Sharing my healthy chicken enchiladas today! Try my Chicken Vegetable Enchilada for your next family dinner, healthier and absolutely delicious!
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
Are you ready for some healthy chicken vegetable enchiladas? You are going to love this “lower” fat version I have developed for you. I’m not completely crazy, so I still add cheese to the top of my enchiladas, low fat or not. Some things you just can’t get rid of in my opinion, but as always, you can certainly leave out the cheese….but don’t. Lol!
You’ll also find that I have a homemade enchilada sauce for you. If you haven’t made your own enchilada sauce, you are going to love it. I swear, no matter if the label says mild or not, most enchilada sauces at the grocery store are so spicy for my kids. I finally took matters into my own hands and developed my own. This one is similar to the one that is in my cookbook, but I use some greek yogurt to make it a little creamy. Yum! Can’t wait for you to try this one. Enjoy friends!
Try my Skinny Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.
How To Make Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil into a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Saute your onions and garlic for 5 minutes then add your chicken broth, cornmeal, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer this mixture plus diced or crushed tomatoes to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer sauce to a large bowl and stir in 1/4 cup greek yogurt. Spoon about 1/2 cup sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
- Heat remaining olive oil into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute your leeks or onions, chopped asparagus and zucchini for about 5 minutes. Add your cooked chicken pieces. Spoon chicken and vegetables into the center of each warm tortilla. Roll and place seam side down into your baking dish. Continue filling and rolling until pan is filled. I used about 12 per pan. Continue with another pan if you have remaining ingredients or save for another use. Pour enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove and serve hot.
How To Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- You’ll add some cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir. The mixture will be chunky and thick. Add a can of diced or crushed tomatoes to a high powered blender along with your thick mixture. Blend until smooth. Transfer all of this to a large bowl and stir in your greek yogurt. Sauce is done!
Here is what your sauce will look like. I’d say it takes about 10 minutes to make. Not bad for homemade sauce!
Now that your sauce is done, we can whip up the enchilada filling. I used some of our favorite vegetables. I have asparagus, zucchini and fennel with some roasted chicken I found at Trader Joe’s.
Saute all of your vegetables with some olive oil until softened slightly, about 5-8 minutes.
Add your chicken and get ready to fill those corn tortillas.
How To Assemble Chicken Enchiladas
Spoon about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of your baking dish. Add a couple spoonfuls of chicken and vegetables into the center of warm white corn tortillas. Carefully roll and place seam side down into your baking dish. Continue until your pan is full. Pour your sauce over top.
Spread your sauce evenly then sprinkle with just a little shredded cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Ahhhh, dinner is served. Enjoy!
Healthier Chicken Vegetable Enchiladas
Ingredients
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 15 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
Enchilada Prep
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound or about 3 cups chopped fresh asparagus
- 1 zucchini halved and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fennel or onion
- 3 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken breast
- 12 white corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Heat the olive oil into a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Saute your onions and garlic for 5 minutes then add your chicken broth, cornmeal, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer this mixture plus diced or crushed tomatoes to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer sauce to a large bowl and stir in 1/4 cup greek yogurt. Spoon about 1/2 cup sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
- Heat remaining olive oil into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute your leeks or onions, chopped asparagus and zucchini for about 5 minutes. Add your cooked chicken pieces. Spoon chicken and vegetables into the center of each warm tortilla. Roll and place seam side down into your baking dish. Continue filling and rolling until pan is filled. I used about 12 per pan. Continue with another pan if you have remaining ingredients or save for another use. Pour enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove and serve hot.
Hi I stumbled upon your site today. This recipe looks delish! I have a picky 6-year old son. I’m amazed that your boys will actually eat the enchiladas, and the veggies too. What’s your secret? 🙂 I need to get my just-turned-6 year old to eat more veggies and a better variety of foods. He eats all fruits but just a couple of veggies and prob. the same 10 things over and over for lunch and dinner. I’m not a good cook either so I get burnt out when he continually rejects my efforts! 🙁
You are by far my favorite source for recipes! Love how you make it all homemade and the kids usually love it!
