Enchiladas… They’re greasy, cheesy, usually cooked in poor-quality oil, and smothered in a salty enchilada sauce. The kind of meal that makes unbuttoning your jeans a total necessity afterwards (we’ve all been there!). Definitely not the picture of a healthy meal, but come on, no one can deny the deliciousness of a good enchilada! So I decided I had to figure out a way to make a healthy version, and surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I expected. A few simple ingredient upgrades and your typical enchiladas got a total makeover! And I’m very excited to report that the result was SO satisfying – definitely one of my favorite recipes ever!
The first quick and easy ingredient upgrade was the tortillas. Rather than use flour or corn tortillas, I went with Siete Foods grain-free tortillas – if you haven’t tried them yet, they’re an absolute must (you can find them in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods). Next up was the enchilada sauce. I checked out every packaged sauce at the grocery store and just couldn’t get behind the ingredients, so I figured why not make the tomatillo sauce from scratch. You guys. SO worth it! It doesn’t take much extra time at all and it really brings the enchiladas to another level. Never bought tomatillos before? This is what they look like…
The tomatillos have a little peel called a husk. When you remove the husk, they’ll be a little sticky so just give them a quick rinse. Then you can put the whole tomatillos on a baking sheet with a jalapeño, onion, and some garlic, drizzle with avocado oil, and roast them up in the oven before turning into a delicious sauce in your blender! So easy, I promise.
I usually keep my enchiladas pretty simple – shredded chicken, a little cheese, and enchilada sauce, plus some cilantro and avocado on top. But you could always add some veggies inside the enchiladas… sautéed peppers or spinach would be great and would add a nice pop of color. Or if you wanted to go vegetarian with these, you could skip the chicken and make them with sweet potatoes or butternut squash, maybe some black beans, and some onions! You really can’t mess up this recipe. Add what you like and it will turn out delicious. Ok, let’s make some enchiladas?
Ingredients
For the Roasted Tomatillo Sauce:
1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 white onion, peeled & quartered
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño, halved and seeded (or you can leave the seeds if you want a spicier sauce)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken or veggie broth
Salt & pepper to taste
For the Enchiladas:
1 package Siete Foods almond flour tortillas (8 tortillas)
3-4 tbsp avocado oil
1 lb organic boneless, skinlesss chicken breasts (or use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
If poaching chicken, you’ll need cilantro & 1/4 onion
1/2 cup shredded organic cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)
For garnish: 1 avocado, cilantro, & lime wedges
Serves 4 (& makes 2 1/2 cups of tomatillo sauce).
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the tomatillos, onion, and jalapeño on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatillos are tender, flipping the veggies halfway through, and adding the garlic cloves onto the baking sheet halfway through as well.
- Transfer the roasted veggies and their juices from the baking sheet to the blender, and add cumin, cilantro, lime juice, and chicken broth or vegetable broth. Blend until smooth. Then season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Now make the chicken (you can also start this while the tomatillos are roasting). There are a few options here.
- You can make salsa chicken in the instant pot.
- You can buy a pre-cooked organic rotisserie chicken and shred it up to save time.
- You can poach the chicken in water and shred it. Place chicken breasts, 1/4 of an onion, and a couple sprigs of cilantro in a pot and cover it with two inches of water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so until opaque and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred with two forks.
- Place shredded chicken in a bowl and mix with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
- Now time to make the enchiladas! Evenly coat the bottom of a casserole dish with some tomatillo sauce. Then pour about 1/2 cup of tomatillo sauce into a separate shallow bowl.
- Warm 3 tbsp of avocado oil on a skillet until it’s hot but not smoking. Carefully place the almond flour tortilla into the oil for about 5 seconds and then flip to the other side for another 5 seconds. Using tongs, remove the tortilla from the skillet and allow any excess oil to drip off. Then carefully place the tortilla in the shallow bowl of tomatillo sauce to lightly coat it.
- Spoon the shredded chicken into the tortilla and carefully roll it up, placing it into the casserole pan with the seam-side down.
- Repeat with the rest of the tortillas (or for as many enchiladas as you’d like to make). You may need to add more oil to the skillet depending on the amount of tortillas you’re using and more enchilada sauce into the shallow bowl to coat the tortillas as you go. Once all of the enchiladas are in the casserole pan, spoon some extra enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven (should still be heated to 400 from the tomatillos) until the cheese has melted, about 5-10 minutes. You can also turn the broiler on for a couple seconds to brown the cheese a bit, but make sure you watch it carefully!
- Garnish with avocado slices, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Are you drooling yet? After editing enchilada photos for hours, I thought I’d be over them, but now I’m craving them all over again!! So excited for you to try these out. Let me know in the comments below when you do!
