These easy Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas are stuffed with melted cheese, chicken and a zesty red enchilada sauce for a tasty twist on a Mexican classic. Replacing the tortillas with thick cut zoodles makes this the perfect summertime dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas Recipe
We’re big fans of Mexican food, but sometimes want to add our own twist on the classics. Here are just a few reasons why you’re going to love zucchini enchiladas!
- You Won’t Miss the Tortilla: Can you really use a zucchini instead of a corn tortilla in enchiladas? Yes you can! Honestly you will not miss the tortilla, because the zucchini adds a whole new level of flavor. Bonus, these zucchini enchiladas also look very fancy, adding to the overall appeal.
- That Filling: These chicken zucchini enchiladas are stuffed with a delicious and easy homemade filling with chicken, cheese, red enchilada sauce, garlic, herbs and spices. They are rich in Mexican flavors that wake up your taste buds.
- Super Easy: To keep this dinner extra fast and easy, you can use a rotisserie chicken and canned enchilada sauce if you would prefer.
How to Make Zoodles
We like to use a mandoline for cutting the zucchini into thin and uniform strips. This kitchen tool is very quick to use and will massively speed up your prep work. These large zoodles will make rolling and filling your zucchini enchiladas much easier. Remember that if the zucchini slices are too thick, the zucchini strip will break when you roll it.
Here are the steps to making enchilada ‘zoodles’ at home:
- Slice the ends off of the zucchini.
- Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.
- Place the inside of the zucchini on the mandoline and apply even pressure as you press the zucchini down across the blade.
What You’ll Need
You will only need a handful of ingredients to make these zucchini enchiladas. Don’t skimp on the cheese as it adds so much to the final dish! Scroll to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Chicken: This is a great recipe to use leftover cooked and shredded chicken. You can also get a rotisserie chicken if you don’t have leftovers.
- Seasoning: We’ll be using garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cheese: We really like to flavors of the 4-cheese Mexican blend along with pepper jack.
- Zucchini: Grab larger zucchinis that are similar in size so your zoodles will be uniform.
- Red Enchilada Sauce
- Canned Green Chilies
How to Make Zucchini Enchiladas
With just a few simple steps, you’ll have this very tasty summer dish on the table! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for detailed instructions.
- Mix the Filling: Mix together the chicken, seasonings, green chilies, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and 1/2 a cup of the enchilada sauce.
- Cut the Zoodles: Using a mandoline, slice your zucchini into thin strips.
- Combine: In the bottom of a casserole dish, add 1/2 a cup of the enchilada sauce. Lay the zoodles on a cutting board and spread 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken filling over top. Roll the zoodles starting from the bottom and then place them in the baking dish seam side down. Once you’ve filled the dish, top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake: Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 10 more minutes until that cheese is a nice golden brown. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Best Results
Once you’ve made this dish once, you’ll want to use zoodles for everything this summer! Here are a few tips and variation ideas to keep things easy and fresh.
- Tips on Rolling: Lay the zucchini strips in a row and spread the filling down the middle of each one. Keep the ends free from the chicken filling, as this will help seal the rolls and keep them from leaking. Try not to overfill the zucchini. If you do, they will not roll tight and the filling will leak out during the baking time. As you make your rolls, place them in the prepared baking dish and tuck them tightly into each other as seen in the image above.
- Change the Filling: Chickened out? Try using pulled pork, carnitas, beans or ground beef instead in these delicious zucchini enchiladas. If you make our best pulled pork you can always set some of the meat aside before you add in the BBQ sauce to use in this enchilada dish as well. We do it often and it’s delicious!
- Toppings: There are so many topping ideas to choose from, but here are our favorites: sour cream, cilantro, avocados, extra cheese, hot sauce, and jalapenos (pickled or fresh)!
- Make Ahead: Do you like to meal prep on Sunday? You can definitely make these zucchini enchiladas ahead of time. Follow all of the directions up till placing in the oven. Instead, cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking.
What to Serve With Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas
We love to serve these enchiladas with some cauliflower rice seasoned with cilantro and lime. My husband loves when we make these with some Spanish rice with black beans or refried beans!
These Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas are one of our favorite ways to enjoy Mexican food at home, but still fit in our jeans the next day. However, if you are looking for more easy dinner ideas with a Spanish theme, check out our Walking Tacos!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
If you happen to have leftovers, you can absolutely save them! These chicken zucchini enchiladas are always better fresh, but they’re still really tasty for lunch the next day.
- Refrigerate: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Any longer than that and they get pretty soggy.
- Reheat: To reheat these zucchini enchiladas, we recommend using the oven for best results. Preheat oven to 325°F add a little cheese to the top cover place in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Or if you are in a hurry, of course the microwave will do.
- Freeze: We don’t recommend freezing this dish.
More Tasty Mexican Recipes
Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
- 1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
- 8 oz 4-cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
- ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese, for topping
- 3 large zucchini
Optional Toppings:
- Cilantro
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
- Jalapeños
- Avocados
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a mandoline, slice zucchini into thin strips, set aside. (Find detailed instructions in the post above for slicing your zucchini with a mandolin.)
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chicken, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, green chilies, 1 cup shredded cheese and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce.
- In the bottom of a casserole dish, add ½ cup of the enchilada sauce and spread it evenly.
- Lay the zucchini slices on a cutting board or wax paper and spread 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture onto the zucchini strips. Start at the bottom of the zucchini and roll up and place in the baking dish with the seam side down.
- Once you have filled the baking dish with zucchini enchiladas, top the enchiladas with the remaining Mexican cheese and the pepper jack cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Let rest for 5 minutes after baking to cool and set up just a little, then serve topped with your favorite toppings!
How much is one serving size? One roll? 4oz? Please let me know thanks!
This is perfect for when you are looking for a light dinner. It is packed with all of your traditional enchilada flavors! So good!