Healthy and freezer friendly, this dairy-free chicken enchilada recipe is flavourful and fun! Packed with protein, it’s an easy dinner or mid afternoon snack.
When Kyle’s devouring a dairy-free chicken enchilada, you know it’s good. He’s the biggest cheese lover I know, although he’s lactose intolerant. The deliciously dairy-free Daiya shredded cheese used in this recipe makes sure that he can eat as much as he wants without any discomfort. To my surprise, I actually prefer the taste of the Daiya cheese over your typical marble or cheddar cheese. I’ve tested the recipe both ways and kept going back for seconds of the dairy-free.
This chicken enchilada recipe includes The Best Red Enchilada Sauce that we always make from scratch. It makes a world of difference compared to a store bought red enchilada sauce. All you need is olive oil, onion, garlic, ground cumin, chilli powder, tomato sauce, chicken stock, granulated sugar (mellowing the acidity), salt & pepper.
Dairy-Free Chicken Enchilada Recipe Ingredients
This chicken enchilada recipe is super easy to make! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour tortillas – I always use flour tortillas when I make enchiladas. They’re more flexible than corn tortillas, so they can easily be wrapped without breaking. I like to use the brand Casa Mendosa large whole wheat tortillas.
- Chicken – I use chicken breasts, we always have them frozen on hand which I thaw before cooking. We buy boxes of frozen chicken breasts when they go on sale at Save on Foods or Costco as we find it’s cheapest this way and it’s super handy. All you have to do is leave them out at room temperature overnight, then pop into the fridge in the morning until you are ready to cook them. Kobi, one of our cats, likes to surf the counters while we are sleeping so I like to keep my bowl of thawing chicken in the microwave so he can’t get to them.
- The Best Red Enchilada Sauce – of course! The sauce finishes off these enchiladas by adding just enough flavour and moisture. Check out this recipe for the instructions on how to make it.
- Black beans – Packed with plant-based protein, they make these enchiladas nice and hearty.
- Dairy-free cheese – Use your favourite store bought shredded dairy-free cheese! I can’t speak highly enough of the Daiya brand shredded cheddar flavour.
- Jalapeño peppers – If you like mildly spicy food like me, add diced jalapeños to your enchilada mix for some heat and a punch of flavour. Otherwise, skip them! The way this recipe is written it has a little kick of heat, I’d say it sits at a mild. So if you don’t want that, I’d recommend to half the amount of jalapeños and make sure you remove all of the seeds.
- Onions and garlic – This classic duo fills the enchilada filling with aromatic flavour.
- Olive oil – Use the best one you have. I like to use extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt and pepper – To make all the flavours pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Dairy-Free Chicken Enchilada Recipe Tips
- Dice the fillings finely and soften. The filling ingredients are chopped into small pieces then sautéed together in a skillet. This allows you to get some of everything in each bite. Yum!
- Slow cook your shredded chicken. The best thing I’ve ever learnt is to cook my chicken breasts in a slow cook covered in broth or stock. Once cooked, my not-so-secret trick is to transfer the chicken breasts to a mixing bowl and shred with a Hand Mixer! No more burning forearms while using 2 forks.
- They fit more than you think they will. When you assemble your chicken enchiladas, it’ll be tempting not to pile in the fillings. But each tortilla holds more than you might expect especially since we will be leaving the ends open. Make sure to split up your filling mix into 4-5 servings before you fill the tortillas to ensure each one will get an equal amount of filling. I like to do this directly in the bowl or pan I mixed the filling in and pretending like I’m cutting a pizza.
- Use this homemade red enchilada sauce recipe. I would highly recommend using my homemade red enchilada sauce recipe for your sauce. It will be much more delicious than a store bought option and really takes things up a notch. Not only this, but also it will be a healthier option. It is fresh, limited ingredients and best of all super easy to whip up!
Dairy-Free Chicken Enchilada Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your enchilada’s hot from the stove, while the cheese is still melty. I like to dress mine up with fresh cilantro, guacamole, and chopped fresh jalapeños, but all sorts of fixing would be fantastic here. Experiment with sliced green onions, fresh avocado, pico de gallo, or red pepper flakes!
Dairy-Free Chicken Enchilada
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken Breast cooked and shredded
- 2 ½ cups Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce divided, recipe found separately
- 4-5 Tortilla I like to use Casa Mendosa large whole wheat
- 1 (398 mL) can Black Bean drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Dairy-Free Shredded Cheese I highly recommend Daiya Cheddar Flavour
- 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 1 small Red Onion 1/3 cup, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic pressed
- 2 medium Jalapeños seeded and minced
- ⅓ tsp Fine Sea Salt
- ⅓ tsp Black Pepper ground
Instructions
- Pre-cook your chicken breasts and shred. The best way to do this is to add your chicken breasts to a slow cooker and cover with chicken stock. I like to use Knorr brand natural chicken stock powder and mix about 1 tbsp to enough water to cover the chicken breasts. When you mix the powder with the water, only use about 1 cup of warm water to mix so it's easy to dissolve. Then you can add more water. Cover and set to cook on high for three hours. When done, remove the chicken and add to a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to shred the chicken, this is seriously the best trick I've ever learnt! You can thank me later.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add your onion and jalapeños and soften for about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic for a quick 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Remove from heat then stir in ½ cup of your enchilada sauce, the black beans and shredded chicken. Season with the salt and pepper. I skip this step, but if you like your enchiladas extra cheesy, you can add shredded cheese to your filling now.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds so that they are soft and easy to work with. Pour another ½ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your 9×13 inch baking dish and shake or tilt the dish until the sauce evenly covers the bottom.
- Divide your filling in the pan into as many sections as tortillas you are using to make sure you are going to fill the tortillas evenly. Add the filling onto a tortilla and shape into a log that is off centred. This will make rolling them a breeze. Roll tightly and transfer seam-side down into baking dish.
- Evenly pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas, making sure to leave the outer ends of the tortillas slightly exposed. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas are slightly crispy and browned. Remove from oven and try to patiently let cool for about 10 minutes.
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