Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas Casserole

Guys, fall is meant for Slow Cooker and Crockpot recipes. Crockpot Enchiladas can cook while you’re getting other things done and the delicious aroma that fills the house as you wait for your supper to finish is quite magical. And this Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is perfect allllll year long. 

This frugal Enchilada Casserole is packing some authentic Mexican flavor that you just can’t beat. And slow cooker recipes mean less mess and fewer dishes, which is always a winner in my book. 

What I really love about casseroles is they’re sooooo versatile. You can substitute ingredients for whatever you have on hand, you can add in your favorite ingredients and they’re a wonderful way to hide in some extra veggies for your kids. Toss some extra cheese in and they’ll never know. 

What Is An Enchilada?

Enchilada is a Spanish word for something that is “in chili”. Typically, it’s a corn tortilla that is wrapped around a filling and has a delicious sauce covering it. You can fill your enchilada with various ingredients like meats, beans, cheese, potatoes, and vegetables. 

Why You’ll ♡ This

• Frugal meal – this uses many ingredients you already have.
• Meal prep – easy dinner solution for those busy days.
• Feeds a crowd – casseroles are great for potlucks, game days gatherings, parties, and easy suppers.

Tools Needed

• An awesome slow cooker.
• Measuring cups and spoons.
• A mixing spatula.
• The best ever sea salt flakes.

Soooo, let’s gather up these ingredients and I will show you….

How To Make Crockpot Enchiladas

1. Place chicken breast in the crockpot and top with enchilada sauce.
2. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours.
3. Take chicken out and shred.
4. Return shredded chicken to crockpot and stir in tortillas, black beans, chipotle flakes (if using), and half the cheese and half the olives and stir.
5. Top with remaining cheese and olives.
6. Cover and cook for 50-60 minutes on low until the cheese melted.

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

Recipe Tips

• Prefer to have chicken you can slice instead of shred? Then cook for a shorter amount of time.
• Be sure to always check the internal temperature of your chicken with a meat thermometer. When the temperature reaches 165F / 74C, the chicken is cooked and safe to eat.
• You can use chipotle paste instead of chipotle pepper flakes.
• When reheating your Slow Cooker Enchiladas, you may want to add some extra enchilada sauce to help prevent the chicken from drying out. 
• Slow Cookers and crockpots can cook at different temperatures. Check your make, model and consult the manual for recommended cooking times. 

Recipe Variations

While this casserole is super delicious the way it is, feel free to try some of these variations. 

• Swap the meat – use chicken thighs, turkey breast, or pork.
• Spice it up – add in some hot sauce, add some diced jalapeños, or use poblaño peppers or bell pepper for other flavors.
• Add toppings – serve with guacamole, sour cream, diced tomato, lime, fresh-made pico de gallo, Mexican rice, quinoa, or corn.

Pro Tip: Before serving, turn the slow cooker off and let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes. This lets some of the liquid be absorbed and will help give it more of a casserole like texture. 

Meal Prep And Prep Ahead

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas are the perfect meal prep solution. They’re a delicious meal to enjoy alone and are wonderful paired with other side dishes. 

Prep Ahead – This recipe is so easy to make. And you can store them premade and precut on the baking sheet in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them. 

Store – Make ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. 

Freeze – Use this Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe as an awesome freezer meal prep solution. Yeap, simply make this recipe in advance, and then freeze then thaw and reheat when needed. Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.

• Let cool down then transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags.
• Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
• Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
• Store in the freezer for 3 months.

Reheat- If you want to reheat your Chicken Enchilada Casserole, try one of these options: 

• Oven – place casserole in an oven-safe dish, cover it with foil, and bake at 425F/218C for about 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F/74C.
• Microwave- put casserole in a safe container, cover it with a damp towel and reheat for about a minute, or until warm. 
• Stovetop- Heat oil in a pan then add the casserole and heat until internal temperature reaches 165F/74C. 

Meal Prep – You can easily double or triple this recipe to use for later. Great to add with a salad too.  

FAQs

How Do You Shred Chicken?

Once you’ve cooked your chicken in the slow cooker, you can easily shred it. Use forks – Simply transfer the cooked meat to a plate or bowl and use two forks to pull it apart and shred.

Pro Tip- Can’t shred it easily with forks? Easy Fix: Use a mixer. Add into a bowl and use a hand mixer or use your stand mixer to shred it. Especially useful if you are doing big quantities.

Can You Use Frozen Chicken?

Folks, If you want to safely use frozen chicken for this Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas recipe, I recommend thawing the chicken before you start cooking it. 

You want to make sure that your chicken is thawed fully before cooking because frozen meats might not reach a safe temperature in the crockpot before it gets contaminated. 

Can You Use Green Enchilada Sauce?

Absolutely folks, if you have green enchilada sauce made with green chilis or prefer it over the red enchilada sauce made with red chilis, go ahead and use it. Just keep in mind that it’s runnier than the red sauce, so you should add some more tortilla strips or other ingredients to help keep this a casserole and not a soup. 

Weight Watchers Points

There are 8 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.

More Crockpot Recipes

• Crockpot Salsa Chicken.
• Crockpot Chicken Fajitas.
• Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Pasta.
• Crockpot Breakfast Casserole.
• Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs.
• Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
• Korean Slow Cooker Short Ribs.
• Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs.
• Crockpot Jerk Chicken.
• Slow Cooker Venison Stew.

Thank you for reading my Crockpot Enchiladas recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Get The Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas Recipe: