These Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas are easily one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. They're so flavorful and easy to make!
Tender shredded chicken, red bell pepper, green chiles, and onions all cooked in a red enchiladas sauce - you really can't go wrong. Add in some corn tortillas with some olives and (more) cheese on top and you've got the best one-pot meal ever!
If you love this recipe, you'll really enjoy this easy Chicken Tortilla Soup, Mexican Spaghetti, and these easy Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas!
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I LOVE Mexican food. It's easily one of my favorite cuisines. We honeymooned at a resort in Mexico and the food was just out of this world. Very often, I try to bring a piece of my travels into the kitchen and to say that at first bite, this took me back to my time in the Riviera Maya - it's an understatement.
This chicken enchilada recipe is not only delicious but it's such an easy recipe to make. It's perfect for any night of the week, especially taco tuesday (I know they're not tacos, but it's a fun way to have something a little different).
You simply throw everything together in a Crockpot slow cooker and call it a day! I love slow cooker recipes because you can literally set it and forget. And the notion holds true with this slow cooker chicken enchilada casserole.
The whole family will love these easy enchiladas. Set it in the Crockpot slow cooker and have an easy dinner on the table with no fuss. Pile it all on a plate and add your favorite toppings (mine are black olives, sour cream, and salsa) and enjoy!
Why You'll LOVE this Recipe
- It's a set it and forget it recipe made in my favorite kitchen gadget - the crockpot slow cooker, specifically this Crockpotâ„¢ 7-Quart Cook & Carryâ„¢ Slow Cooker. I can put them meal together and literally have dinner on the kitchen table with literally no fuss.
- It's SO flavorful! This will quickly become a family favorite!
- This recipe is easily customizable and has ingredients that you can find easily at your local grocery store.
- The cooking time can be adjusted depending on how much time you have!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I like using boneless skinless chicken breasts but you can also use chicken thighs
Red Enchilada Sauce: if you prefer making your own homemade enchilada sauce, you can pour that into the Crockpot slow cooker. I opted for canned!
Onions: I like to use green onions and red onion for garnish. The fresh ingredients always add beautiful pop of freshness to the dish.
Garlic: I love using fresh garlic cloves but garlic powder also does the job!
Seasonings: you'll need chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Many people use taco seasoning too, so if you're short on any of these seasonings, use taco seasoning instead. You can also use my chicken taco seasoning blend for this recipe too!
Black Beans: I love using black beans in this chicken enchiladas recipe, it makes it so hearty and filling.
Lime Juice: it adds so much brightness to the dish.
Tortillas: I prefer corn tortillas, but if you love flour tortillas, you can use those too! You can also use tortilla chips, just note that they may not be as crunchy. The kind of tortillas you use is totally up to your preference.
Cheese: Ok, what's an enchilada without cheese? I used a Mexican blend cheese but you can also use Monterey jack cheese too. Both are delicious!
Toppings:
- Fresh Cilantro: if you're one of those people who think that cilantro tastes like soap, just omit the cilantro. My entire family loves it so I'm always adding a ton of it to this recipe!
- Sour Cream: you can also use greek yogurt
- Red Sauce: you can pour more of the enchilada sauce on top of the finished dish - it's so good.
- Salsa / Salsa verde: you can use whatever kind you like! green chilies are delicious on top as well. I love getting creative with different flavors for this chicken recipe.
- Tortilla strips: I love adding this on top for a nice crunch.
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
How to make Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas
- Season and place chicken breast on the bottom of the Crockpot slow cooker. Pour enchilada sauce on top of the chicken and add onions, garlic, and black beans. Add salt and black pepper and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Shred chicken and scoop out about â…“ cup of the chicken mixture into your tortilla. Roll it tightly and place into a casserole dish. Repeat until all of the mixture is used. (try to make one even layer) Add lots of cheese on top.
- Broil in the oven until the top is nothing but gooey cheese. Top with olives, cilantro, and sour cream. (Pro tip: mix together a little of the sauce from the crockpot with sour cream to make a delicious sour cream mixture / topping that is SO creamy and pairs really well with the cheesy top!)
Substitutions
- If you prefer to use green enchilada sauce, feel free to swap that out in place of the red enchilada sauce.
- Don't have enchiladas sauce? You can use taco sauce or tomato sauce instead.
- If you don't have boneless chicken breasts, you can also use boneless chicken thighs. You can also use rotisserie chicken and simply mix everything together, roll it in the tortilla and cook in the crock pot on high for an hour.
- Looking to add more whole grains into your diet? Swap out flour tortillas for whole wheat tortillas!
