These skinny chicken enchiladas are a lighter twist on your favorite comfort food! Creamy shredded chicken, tangy red enchilada sauce, and melty cheese… with 46.1 grams of protein in every serving of four enchiladas.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Skinny Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Ready In: 40 minutes
- Serves: 8 servings
- Calories: 511 cal
- Protein: 46.1g
- Fat: 15.4g
- Carbs: 47.6g
- Why You'll Love It: These Skinny Creamy Chicken Enchiladas are a lighter twist on your favorite comfort food! Made with creamy, shredded chicken, tangy enchilada sauce, and melty cheese, these enchiladas deliver all the flavor you love, just with fewer calories!
Creamy enchiladas! Ever since I started counting macros, I feel like I’m making more “forbidden” food than ever. It’s like a game to see how many meals I can make that beat the macros of a salad… or a plate of three boring divided food groups that looks like a Jenny Craig sensible dinner.
I used to be SUPER skeptical of one-dish meals like this. Like yes, it looks great, but what will MY portion look like? I don’t want just two tiny enchiladas. I want my meal to last long enough to enjoy it and end feeling full and satisfied (but not too full for dessert, IYKYK).
These went on forever. I didn’t even notice the missing heaps of cheese. They’re full-blown, comforting, cheesy, saucy enchiladas. I easily enjoyed four of them with my super simple crunchy Mexican Caesar salad. For the kids, I threw a bunch in a family dish and added more cheese to theirs.
I always used to do green sauce on enchiladas, but I was out one time, so I tried the bottled red from Trader Joe’s… and my whole family LOVED IT. So here we are! If you love these, try my Instant Pot chicken enchilada casserole or cauliflower rice enchilada skillet too.
Are Chicken Enchiladas Healthy?
They can be! Traditional creamy enchiladas are heavy on full-fat cheese and sour cream. This version uses reduced-fat cream cheese, lean chicken breast, extra-thin corn tortillas, and lite cheese, so a serving of FOUR enchiladas has 511 calories and 46.1g protein. That’s a big, satisfying plate that fits my macros.
How Many Calories Are in 2 Chicken Enchiladas?
Two of these skinny chicken enchiladas are about 256 calories. A full serving is 4 enchiladas (300g) for 511 calories.
Are These Enchiladas Gluten-Free?
YES, they’re gluten-free as written. Just check that your enchilada sauce and corn tortillas are gluten-free. For dairy-free, use a dairy-free cream cheese and a dairy-free grated cheese for the top. Typically you’ll lose some protein and add some carbs.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Reduced-fat cream cheese: it’s what makes the filling creamy. Regular or Greek cream cheese works too.
- Salsa verde and diced green chilis: use mild or medium, depending on your spice preference.
- Cooked chicken: any cooked chicken works! If you’re using rotisserie chicken from Costco, season it up a little first. I love the big bags for soups and casseroles when time is short, but it needs some sprucing up IMO. My smoky honey cilantro chicken or crispy carnitas would also be delicious!
- Mission Extra-Thin Corn Tortillas: always my go-to. You’ll need 32.
- Red enchilada sauce: any canned or bottled red enchilada sauce works. I love the Trader Joe’s one, but grab your favorite.
- Lite shredded Mexican cheese: Trader Joe’s has a great lite blend. A regular Mexican blend won’t add that many extra calories, and sometimes convenience is just better!
Before You Start Cooking
- Cook and shred your chicken first. You need 4 cups (880g). I mix the filling in my KitchenAid so it tears the chicken apart for me.
- Preheat the oven to 425F before you start rolling.
- Have a towel ready for the tortillas. Wrap them and warm for 20 to 30 seconds so they’re flexible and don’t crack when you roll them.
- Plan for about 40 minutes. That’s 20 minutes of prep and 20 minutes in the oven.
- Weigh the filling if you track macros. About 37 grams of chicken goes in each tortilla, and one serving is 4 enchiladas (300g). Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal.
How to Make Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
- Make the creamy base. Preheat the oven to 425F. Microwave the cream cheese for 20 to 30 seconds until soft, then mix in the salsa, lime juice, and dry seasonings.
- Add the chicken. Stir in the cilantro and green onion, then the shredded chicken.
- Fill and roll. Warm the corn tortillas wrapped in a towel for 20 to 30 seconds. Add a couple of tablespoons (about 37 grams) of chicken to each one and roll it up.
- Sauce and cheese. Place the enchiladas in your dish and cover with the enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melty. Top with sour cream, pico, avocado, and cotija!
Here’s what each step looks like:
1. Microwave your cream cheese for about 20-30 seconds ‘till it’s soft. Mix in salsa, lime juice, and all the dry seasonings.
2. Stir in cilantro and green onion, then the chicken. (I do this in my KitchenAid (if using cooked chicken breasts) so it tears my chicken apart for me.)
3. Warm your corn tortillas wrapped in a towel for 20-30 seconds so they’re flexible. Put a couple of tablespoons (about 37 grams) of chicken in each tortilla and roll it up.
4. Place in dish, cover with sauce and shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 425°F for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melty.
6. Top with your favorite toppings like sour cream, pico, avocado, and cotija!
What to Serve with Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
My go-to is a big crunchy salad on the side. Pile on your favorite toppings like sour cream, pico, avocado, and cotija, or a drizzle of avocado cilantro cream. For more fresh sides, try my corn avocado salad or cowboy caviar salad.
