This easy crockpot recipe has lots of melty cheese and Tex-Mex flavor! Always a hit around here!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Prep is done in a jiffy—a great recipe for busy days!
- The delicious flavor comes from easy, red enchilada sauce.
- This one-pot meal adds fun variety to your usual taco Tuesday routine.
Everyone will flock to the dinner table when they catch a whiff of the amazing Tex-Mex aroma emanating from slow cooker chicken enchilada casserole. Scoop it into a large bowl and pile it high with your favorite toppings—and just like that, dinner's done!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts and onions into crock pot.
- Cover with enchilada sauce and cook.
- Shred chicken using two forks.
- Mix in pieces of corn tortillas and plenty of cheese.
🥫 Storage
Place leftover chicken enchilada casserole into an airtight container and refrigerate for three to four days.
You can also freeze extras in freezer-safe containers or bags.
This is the easiest one-pot recipe, so you might as well make it stretch for a few days—if it's not instantly inhaled, that is! Microwave the leftovers until they're steaming warm, and enjoy.
📖 Variations
- You can use boneless chicken thighs in place of breasts if you like dark meat. It makes the crockpot chicken enchiladas extra juicy!
- Turkey breasts or pork tenderloin are also good alternatives.
- Mild red sauce is a tad spicier than green enchilada sauce, so use whichever your family prefers.
- Or, boost the spice by purchasing hot enchilada sauce. You can also stir in some of your favorite hot sauce.
- For some more spice, add a can of green chiles or chopped jalapenos.
- Sneak in some extra veggies by mixing in red bell peppers or corn.
- Olive haters? Instead of mixing them in, sprinkle them on top so they're easier to pick off.
- You can use green or black olives if you prefer one over the other.
- Cheddar is better, but pepper jack, cotija, or Monterey Jack cheese make crockpot enchiladas just as yummy!
- Some people like to use a little cream of chicken soup or cream cheese to make an extra creamy slow cooker enchilada casserole. I don't think it's necessary, but a little more creaminess never hurts!
- When mixing in the cheese and olives, add pinto beans, black beans, or cooked brown rice to make the meal stretch a little more!
- If you forgot to pick up corn tortillas, you can sub in tortilla chips. They'll maintain a little more crunchiness but will soften when cooked with the chicken mixture.
- We like to serve our crockpot enchilada casserole with a variety of toppings: sour cream, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, diced red onion, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, refried beans, or a side of Mexican rice. Use whatever you like or need to get rid of!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Flour tortillas don't hold up as well in crockpot recipes and can turn mushy, so I recommend sticking with corn for the best results.
- Spraying the crockpot with non-stick spray makes clean-up even easier. If you don't have spray, just wipe the sides and bottom with some olive oil and a paper towel.
- It really doesn't matter how you cut your tortilla strips, as long as they're small enough to stir in. I like to stack a few tortillas high on the cutting board and make a few horizontal and vertical cuts.
- Use a heavier chef's knife if you have one. It'll make cutting easier.
- If you have remaining tortillas and a few extra minutes, fry them up before dinner. We love to scoop up the extra saucy chicken with 'em.
👩🍳 FAQs
"Enchilada" is a Spanish word that means to add chili to something. A typical enchilada involves filling a fried tortilla with meat, rolling it up, and cooking it in a delicious tomato-y sauce—a chili-based tomato sauce, of course.
Not really! That's the best part about this easy recipe. You still get the same great flavor of your favorite enchilada recipes, but without all the tedious rolling, frying, and scooping. It's better than Mexican food takeout, too!
You can. However, the cooking time will be much shorter, since you'll only need to warm the pre-cooked meat. Otherwise, cooking it for 6-8 hours as the recipe indicates will dry it out. In that case, I might recommend heating everything up in a large skillet over low heat.
If you already have chicken marinating, go ahead and use it! However, it's absolutely not necessary! This crock pot chicken enchilada casserole results in super tender chicken no matter what. Just follow the simple steps in the recipe card and you'll be hooked!
Simply put—we don't need it! The enchilada sauce brings delicious flavor to the slow cooker chicken casserole. The only thing I like to add is a kick of cumin.
📚 Related recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas in Homemade Cream Sauce are easy to make ahead of time. Plus, they're so good, don't be surprised when they start making a regular appearance in your household!
- When the comfort-food cravings hit, you'll be glad to have this Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe in your back pocket—make it in 20 minutes on the stove, or let it simmer in the crockpot!
- Beef Enchilada Casserole combines the best of both worlds: a flavorful, gooey casserole with hearty, beefy, Tex-Mex enchilada flavors!
- Looking for classic comfort food? This slow cooker cheesy chicken and rice is perfect!
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
You've got to try this! Omigosh, it's so easy and everyone loves it. Try this crockpot chicken spaghetti next time!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 20 ounces enchilada sauce
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin, more to taste
- 12 ounces corn tortillas, cut in squares
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, about 2 cups grated - divided use
- 6 ounces black olives, drained & sliced
- ½ cup sour cream, optional - for serving
- ¼ cup cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the crock with non-stick cooking spray.
- Lay the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the onions.
- Mix the cumin with the enchilada sauce and pour over the top.
- Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
- Shred the chicken and mix in the cut up tortillas.
- Stir in half the cheese and the olives. If you have olive haters hold the olives and add them to the top so they can be picked off easily.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover.
- Cook on low for another hour.
- Serve topped with the sour cream and cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Flour tortillas don't hold up as well in crockpot recipes and can turn mushy, so I recommend sticking with corn for the best results.
- Spraying the crockpot with non-stick spray makes clean-up even easier. If you don't have spray, just wipe the sides and bottom with some olive oil and a paper towel.
- It really doesn't matter how you cut your tortilla strips, as long as they're small enough to stir in. I like to stack a few tortillas high on the cutting board and make a few horizontal and vertical cuts.
- Use a heavier chef's knife if you have one. It'll make cutting easier.
- If you have remaining tortillas and a few extra minutes, fry them up before dinner. We love to scoop up the extra saucy chicken with 'em.
Judy P
Every time I think I'm going to stop getting your newsletter, you come up with one I simply HAVE to have!! I have so many recipes saved on my computer and a foot high stack of them in the kitchen!!! I'm 75 and I believe if I cook at least 2 recipes a day, I'll never get through all of them before I die!!! lol But I'm a glutten when it comes to Mexican food. I would eat it every day if I could, but I live by myself and would constantly be giving food away!