What to serve with Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas
These easy slow cooker chicken enchiladas are the perfect complete meal. However, if you're looking for a little something extra, these go great with:
- brown rice / white rice
- Pineapple pico de gallo
- refried beans
- chips and salsa (I always get this with my enchiladas at my fave Mexican restaurant)
- corn salsa
- guacamole
- Mexican coleslaw
Storing, Freezing, Re-Heating
To store this crock pot chicken enchilada casserole, you'll want to place any leftover chicken in an airtight container for next time. (Of note, these make for great meal prep dishes throughout the week!) When you're ready to re-heat them, place in an oven safe dish and place in the oven for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle extra cheese on top if you'd like!
You can freeze for up to 2 months and when you're ready to re-heat, allow it to thaw and follow the same instructions as above.
Enchilada Chicken FAQs
You may have added too much liquid. Be sure to follow the instructions to the T to prevent the dish from becoming soupy.
Corn tortillas are preferred but you can also use flour tortillas or whole wheat tortillas.
More Slow Cooker Recipes!
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
- Homemade Apple Butter
- Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
This blog post and recipe was made in partnership with Crockpot! My thoughts and opinions are genuine always. Thanks for your continued support
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- Crockpotâ„¢ 7-Quart Cook & Carryâ„¢ Slow Cooke
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb Chicken Breasts
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Yellow Onion , sliced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper , chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic , diced
- 15 oz Canned Black Beans , drained
- 15.25 oz Canned Sweet Corn , drained
- 2 10 oz cans Red Enchilada Sauce
- 1 Lime , juiced
- 10 Corn Tortillas
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend , shredded
Optional Toppings
- Avocado , optional
- 1 can Green Chiles
- ¼ cup Sliced Olives , optional
- Cilantro , optional
- Red Onions , optional
- Sour Cream , optional
Directions
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add cumin, oregano, chili powder, and red pepper flakes on top of the chicken along with sliced onions, chopped red bell pepper, diced garlic, corn, and black beans. Pour one 10 oz can of enchilada sauce on top of everything. Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Shred the chicken and squeeze in lime juice and stir together.
- Scoop out about â…“ cup of the chicken mixture into a tortilla. Roll it tightly and place into a casserole dish. Repeat until all of the mixture is used. (try to make one even layer) Pour remaining can of enchiladas sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese.
- Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes (Watch closely so that it doesn't burn). Optional: Top with green chiles, avocado, olives, cilantro, red onion, and sour cream.
Delicious and easy! And my 4 year old son who is moderately picky loved it too!!! That's a win 🙂
I'm so happy that you and your family enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
I love how you show substitutions! Can't wait to make these!
Enjoy!!
Awesome recipe! This is my first time making enchiladas, and it was super easy to follow and the results were fantastic! I used spicy pico as a topping, as well as avocado and sour cream 🙂
So glad to hear! Thank you!
Cooking this as I type! The house smells so good! Can't wait to dig in. I see one other person mentioned the confusion with the number of enchilada cans. The way it reads, it sounds like you should have two 20oz cans of sauce (40oz total). However, when you read the directions, it says pour 10oz of sauce in the crockpot. The ingredients should say "two 10oz cans" and the directions should read "pour second can of enchiladas sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese." I was confused at first and wondered why I had so much sauce.
Thanks so much for letting me know, i will update the instructions so that it's clearer! I appreciate your feedback!
Hi again! I was rereading this recipe to make this morning and the Ingredients list mentions 2 cans of enchilada sauce but the instructions only call for 1. Can you reconfirm I only need 1 can?
Hi! If you read step #1, you're to pour one can into the slow cooker and in step #3 it says to pour remaining can of enchiladas sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. I hope that this helps, enjoy!
I really enjoyed this recipe, the kids loved it too.
hi! i think the green chile is missing from the recipe. i assume that goes in with the chicken & sauce to the crockpot? not just as a topping?
Thanks!
Hi! The green chiles are just a topping and the red bell pepper can be found under the onion. I hope that you enjoy it!
Hi! It is my very first time making the slow cooker chicken enchiladas and as i am reading while making your recipe it is very very confusing for me. You wrote down all the ingregients for the recipe but did not write when or how to add them. Like when do i add the taco seasoning/ or the cumin and oregano etc. is it before the checken is cooked or after it is cooked? And what about the lime? Is the juice added after? And the can of corn? Do i add it in the crock pot or when i roll the chicken in the tortilla?
Hi Donna, thanks for trying this recipe. I have listed everything in detail below on how to and when to add all of the ingredients. You literally throw everything in the slow cooker except the tortillas. Here's step on below for reference:
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add cumin, oregano, chili powder, and red pepper flakes on top of the chicken along with sliced onions, diced garlic, corn, and black beans. Pour one 10 oz can of enchilada sauce on top of everything. Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
Thank you!
I made this last night, it was delicious. My kids loved it too.