Thank you for your sweet comment Kelsey! Hope you continue to enjoy 🙂
Kelsey, that’s really nice of you, thanks for the comment.
Made this tonight for dinner, it was excellent! I used fat free sour cream in place of the yogurt.
I came across your web site and saw these enchiladas and just had to make them. I’m so glad that I did…..they were really good and I will be sure to make them again! My daughter loved the filling as I was putting it all together. I’m glad that she saved me some. *wink*
I really need to learn how to make enchiladas. It’s been on my list for a while.
Love your labeled step by step photos (and you can never go wrong with enchiladas!)!!
What nice and healthy spring enchiladas!
I am going to make this very soon. I love enchiladas, but its almost impossible to make them low in calories or healthier than the usual bystanders.
Made these tonight and the family loved them!! Will be making them again! Yum!
So glad to hear it Emily, thanks for sharing!
WOW, I need these for dinner!
I love all of the veggies in there!
BEST Monday night dinner ever. Now if only it were waiting for me when I got home from work 🙂 🙂
this looks ridiculously good, Jenny! i love a good veggie enchilada that is on the skinny side!
Wow, this looks so healthy! This looks like an amazing recipe for enchiladas! I love that you even made a homemade sauce.
Thanks so much 🙂
Homemade enchilada sauce? Oh, and how simple it looks! You make me so very happy..I cannot wait to try this recipe 🙂
Thanks so much Diana!
Wow, this looks SO delicious and I love that it’s skinny! Way to go with making your own sauce, too! Saving this scrumptious recipe for soon.
Thanks Georgia!
Thank you. Sounds so good and I will be making it in the future. Have a great day!
Thanks Liz, you’ll have to let me know how you liked it.
Those look delicious! I have made enchiladas with my own homemade sauce too, but I use chili powder to give it a little spice. I love your “skinny” recipes, as my family is trying to eat healthier too.
I use chili powder in mine too 🙂 Yum!
It’s been way too long since I’ve made enchiladas. Love the lighter version!
Thanks Paula 🙂
These enchiladas look absolutely delicious! I love that you put cornmeal in the sauce as a thickener. Makes perfect sense!
In your enchilada filling picture there is vanilla yogurt. Is that supposed to be there? I’m trying to figure out where it would go and don’t want to mess up if it’s really supposed to be there. Thanks.
Yes, Kasey, after you blend the sauce you stir in the yogurt 🙂
These are awesome- can’t wait to try that sauce!
This looks so great!! Anytime I do a skinny recipe ,I use 2% cheese…still great to me!! Love this 🙂
I need to try that enchilada sauce for SURE! These look so good!
Love that you’re thinking about my waistline. 😉
I should probably do more of that!
Omigoodness, these look sooo good! And a healthier version… Although I love my dishes loaded with all sorts of maybe-not-the-best-for-you goodness, it’s nice to have a tasty ‘skinny’ version too!
these look delicious, but even more important, you’re so good to do the step by step photos. They stress me out!
A perfect & healthy family meal!
Wonderful family meal!
These look absolutely wonderful! And cheers to homemade enchilada sauce!
It never occurred to me to make my own enchilada sauce! I’m definitely trying this recipe soon. I love that it’s skinny…but keeps the cheese!
Thank you for keeping the CHEESE!!! 😉 And, for the less spicy sauce…I love really spicy, but my hubby is just not a fan. He loves enchiladas, though, so this is PERFECT! Thanks!
This looks so crazy good! I am on a mexican food kick so I WILLL be making these! Like maybe tonight!
This is just what I needed too : an enchilada sauce that won’t be to hot for the kid ! Thank you Jenny !
Oh my. We are an enchilada-lovin’ family, and I think this recipe is a must for us! I love the inclusion of the zucchini; I adore that stuff like crazy!
These look so yummy Jenny! Love that cheesy shot, and totally trying your homemade enchilada sauce! 🙂 xoxo