Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake
This Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake is easy and fun to make, full of good-for-you ingredients, and it is delicious! It also makes awesome leftovers for easy work lunches!
ingredients needed for this healthy chicken enchilada bake
Here are the ingredients you need for make this recipe!
- Chicken breasts
- Corn tortillas
- Spices
- Bell peppers
- Yellow onion
- Black beans
- Corn
- Salsa
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Shredded Mexican cheese
- Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, etc.
equipment needed for this healthy chicken enchilada bake
This recipe is really easy to make, and you don’t need any fancy equipment! This is all you will need:
- A very large skillet
- Cutting board(s)
- Sharp knife for cutting chicken and vegetables (or my favorite veggie chopper)
- Oven-safe 9×13 pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spatula or wooden spoon for stirring
- Foil
why i love mexican recipes
I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I am a little obsessed with Mexican food. It never disappoints! I love that it is always pretty easy to make Mexican dishes healthy. Making simple swaps such as brown rice for white rice, whole grain tortillas for white flour tortillas, plain Greek yogurt for sour cream, and adding beans and/or lots of veggies can really up the nutritional value.
This helps me enjoy them that much more. I just love it when food tastes good and happens to be good for me. It’s a win-win! You don’t have to sacrifice flavor in order to fuel your body well.
healthy additions to this chicken enchilada bake
My mom & I decided to swap plain Greek yogurt for sour cream in this recipe. We also added lots of extra veggies, because you can never have too many! You could even throw in some jalapenos or other veggies if you wanted. Feel free to make it your own!
Why this Chicken Enchilada Bake is part of our regular meal rotation:
- It is freaking delicious
- Incredibly easy to make
- Makes BOMB leftovers for work lunches
This recipe was inspired by one we found by Kraft Foods. I hope you all love this version as much as my family does!
Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake
Ingredients
- 12 yellow corn tortillas 6-inch
- 1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless; cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 15 oz no-salt-added black beans canned, drained and rinsed well
- 1 cup whole kernel corn frozen
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 1.5 cups Mexican finely shredded cheese
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Optional Toppings
- Cilantro, avocado slices, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, additional salsa, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Add cut up chicken, bell peppers and onion to a large skillet. Season with various spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper). Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Then stir in salsa, black beans and corn until well-combined and heated throughout. Turn down heat and let it simmer for a few minutes to cook off some liquid.
- Arrange 6 corn tortillas on the bottom of the 9×13 inch pan, then layer half of the chicken and veggie mixture, half of the Greek yogurt, and half of the cheese. Spread evenly across the top.
- Add another layer of 6 corn tortillas; then repeat layers of remaining ingredients. Add additional cheese on top layer, if desired.
- Cover pan with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil after 30 minutes, then bake for an additional 10 minutes (40 minutes total or until heated throughout and slightly browned on top).
- Garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve immediately with desired toppings.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. This would likely freeze well, too!
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Please be sure to tag me in your creations on Instagram at @wellnessforthewin and pin this recipe on Pinterest so you can come back to it in the future! Enjoy! 🙂
Shanna
This is on the grocery list for next week! Looks yummy!! – Erin
Yay!! I hope you love it! 🙂
I just made this yesterday for this weeks lunch. I just ate my lunch and it is delicious! Thank you for sharing this simple yet very satisfying recipe! I did switch the chicken for ground turkey as that’s what I had on hand. This recipe will definitely be placed in my recipe box!
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it. Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
There aren’t measurements for the spices. Do you have estimates on how much I should use?
Between 1/4-1/2 tsp is sufficient! 🙂
SO GOOD! and super easy which i love. so much flavor and i love all the veggies. this will be added to my fav recipe list for sure!
Yay!!! I’m so glad you liked it!! I’m all about easy and delicious. 🙂 Thank you so much for the review! XO
Love this recipe! It has been added in to my dinner rotation. 🙂
Oh, yay! Thank you for sharing! It’s a good one for sure. 🙂 🙂
Would this still be good without the cheese and yogurt?
Hi! I’m afraid it might be a little dry without the Greek yogurt, but you could definitely try it, or substitute dairy-free options if that is what you need!
I’ve made some version of this more times than I can count. So easy to customize to what you have on hand/are craving- I’ve used different veggies, added canned enchilada sauce, different salsas, etc. Amazing for meal prep!
Yes! Love that you make it your own based with what you have on hand — that’s exactly how it should be!! Thank you for sharing this!
This is such a great recipe! It’s SO tasty and I love that it contains ingredients that I usually already have in my pantry, fridge or freezer. We will definitely be making this again!
Yay! That’s always my goal! Realistic and “normal” ingredients, haha! Thank you for sharing!
Just made this for the first time last night and it’s now a permanent staple in my house! So easy to make and yummy to eat! I didn’t have all the exact ingredients, but this is easily adaptable to what’s in the pantry. Highly recommend!!
Yes! Way to be resourceful!! I am all about using what you have on hand! So glad you loved it. 🙂
This tasty bake is a staple in our house! So easy for meal prepping and makes great left overs!
I always garnish with cilantro, sour cream and sliced avocado! Does not get much better than that. Such an easy recipe that is nutritious and so dang GOOD!
Yes!!! Such a good one and allll the best toppings! 🙂 Thank you for your review!