Description
Mexican-inspired slow cooker chicken enchiladas deliver rich, comforting flavors from tender shredded chicken and melted cheese. Hearty ingredients blend seamlessly for a delicious meal you’ll savor with family and friends.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast or thighs, boneless, skinless
- 2 cups enchilada sauce (red or green)
- 8–10 small corn tortillas, cut into strips or lightly fried
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 4 oz (113 g) canned diced green chiles
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
- Sliced avocado (optional)
- Sour cream (optional)
- Chopped cilantro (optional)
- Sliced jalapenos (optional)
- Black olives (optional)
Instructions
- Aromatic Foundation: Heat oil in a skillet over medium temperature. Sauté onions, garlic, cumin, and chili powder until fragrant, releasing their vibrant essence.
- Slow Cooking Fusion: Transfer sautéed aromatics to slow cooker. Add whole chicken, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and salt. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until chicken becomes incredibly tender and effortlessly separates.
- Texture Transformation: Remove chicken and meticulously shred using two forks. Reintegrate shredded meat into the developing sauce, ensuring complete flavor distribution and uniform coating.
- Layered Assembly: Construct enchiladas by strategically placing tortilla strips over chicken mixture. Generously distribute cheese between layers, creating a molten network. Drench with remaining enchilada sauce and crown with a final cheese layer.
- Final Culmination: Continue cooking on high setting for 20-30 minutes, allowing cheese to melt into a golden, bubbling landscape. The dish should emerge with crisp edges and a molten interior.
- Culinary Presentation: Garnish with optional fresh cilantro, sour cream, or diced avocado. Serve immediately while the enchiladas exude irresistible warmth and complex flavor profiles.
Notes
Manage Moisture Levels: Avoid excess liquid by draining any accumulated chicken juices before adding enchilada sauce to prevent soggy tortillas.
Control Shredding Technique: Use two forks at a 45-degree angle when pulling chicken apart to create perfect, uniform meat strands that hold sauce beautifully.
Optimize Cheese Selection: Choose melting cheeses like Monterey Jack or mild cheddar that provide creamy texture and prevent stringy or oily consistency.
Customize Dietary Needs: Swap corn tortillas for gluten-free alternatives and use low-fat cheese to make the dish suitable for specific dietary requirements without compromising flavor intensity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg