 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed), one 4 oz. can of mild green chiles, 1/2 of an onion (diced) and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Now, pour the enchilada sauce mixture over the raw chicken in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low or for 3-4 hours on high. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees E.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the crockpot. Shred the chicken and return it to the crock pot.
- Add the 15 oz. can of corn (drained), the tortilla strips and the juice of one lime to the chicken mixture in the crock pot. Stir to mix well.
- Now, sprinkle the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the mixture in the crock pot. Replace the lid of the crock pot and cook for an additional 30 minutes on high or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve the crock pot enchiladas hot with optional toppings: lime wedges, sour cream, chopped chives, fresh cilantro, diced onions, green onions, black olives, salsa, avocado slices and guacamole.
Substitutions & Variations
Slow cooker recipes are generally pretty forgiving and flexible. Here are a few ways you can adjust the ingredients in these crock pot chicken enchiladas.
- Try pork instead of chicken – You can use an equal amount (amount 2 lbs.) of boneless pork tenderloin or boneless pork shoulder in place of the chicken.
- Try a different cut of chicken – Like dark meat? You can use boneless chicken thighs as well.
- Increase the heat – If you prefer spicier enchiladas, you can use hot green chilies, a Mexican style can of corn and serve with jalapeños.
- Add taco seasoning – If you want to add even more spice, sprinkle a packet of chicken taco seasoning over the chicken breasts before adding the enchilada sauce mixture to the crock pot.
- Use homemade enchilada sauce – While a can of enchilada sauce is easy, if you love your recipe for homemade enchilada sauce, you can absolutely use it for crock pot enchiladas.
FAQs
Enchiladas can be made with many different fillings, but traditionally, an enchilada is filled with meat (chicken, beef or pork), cheese, sauce, and vegetables/beans.
We do not recommend using frozen chicken breasts in this recipe as the chicken would be at a low temperature for too long.
The most popular options are cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese or a Mexican blend of cheese. I’ve even seen enchiladas made with queso, so feel free to use your favorite cheese. We love to sprinkle a little cotija cheese or queso fresco on the top of our enchiladas, too.
Storage
Store the leftover slow cooker enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More slow cooker entree recipes
The convenience of a dinner made in the slow cooker is a game changer for busy families. Here are a few of our favorites ways to make mealtime easier (and delicious!):
- Slow Cooker Goulash
- BBQ Pork Steaks in the Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
- Cherry Cola Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a review below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 ½ – 2 lbs
- 28 oz red enchilada sauce
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 4 oz. can mild green chiles
- ½ onion diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 15 oz. can corn drained
- 10 corn tortillas cut into strips
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- First, spray a 6 quart slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spary.
- Place 4 large chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 lbs) in the slow cooker.
- Then, in a large bowl, combine 28 oz. of enchilada sauce, one 15 oz. can of black beans, one 4 oz. can of mild green chiles, 1/2 of an onion (diced) and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Now, pour the enchilada sauce mixture over the raw chicken in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the crock pot. Shred the chicken and return it to the sauce in the crockpot.
- Add the 15 oz. can of corn, the 10 corn tortillas that have been cut into strips and the juice of one lime to the chicken mixture in the crock pot. Stir to mix well.
- Now, sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken mixture in the crock pot. Replace the lid of the crockpot and cook for an additional 30 minutes on high or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with optional toppings: sour cream, chopped chives, chopped cilantro, salsa, diced onions, avocado slices and guacamole.
Notes
- We don’t recommend using flour tortillas in this recipe as they tend to get very soggy. So, we find that yellow or white corn tortillas work best.
- Refrigerate leftover crock pot enchiladas in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Carolyn B says
Allie can say is thank you!! Finally- an easy enchilada recipe I can make in the crock pot!
Kellie H says
So easy and delicious! Love this recipe.
Journa Liz Ramirez says
We enjoyed these chicken enchiladas. They’re so tasty and satisfying. We’ll surely have this recipe on repeat!