Gluten-free chicken enchiladas are a healthy dinner recipe that’s simple to make and kids love. Packed with chicken, beans, green enchilada sauce, and cheese these will become a staple dinner.
Healthy family meals don’t have to be complicated. In fact, they should be quick, easy and filled with flavor. Gluten-free chicken enchiladas is an easy healthy dinner recipe that is SO delicious that you will want to have the recipe card on hand at all times!
Keep reading to find even more healthy dinner ideas. Even though Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos, Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie and Gluten-Free Shepards Pie rank as our family’s top favorites, we share other popular healthy dinner recipes below!
To get started, check out the recipe substitutions to meet all your family’s preferences! If you prefer to create exactly as written, skip over the substitutes and head straight to gathering the equipment and ingredients.
Keep reading for written step-by-step instructions or watch the video to see how smoothly this recipe comes together.
Recipe Subsitutions
- gluten-free flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas
- shredded beef, pork or turkey instead of chicken
- red enchilada sauce instead of green (the green is SO good though!)
- sour cream instead of Greek yogurt
- shredded Mexican cheese blend or queso instead of cheddar
- boiled chicken thighs, leftover rotisserie chicken, canned chicken instead of fresh cooked chicken
Equipment
- medium-sized saute pan
- whisk
- spatula
- medium-sized mixing bowl
- stir spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- nonstick cooking spray ✅
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened ✅
- (2) 4 ounce cans mild chopped green chilies ✅
- 15 ounces Great Northern beans, undrained
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded ✅
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ✅
- 14 ounces can green enchilada sauce ✅
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided ✅
- 1 teaspoon cumin ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12-14 corn tortillas
Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.
How To Make Homemade Enchiladas
These gf chicken enchiladas come together quickly, even though there are a few steps to follow. Let’s walk through step by step how to make them so your family can enjoy them as much as mine.
Preheat the oven and prep your pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Sauté the onions
In a medium-sized sauté pan, drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a pan and sauté onions on medium-high for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Place half of the sautéed onions into a medium-sized mixing bowl, leaving the other half in the sauté pan.
Kitchen Tip: If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to separate the onions, they can all go into the sauce, no worries!
Make the sauce
Add the enchilada sauce, Greek yogurt, half of the cheese, cumin, and salt to the saute pan. Over low heat, whisk until well blended and cheese is melted. Do not boil.
Combine the chicken mixture
In the mixing bowl that you added the sautéed onions to, combine the cream cheese, green chilies, beans, and garlic powder. Mash with potato masher or fork until well blended. Stir in chicken.
Pro Tip: Buy the Costco rotisserie chicken in the bags then divide that into individual ziplock bags and freeze it so you always have leftover chicken on hand. Works great for recipes like this one!
Assemble
Spoon a small amount of the chicken mixture onto a corn tortilla, roll up, and place in a prepared pan. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
Add sauce and cheese
Pour the sauce over the top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese.
Bake
Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Serve hot.
Toppings
Enjoy gluten-free enchiladas with or without toppings. For inspiration on how to add a pop of color to this family meal before serving, pick any combination of the following:
- sliced avocado
- green onions
- black olives
- tomatoes
- shredded lettuce
- salsa
Frequently Asked Questions
We like to serve this dish by attempting to cut across the pan finding the individual enchilada shells. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t, but it doesn’t really matter. You could cut it into squares if you’d like too. We like to serve chicken enchiladas with Crockpot Refried Beans and a side salad.
You can use either corn or gluten-free flour tortillas for enchiladas depending on your family’s preference. You can always swap one for the other. Our family does not love corn tortillas, but they do like them in this gluten free enchilada recipe.
You can make enchiladas ahead of time then cover them with plastic wrap or foil. Add on 10 minutes to the cooking time to account for the cold enchiladas. You might find that the tortillas are a bit soggy after sitting overnight so I recommend cooking them right away.
Enchiladas are good for about 3-5 days. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for best results.
Chicken enchiladas can be just as good the second day if you reheat them properly. The best method is to reheat them in your oven set to 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the enchiladas are warmed through.
You can reheat enchiladas in the microwave as well, they just won’t be as crisp as they get in the oven. We have reheated this recipe in the microwave and put it into a warm thermos for my kid’s lunchbox and they love it (even though it doesn’t look to pretty!).
You can freeze the whole recipe prior to baking, after baking, or as leftovers. If you are freezing leftovers, place the chicken enchiladas into an individually sized microwave-safe container. To reheat you can microwave the enchilada, or for a higher quality end product, reheat using the oven or a toaster oven.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- When sautéing onions, let the skillet with oil heat up first then once hot add the onions. This helps the onions from becoming greasy.
- You can ask a helper at home to cook chicken for this recipe or you can use canned or leftover Rotisserie chicken.
- Swap the green enchilada sauce with a can of red or our homemade Enchilada sauce if preferred.
More Healthy Dinner Recipes For Family
Create Kids Club is dedicated to helping busy families get healthy meals served easily. Take a look at some of our kid-favorite recipes. They are all gluten-free meals.
