High Protein Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas

If you’ve never made enchiladas with rotisserie chicken, you’re missing out on a super easy way to get more protein in your diet and feed your family. My recipe makes green chile chicken enchiladas with 5 ingredients and 10-15 minutes of prep time.

Each serving has 42g of protein with only 37 grams of carbs and 465 calories.

And did I mention they are picky eater friendly?

How to Make High Protein Enchiladas with Rotisserie Chicken (Recipe Walkthrough)

Step 1: Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s everything you need:

• Pulled Rotisserie Chicken – Or any cooked and shredded chicken. I just published a 3-ingredient shortcut Mexican shredded chicken recipe that’s a perfect match, if you need a homemade option.
• Green Enchilada Sauce – Siete is one of my favorite brands for enchilada sauce and other goodies. Any brand or style (red instead of green) should work.
• Low Fat Cottage Cheese – It’s blended with the enchilada sauce and is completely hidden. Scout’s honor. Still need a swap? Try nonfat Greek yogurt, reduced fat sour cream, or just replace it with extra enchilada sauce.
• Shredded Cheese and Corn Tortillas – I used pre-shredded cheese to keep things as simple as possible. Stick with corn tortillas over flour for best results.

You’ll have leftover cottage cheese. Might as well blend it with a jar of spicy vodka pasta sauce, toss it with more rotisserie chicken, and make protein packed lasagna. Or buy extra to make rotisserie chicken queso burritos next.

Step 2: Fill and Roll

Toss the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor with some enchilada sauce and a bit of cheese to make a sauce for the rotisserie chicken.

Next, either wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 30-40 seconds or heat briefly in a pan until the tortillas are pliable. This keeps them from tearing when filling and rolling with about 3 ounces of the rotisserie chicken filling.

Don’t sweat it if you have some cracks. Each set of enchiladas will be packed tightly together and smothered in sauce and cheese, holding everything together.

I borrowed this method of baking the enchiladas on a sheet pan in pairs from Brian Lagerstrom. It makes serving much easier, and I love the crispier edges you miss out on when the enchiladas are crammed in a baking dish.

Step 3: Top with Sauce and Cheese then Bake

Squeeze those enchilada couples together and spoon over a generous 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce, fully coating the tops and sides. Add about 1 ounce of shredded cheese on top of each.

Bake in a 450ºF oven for 10-12 minutes. You’re looking for melted cheese and crispy golden brown edges on the tortillas.

Air Frying?

I’m sure you can pop these enchiladas in an air fryer. I cooked my roasted veggie enchiladas for 8-10 minutes at 400ºF. Those were squeezed together, though. Unless you have a massive air fryer, I doubt you can fit all 5 sets of 2 with space in between.

Garnishes and Serving Ideas

Since I borrowed the method from Brian, I stuck with his recommendation for a shredded lettuce, cilantro, crema, and queso fresco garnish. But instead of Mexican crema, I recommend nonfat Greek yogurt thinned with a bit of water so you can drizzle it over the top. That adds an extra boost of protein and saves a few calories.

As for pairings, rice and beans are the classics for chicken enchiladas. I mentioned by love for Siete above, and they make a great canned charro beans product. Pair that with a bag of frozen Spanish style cauliflower rice or Mexican cauliflower rice for a high volume, low calorie meal with minimal effort.

Storing Leftovers and Reheating

I think chicken enchiladas are great for meal prep. The duos are perfect for tossing in containers to refrigerate or freeze for later. Just be sure to leave any garnishes off so you can reheat without them and add fresh.

In my experience, microwaving a bowl of refrigerated enchiladas for 3-4 minutes does the trick. If you decide to freeze your leftovers, my typical advice is to let them thaw in the refrigerator the night before. That way you can skip any defrost functions and make life easier.

If you’re taking your meal prep enchiladas on the road and need garnishes on the go, you could just toss the lettuce, cilantro, Greek yogurt, and queso fresco together in one separate container.

Final Notes

I hope you love these high protein enchiladas! If you do, I always appreciate recipe reviews. And if you like the look of this recipe, I have a ton of healthy Tex-Mex dishes on my blog.

Take a look at my Crockpot beef enchilada casserole, turkey chili, or beefy cottage cheese queso recipes next.

Until we cook again. – Mason