Keto chicken enchiladas are the perfect dinner when you’re craving Mexican but need a low carb option. This dish is made with zucchini “tortillas” rather than flour or corn. This keto enchilada recipe is also gluten free and packed full of delicious ingredients like enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, cheese and tangy sour cream.
I absolutely love making these lighter, keto chicken enchiladas for dinner! At first I was a bit skeptical of the concept. But now we make it over and over again in our home and the whole family loves the taste of zucchini “tortillas.” Even my husband goes for seconds!
How To Make Keto Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil — Avocado oil also works.
- Onion — I generally use a white or yellow onion, either will do the trick!
- Garlic — Mince up 2 fresh cloves or use a jar of minced garlic to save time, if desired.
- Seasonings — Salt, black pepper, cumin and chili powder.
- Chicken — Pre-cooked and shredded chicken can typically be purchased in the deli section, you can also buy and shred a roasted rotisserie chicken! Another option? Poach chicken breasts or chicken thighs on the stove top in water or broth and shred by hand.
- Gluten free enchilada sauce — I use store bought enchilada sauce to keep things fast and easy, purchase mild or go with a spicier blend but be sure to double check the ingredients to make sure your sauce is gluten free (some brands are not).
- Zucchini — You’ll need 4 large zucchinis to make your “tortilla” wraps.
- Cheeses — A mix of shredded Monterey jack and sharp cheddar.
- Toppings — Fresh chopped cilantro and tangy sour cream!
Instructions
Make filling, slice zucchini:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet on the stove top and turn heat to medium. Add onion and sauté until it begins to brown, this should take around 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, shredded chicken and pour 1 cup of your enchilada sauce to the skillet (reserve remaining enchilada sauce for topping). Mix until ingredients are well combined and remove from heat.
- Use a “Y” shaped veggie peeler or mandoline slicer to create thin, even slices of zucchini. Lay four slices on a plate, making sure that they overlap slightly.
Roll filling in zucchini:
- Add about 2 tablespoons of filling to the zucchini slices and roll it up!
Assemble enchiladas:
- Line your zucchini chicken rolls in a large baking dish or casserole dish.
- Top keto enchilada rolls with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle shredded cheeses. Cover the casserole with foil. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Uncover the casserole, and bake it for more 5 mins.
Bake then serve:
- Place keto chicken enchiladas in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, they’re done.
- Add your sour cream topping and some chopped cilantro, then serve your chicken enchilada casserole and enjoy the delicious Mexican food flavors of this recipe!
Recipe Tips
- This is a great keto chicken enchiladas recipe for chicken leftovers. If you’ve got some leftover cooked chicken in the fridge from dinner, shred it up and toss it in your enchilada filling!
- Don’t try and use a knife to make your zucchini slices, it’s nearly impossible to get them as thin and even as necessary without a Y-peeler or mandoline.
- If your zucchini slices are too thick, they’ll break when you try to roll up filling. Make sure they’re super thin and test a few pieces before you cut up all of your zucchini.
- If you’re dealing with slippery zucchini slices and excess moisture, keep some paper towels handy. They can be used to pat down the slices for easier handling.
How To Store Leftovers
To Store: Allow leftovers to cool and place them in an airtight container, store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Zucchini has a high-water content and can become mushy once thawed, so I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.
To Reheat: Reheat your keto chicken enchiladas in the microwave or pop them back into a 300°F oven until warmed through completely.
More Keto zucchini recipes to try:
- Spinach and Zucchini Lasagna: This recipe is vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free. It is made with delicious homemade tomato sauce, skinny ricotta, mozzarella, and zucchini noodles.
- 5-Ingredient Chicken Zucchini Boats: These are super easy to make, and it’s a great way to use chicken leftovers.
- 4-Ingredient Chicken Zucchini Rolls: This recipe makes a super-easy, healthy, and delicious dinner for the entire family to enjoy!