- Easy Crockpot Potato Soup
- Dairy-Free Enchiladas
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Meatless Baked Spaghetti
- Crockpot Quinoa Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew (Gluten-Free)
- Light Chicken Alfredo with Greek Yogurt
- Rainbow Thai Chicken Salad
- Crunch Wrap Supreme Recipe
- Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
- Chicken Tostada Recipe
- Chicken Tortilla Chip Casserole
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- medium-sized saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened ✅
- (2) 4 ounce cans mild chopped green chilies ✅
- 15 ounces Great Northern beans, undrained
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded ✅
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ✅
- 14 ounces can green enchilada sauce ✅
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided ✅
- 1 teaspoon cumin ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12-14 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep your pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- ⭐️ Saute the onions. In a medium-sized sauté pan, drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a pan and sauté onions on medium-high for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Place half of the sautéed onions into a medium-sized mixing bowl, leaving the other half in the saute pan.1 small onion, diced, 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ⭐️ Make the sauce. Add the enchilada sauce, Greek yogurt, half of the cheese, cumin, and salt to the saute pan. Over low heat, whisk until well blended and cheese is melted. Do not boil.14 ounces can green enchilada sauce, 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Combine the chicken mixture. In the mixing bowl that you added the sautéed onions to, combine the cream cheese, green chilies, beans, and garlic powder. Mash with potato masher or fork until well blended. Stir in chicken.4 ounces cream cheese, softened, (2) 4 ounce cans mild chopped green chilies, 15 ounces Great Northern beans, undrained, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
- Assemble. Spoon a small amount of the chicken mixture onto a corn tortilla, roll up, and place in a prepared pan. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.12-14 corn tortillas
- Add sauce and cheese. Pour the sauce over the top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese.
- ⭐️ Bake. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Serve hot.
Notes
Storing
Enchiladas are good for about 3-5 days. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for best results.Reheating
Chicken enchiladas can be just as good the second day if you reheat them properly. The best method is to reheat them in your oven set to 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the enchiladas are warmed through. You can reheat enchiladas in the microwave as well, they just won’t be as crisp as they get in the oven. We have reheated this recipe in the microwave and put it into a warm thermos for my kid’s lunchbox and they love it (even though it doesn’t look to pretty!).Freezing
You can freeze the whole recipe prior to baking, after baking, or as leftovers. If you are freezing leftovers, place the chicken enchiladas into an individually sized microwave-safe container. To reheat you can microwave the enchilada, or for a higher quality end product, reheat using the oven or a toaster oven. CCK Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination. The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.Nutrition
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This recipe has been updated in 2022 with new pictures and gluten-free substitutions as compared to when it was first published back in 2018.
katie says
Yum! These looks awesome.
Create Kids Club says
Thank you Katie! They are amazing 🙂
nutrisavvysblog says
This chicken Enchilada looks so delicious!! Perfect “comfort” food during cold winter days. : )
Create Kids Club says
I am sad we are in the cold season of comfort food, but you are so right that this recipe fits the bill!
Mandy Enright says
YES! to more cooking at home! Let’s encourage this more with all our folks in 2017! And the recipe itself looks amazing!
Create Kids Club says
For sure Mandy! 2017 = Year of the return to the kitchen 🙂 Love it!
ADRIEN PACZOSA says
Wow- this looks great. Hope to try out this recipe soon! Thank you for posting
Create Kids Club says
Thank you Adrien! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Laura says
This looks like the perfect meal everyone in my family would LOVE!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Laura! It is something my family loves 🙂
Lauren Roller says
Do you know the nutritional info on this?
Create Kids Club says
Hi Lauren! I don’t have the nutritional information at this time, but I am looking into reliable software for this purpose. In the past I found the calculations of some programs to be quite off so I shut this feature off. Check back at a later date and I hope to have this feature up and running! Thanks so much for reaching out!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I’ve printed it out, and have everything I need to prepare it for dinner tonight. After reading over the recipe, I have some questions about the Shredded Cheddar, Greek Yogurt & the Green Enchilada Sauce. In Step 3 (For Sauce) I’m guessing that I’d add 1/2 of the Cheese, but was wondering if anything else is added at this time? Also, when is the Enchilada Sauce, as well as the Yogurt added? Thanks in advance…I’m really looking forward to fixing these Chicken Enchiladas 🙂
Create Kids Club says
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for pointing out this missing step! In my retyping of the recipe, I totally missed it. You are correct that the enchilada sauce, yogurt, and half of the cheese get added to the sauce pan, the cooked over low heat to melt the cheese. I appreciate you reaching out and I hope you love the recipe as much as I do!
Mary says
We’ve made this recipe several times. It’s so good!
Liza says
Hi there,
Just checking- beans should be indrained? I never do that….
Liza says
Oops I mean UNdrained. Thanks for the recipe.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Liza! Yes, you can use the whole can of beans. The liquid is called aquafaba and it’s used in this recipe to help get the right consistency. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Elizabeth Ratte says
This recipe was super confusing. I was in a rush and it’s in the oven but never was it mentioned when yo add the sauce. I poured it over the chicken roll-ups at the end. It sounds amazing! I added a can of rotel tomatoes and green chilies on top of the sauce and cheese fingers crossed it’s not a dinner fail. Please revise this recipe so it’s more clear! Thank you so much!
Elizabeth, NH
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for pointing out the missing step. I have revised the recipe so it’s less confusing. I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Anna says
Holy crap I just made these- so delicious!!! I had to make myself stop eating them. The nutritional info thats posted- is that for 1 enchilada?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Anna! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them! I just updated the nutrition info to reflect a 2 enchilada serving per person. Hope that helps!
Debbie Dixson says
Really good on Family night,
To impress New Inlaws, Great Crowd Pleaser for any Occasion!