Taco night fans, my easy shrimp tacos with garlic chipotle drizzle and quick taco spaghetti squash boats are SO good too.
How to Freeze Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
These are on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals, and they reheat really well.
- Bake the enchiladas, let them cool, and freeze them in portions of 4 (one serving).
- Wrap tightly or use freezer-safe containers, and label with the date.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat covered at 350°F until they’re hot all the way through.
- Add your sour cream, pico, avocado, and cotija fresh after reheating.
- Keeps up to 3 months.
Want more Mexican-inspired dinners for the freezer? Try my creamy green chili chicken bake, creamy Mexican chicken bake, or sweet potato chipotle rotisserie chicken skillet.
Want the whole week planned for you? My macro-friendly meal plans are high-protein and family-friendly, adjust to your household size, and have complete macros on every recipe. You can try it free.
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas Calories and Macros
One serving (4 enchiladas, 300g) of these skinny chicken enchiladas has 511 calories, 46.1g protein, 15.4g fat, 47.6g carbs, and 2g fiber. The full nutrition is in the recipe card below.
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Skinny Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup reduced-fat cream cheese (150g)
- ½ cup salsa verde (120g)
- 4 oz canned diced green chilis (113g)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice (30g)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup cilantro (10g)
- ¼ cup green onions (10g)
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast shredded (880g), we love using this Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken
- 32 tortillas I always use the Mission Extra-Thin Corn Tortillas
- 2 cups bottled Red Enchilada sauce (480g)
- 1 ½ cups lite shredded Mexican cheese blend (160g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Microwave your cream cheese for about 20-30 seconds ‘till it’s soft. Mix in salsa, lime juice, and all the dry seasonings.
- Stir in cilantro and green onion, then the chicken. (I do this in my kitchenaid so it tears my chicken apart for me.)
- Warm your corn tortillas wrapped in a towel for 20-30 seconds so they’re flexible. Put a couple of Tbsp (about 37 grams) of chicken in each tortilla and roll it up. Place in dish, cover with sauce and shredded cheese, and bake at 425°F for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melty.
- Top with your favorite toppings like sour cream, pico, avocado, and cotija!
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Tag @LillieEatsAndTells on Instagram with #LillieEatsandTells! We’d love to see your creations!
Where do the green chiles come in?
Where do the green chilis go – In the chicken mixture or in the enchilada sauce? What size is your pan to fit 32 enchiladas and do you grease it beforehand? many thanks!
This is a family favorite! Yum 😋
I LOVE this recipe so much and make it all the time, but I just found out TJ’s has discontinued their enchilada sauce! Do you have any other brands you like as a replacement?
Hi Lillie! Made these today but my tortillas all broke apart when I rolled them. Any tips on how to make them stay together/not break?
Love your recipes BTW!
Thank you!
Yes! Heat a stack of them in the microwave between towels till nice and warm and pliable!
These hit the spot!!! So so yummy. Love that I can make tasty meals that fit my macros. Keep them coming! I love my cookbook from you as well. 🙂
These are literally amazing every time I make them! I made them during contest prep for a bodybuilding competition and they were a lifesaver. Now, I shared them with my family who is averse to ‘healthy” recipes but they all call me multiple times to share how much flavor is in these and how great they are!
This is one of our family’s go-to meals. We use all the chicken and make bigger/thicker enchiladas. Also, we will make a double/triple batch so we have leftovers. A little bit of a spicy kick, but not too much for my younger kid.
Hi! New to this Macro way of life and this recipe looks amazing!! Can you please clarify that if this recipe has 4 tortillas is the macro count (46P) for ONE enchilada? Thank you and going to be on this web page all night!!
Where do you find the greek yogurt cream cheese? I’ve looked a few places with no luck. Love your stuff btw!!
Ok I’m new to this and you lost me on the macros for this one and looks like I’m not alone. So, the breakdown you listed is based on 35g of chicken per enchilada, resulting in 46g protein for entire recipe of 4 enchiladas?
Yes! So sorry for the delay! And for this weirdly written recipe. It was one of my early ones. I rewrote it for the cookbook but realize it’s still confusing over here! I just edited to clarify you’ll use 140 grams of chicken total in your 4 enchiladas. But you got it… and that’s 46 g protein for the four!
Recipe looks wonderful. I’m trying to enter in MFP and not sure how many servings the chicken filling makes.makes.. Can you confirm? Thank you!!
So late to this sorry! Honestly the way I calculated this one, I might not know how many servings it makes! just how many grams to put in your serving to calculate…
Seriously LOVED this recipe! And so quick and easy. If you haven’t made this yet, you are missing out on something DELICIOUS.
Thanks sami!
I made this last night and the whole family loved it. Note: I was full just eating two 🙂
So glad!
This recipe was a huge hit for my family—even my very picky eaters. So delicious! It doesn’t taste like it should be macro friendly but then it totally is! Loved this!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Hi Lillie! So your macro calculations factor in just the tortillas, chicken, shredded cheese and enchilada sauce right? Just checking!
Seriously like how the heck does your food always look so damn good? I may or may not be drooling over this one.
Then I’m doing it RIGHT. xo