How to Make Healthy Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas for Two
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This is a recipe I’ve wanted to share for several months now. The problem is that every time I make it, it disappears! Seriously, it comes out of the oven and is gobbled up in about 20 minutes, and that is hardly enough time for photos. So, quick, before anyone comes home – here is the recipe for my healthy weeknight chicken enchiladas for two.
Cooking Chicken for Enchiladas When You Don’t Have Time
I usually do enchiladas on Tuesdays because, well, it’s Taco Tuesday. We don’t always want tacos. This is one way I switch up our routine a little without thinking too hard about it. Sometimes, I do actually remember to get the chicken out of the freezer to thaw, but probably about 75% of the time, I forget.
If you’re out of the house most of the day, you probably don’t even have time to thaw chicken. So, what do you do when you want chicken but you just don’t have time? Get out the Instant-Pot! This thing is my best friend for no-thaw meal prep, and it’s a hero on enchilada night.
I throw my frozen chicken breasts right in there with some, peppers, onions, salsa, and extra seasoning and let it go. All you have to do is push the “Poultry” button, and let it go. It takes 12 minutes after it pressurizes, and I let it depressurize naturally most of the time. From this point, I shred it with a couple of forks in the pot and toss it in the liquid.
Try Using Healthier Tortillas
For enchiladas, you need filling, tortillas, sauce, and cheese. We’ve handled the filling already. The sauce is going to simply be the same salsa we used for cooking our chicken. It’s easy and minimizes the grocery list. For the tortillas, you are totally free to use whatever you have on hand.
However, if you really want these to be healthy, pick your tortillas wisely. I am a big fan of Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber tortillas. At first, the name seemed gimmicky and hyper-diety. Usually, we avoid “diet” foods because they’re not that much better for you.
This is a special case. There’s nothing weird in them. They’re just whole grain with flax seeds and olive oil, so there’s healthy fat and lots of fiber. So, I blow past the crazy name and enjoy the fact that they’re 50 calories each, a nice texture, and really tasty.
Kroger-chain stores (Ralph’s, Payless, etc.) carry them in the International Foods aisle. You can check your grocery store, too. They should be near the other tortillas. If you’re not having any luck, you can try Amazon Fresh.
Assembling Your Easy Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas
So, you’ve got your chicken shredded, your salsa at the ready, a bag of cheese on standby, and your healthy 8-inch tortillas. Preheat your oven to 400ºF, and grab a 2-quart rectangular casserole dish.
Pour about half a cup of salsa in the bottom of your dish. Spread it around on the bottom so it coats evenly. If you want a lot of sauce, you can add more. There’s not a real measurement to this, so go ahead and eyeball it.
I use 4 tortillas so there are 2 for each of us. Go ahead and set those out on the counter, and portion out half a cup of the chicken filling into the center of each. For the heck of it, I go ahead and sprinkle in a bit of cheese. Roll the tortilla up, and set it into the casserole seam-side-down. You might have to squish them together a bit to fit all 4 in there.
Top it off with more salsa to make sure they’re covered well. Sprinkle as much cheese on as you wish, and pop the dish, uncovered, in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Everything is already cooked, so you’re looking for cheese to melt and brown to your liking. Keep an eye on it.
It’s Really That Easy!
Pop 2 enchiladas on each plate, and you and your partner have a healthy, filling meal! If you’re trying to be even healthier, you can portion down to 1 enchilada per person and have a nice big salad with it. Serve these up however it works best for you. The whole recipe is incredibly customizable.
If you want them vegan, use mushrooms or tofu instead and leave out the cheese. Maybe you’re gluten free, so you can use gluten-free tortillas. Heck, eat them for breakfast by switching out the chicken for eggs and turkey bacon.
Get extra fancy by topping them with sliced avocado, sour cream, or cilantro. Once you have this easy recipe in your back pocket, you can do absolutely anything to it to make it your own. Happy cooking my friends!
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas for Two
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- 2-quart rectangular casserole
Ingredients
- 8 oz chicken breast
- 1 large green bell pepper sliced
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- 2 cups salsa your choice
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber tortillas
Instructions
- To the bowl of your Instant pot, combine one chicken breast, sliced peppers and onions, and 1 cup of your favorite salsa. Press the "poultry" button to cook your chicken on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let it depressurize naturally if you have time. Otherwise, carefully release it without burning yourself on the steam.
- Shred the chicken with two forks. You could also cut it up with a knife, if that's your preference.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Spread ½ cup of salsa on the bottom of your casserole dish.
- Set out 4 tortillas. Add ½ cup of chicken and veggie mix to each tortilla (save any leftovers for meal prep). Add a little sprinkle of cheese if you want.
- Roll each enchilada up, and place it into the casserole dish seam-side-down.
- Top the enchiladas with the remaining ½ cup of salsa. Sprinkle cheddar on top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is browned to your liking.
- For my photos, I topped mine with diced tomato, sliced black olives, sliced avocado, and light sour cream. These are entirely optional, but delicious.