Keto Chicken Enchiladas
Keto chicken enchiladas are the perfect dinner when you’re craving Mexican but need a low carb option. This dish is made with zucchini “tortillas” rather than flour or corn. It’s also gluten free and packed full of delicious ingredients like enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, shredded cheese and tangy sour cream.
Servings: 12 people
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large white onion chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1⅓ cups red enchilada sauce divided
- 4 large zucchini sliced with a mandolin or peeler
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Sour cream for drizzling
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add diced onion.
- Sauté onion until golden and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, shredded chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce.
- Stir well until combined.
- Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, make thin slices of zucchini. On a cutting board, lay out 4 zucchini slices slightly overlapping. Then, add 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on top. Roll up, and transfer carefully to a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining zucchini and chicken mixture.
- After that, use the remaining enchilada sauce to top the zucchini enchiladas. Then, add the shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. Cover the casserole with foil.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Uncover the casserole, and bake it for more 5 mins.
- Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, and serve.
Tips
- This recipe was adapted from the site Delish.
- Do you have leftover cooked chicken? Shred and use for your filling!
- Don’t use a knife to slice zucchini. A Y-peeler or mandoline are necessary for thin, even slices.
- If zucchini slices are too thick, they’ll break when rolling.
- Slippery zucchini slices? Use a paper towel and soak up extra moisture for easier handling.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/12 Calories: 154kcal Carbohydrates: 6.1g Protein: 16.7g Fat: 7.2g Cholesterol: 41mg Sodium: 245mg Fiber: 1.7g Sugar: 2.5g
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Ginger says
I made this last night! WOW so delicious! I don’t have a mandolin so I just sliced the zucchini as thin as I could and did a layering technique instead of rolling them! I also added green chilies to the onions! I highly recommend this recipe!!
Olivia Ribas says
Awesome! Glad to hear that!
Fay says
I’m not seeing recipe for what enchilada sauce or what kind you use.
Mary says
We really loved this recipe! I have never commented on an
Olivia Ribas says
Happy to hear that 😉
Alisa says
Made this first time and served to friends. I loved it. They loved it. Wish Mexican restaurants would have healthier options like this!
Olivia Ribas says
So happy to hear that 😉
Aly says
Such a good recipe!!! One I will definitely make again. I did some canned chopped jalapeños to add a little kick and it added some extra flavor.
Olivia Ribas says
Happy to know you liked this recipe and yes totally go for the chopped jalapeños. So good!
N says
Can this recipe be frozen? would really like to use this as a freezer meal.
Olivia Ribas says
I’ve never frozen this recipe, but I believe it can.
Jennie says
Does the zucchini cook thoroughly while in the oven for 20 minutes?
Olivia Ribas says
Yes it does.
Aja Perrin says
We loved this! I added a bunch of stuff to the recipe, however to make it more like my favorite enchiladas. Only used Monterey Jack,
A cob of corn kernels went in with the onion, a teaspoon or roasted coriander in with the spices. I stirred 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack and a huge spoon of 2% plain Greek yogurt into the chicken mixture, didn’t put the cheese on until the last 5 minutes, and baked it 25. Zucchini was still too crunchy for us, and it was SO hard to deal with, I think next time I will steam it or blanch it for a minute after slicing.. also served this with more Greek yogurt and sliced avocado and some sunflower seeds on top (bc they’re so good with zucchini and Monterey Jack cheese) served it with homemade healthy yellow rice I found on another site. Delish!
Fantastic!
Olivia Ribas says
Love that you served it with Greek yogurt and sliced avocado. So good!
Nikki says
Making this for the second time tonight. It’s delicious. Is there anything zucchini can’t do?!?!? I added canned green chili’s to mine just for funsies. Also excellent the next day reheated. Thanks for sharing!!
Olivia Ribas says
Love you added a canned green chili. It must be delicious!
Shellie says
Instead of rolling it up, I cut the zucchini as thin as possible and put it in the bottom of my baking dish, layered it with the chicken, put another layer of zucchini ( kind of like a lasagna), and then topped with the enchilada sauce and cheese. It was delicious!
Olivia Ribas says
That’s a great idea too 😉