Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Hot and cheesy crock pot chicken enchiladas are perfect to feed your family any day of the week! Just let the crock pot do the work.

Slow cooker recipes are a lifesaver for busy weeknight dinners! We especially love these crock pot chicken enchiladas, a version of a favorite Mexican classic—Chicken Enchiladas!

For Busy Weeknights!

If you’ve never made enchiladas in the crockpot, now’s your chance! It’s easy, delicious, and almost no cleanup. What more could you ask for?

These crock pot enchiladas might be a little different than what you expect—the filling isn’t wrapped up in tortillas. The tortillas are actually cut into strips and mixed in with the chicken/sauce. It makes one hot and savory concoction of all the enchilada flavors you love.

These crockpot enchiladas are great for feeding a crowd. Make them for game days, dinner parties, or any night of the week.

This recipe is definitely on rotation at our house. I love being able to quickly throw this together in the morning and have dinner ready by the afternoon!

Low and Slow

Enchiladas in the crockpot is perfect for busy weeknights. It takes only minutes to prep and cooks low and slow while the crock pot does all of the work!

CHICKEN. Add the chicken breasts to a crock pot, and pour the enchilada sauce over the top. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

After it’s cooked, shred the chicken in the crock pot using two forks.

COMBINE. Stir the tortilla strips into the chicken and enchilada sauce (try our Homemade Sauce). Add 1 cup of cheese and ½ cup of olives and stir to combine. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and olives over the top of the chicken mixture.

Cover the crockpot and continue to cook on low for 40-60 minutes. Remove the cover and let the enchiladas stand for 10 minutes before serving.

ENJOY! Serve hot with sour cream on top. Add any of your favorite enchilada toppings!

Enchilada Sauce

These slow cooker chicken enchiladas use green enchilada sauce.

Green enchilada sauce. We like to use the Las Palmas brand, or you can make your own.

Red enchilada sauce. You can also use Red Enchilada Sauce for a spicier taste. The red sauce doesn’t seem to be as runny as the green, so you can reduce the number of tortilla strips used. 

Recipe Tips

Top slow cooker enchiladas with your favorite toppings, or change up the flavor profile with any of these tasty tips!

Flavor variations. Enhance some of your favorite flavors by sprinkling on some extra chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Cheese. You can also change up the flavor by combining the cheddar cheese with a Mexican blend of cheese. 

Tortillas. Use corn tortillas, not flour tortillas, to cut into strips. In a pinch, you can use the rectangle tortilla chips.

I added extra tortillas because the green enchilada sauce was a little thin. It was still pretty runny at the end of the cooking time, but it set up a little more after it stood for about 10 minutes.

Meat. The chicken can be replaced with an equal amount of turkey or roast beef.

Enchilada toppings. Some of our favorites include:

• Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Salsa, and sour cream
• avocado, green onion, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, and green chiles

Serving suggestions. Some of our favorite sides to pair with this recipe are:

• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Mexican Street Corn
• Canned Refried Beans
• Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
• 7 Layer Bean Dip

Storing Enchiladas

STORE. Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. 

To reheat. There are a few ways to reheat your slow cooker chicken enchiladas.

• Slow cooker: Throw it back into the slow cooker. Set it to HIGH if you would like it warmed quicker or set it to LOW if you have time to let it heat up slowly. 
• Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the leftovers in an oven-safe dish and cover with tin foil. Heat until warm. The time will vary depending on the amount.
• Microwave: This is the quickest way to reheat. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until warm. 

Make a freezer meal

I love a meal that I can double. This way I get two meals out of the same amount of effort. Begin by adding double the chicken and sauce to the crock pot and cook. 

1. After it has been cooked and shredded, pour half of the mixture into a freezer Ziploc.
2. If you wish to eat the other half that day continue with the recipe as written. If you wish to freeze the other half for later add it to a separate bag.
3. For each freezer bag of chicken fill another smaller bag with the shredded cheese and a separate bag with the tortilla strips.
4. Wrap each bag of the chicken mixture along with the bag of cheese and tortillas together in aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. 
5. Thaw in the fridge before assembling the ingredients together in the crock pot. 
6. The same general steps apply even if you don’t double the recipe.

Recipe FAQ

For More Enchilada Recipes, Try:

• Breakfast Enchilada Casserole
• Beef Enchiladas
• Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Green Enchilada Pork Chili
• Creamy Chicken Enchiladas