Freelance Lady: Better-For-You Delicious Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

I absolutely love to eat. Mexican food is my weakness; enchiladas in particular. Sadly, my favorite restaurant version contains over 500 calories and 24 grams of fat per serving. Needless to say, that doesn't really fit into my current diet. This version contains 130 less calories.

Because I was craving enchiladas a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I wasn't going to deprive myself and would make a "better-for-you" version at home. With this recipe, one serving is two enchiladas. This gives me the chance to treat myself without going overboard on my calorie count.

Please note that this is NOT a low-fat, low-carb, or low-calorie recipe. This is simply an alternative to restaurant enchiladas. This enchilada recipe is more like an "okay-for-you" cheat meal.

What I love most about this recipe is that it's actually quite simple. If you cut your onions and cook + shred your chicken ahead of time, you're only looking at a five minute prep and 25 minute cooking time. That's a delicious, 30 minute meal that will feed the whole family. To make it a full meal, you can serve with Spanish rice or a spinach salad.

I have included the nutrition facts at the end of this post. This recipe makes 7 servings; one serving is two enchiladas. The printable recipe is towards the end of this post.

Enjoy!

You'll need:

15 yellow corn tortillas
2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth, reduced sodium
1 can enchilada sauce (red), 28 oz
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 medium onion
2 TBSP cilantro
2 cups shredded Colby Jack (or 10 slices), reduced fat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. I prefer to use a low-calorie, non-fat version, so as not to add to the fat and/or calorie count of the dish.

Chop onion and set aside.

In a medium pot, bring two cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add in two pounds of chicken. Allow to boil for about 10 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken and set aside on a cutting board.

While chicken is cooling down enough to work with, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Saute the chopped onions until translucent and set aside in a medium bowl.

Pour enchilada sauce into a medium pot and heat to boiling. Add 1/2 cup of leftover chicken broth to enchilada sauce. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes after adding any additional seasonings (chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, etc.) and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.

While sauce is heating up, use two forks to shred the chicken. Place the shredded chicken in a bowl with the sauteed onions. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Remove sauce from heat. Add half of the enchilada sauce to the shredded chicken and onion mixture, along with 1 cup of Colby Jack cheese.

Heat an additional tablespoon of olive oil on a skillet and fry each corn tortilla. DO NOT CRISP the tortillas. You only want them to be soft. Drain the tortillas on a paper towel.

NOTE: If you skip this step, the tortillas will crack as you roll them.

Place about 1/4 cup of chicken mix in the center of each tortilla and roll. Place seam side down into glass baking dish. Once all enchiladas are rolled, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top generously with cheese. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with 1 tablespoon of cilantro and serve while hot.

print recipe

Cheesy (Better For You) Chicken Enchiladas

by Emily Lambert July-23-2016

Deliciously cheesy chicken enchiladas are a better alternative to the restaurant version. Not a low-calorie, low-fat, or low-carb recipe.

Ingredients

15 Yellow corn tortillas
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 lb Chicken breasts
2 cups Chicken broth, low sodium
28 oz can Enchilada sauce (red)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 medium Onion
2 Tbsp Cilantro
2 cups shredded or 10 slices Colby Jack Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Chop onion and set aside.In a medium pot, bring two cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add in two pounds of chicken and allow to boil for about 10 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken and set aside on a cutting board. While chicken is cooling, heat up 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Saute onions until translucent. Set aside in a bowl.Pour enchilada sauce into a large pot and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, adding any extra herbs or spices (cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, etc.). Add 1 Tbsp cilantro into the sauce. While sauce is heating up, use two forks to shred the chicken. Place shredded chicken in the bowl with the sauteed onions. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and mix well. Pour half of the sauce into the bowl of chicken, along with 1 cup of Colby Jack cheese.Remove sauce from heat. Heat an additional 1 Tbsp olive oil on a skillet. Fry each corn tortilla—DO NOT CRISP TORTILLAS—until soft. If you skip this step, the tortillas will crack as you roll them. Drain tortillas on paper towel.Place about 1/4 cup chicken mix on center of tortilla and roll. Place tortillas seam side down onto a glass baking dish. Once all enchiladas have been rolled and placed into the dish, pour the rest of the sauce on top, covering the enchiladas.Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.Remove from oven and top generously with Colby Jack cheese. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.Top with 1 Tbsp cilantro and serve hot.

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