Cheesy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
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This recipe is a great meal idea for large groups or a family dinner. The only thing that can make this dish better is that it’s a freezer meal! With the chicken, beans, vegetables, and whole wheat tortillas, you’re getting some great lean protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Here’s my husband’s and my favorite enchilada recipe. It’ll soon be your favorite enchilada recipe too. What might surprise you is that these chicken enchiladas make a great freezer meal. Simply double the batch and freeze one before baking it. Now you have a healthy freezer meal waiting for you to cook on a busy night down the road!
If you want to go lighter on the cheese, these enchiladas are really quite good for you. With the chicken, beans, vegetables, and whole wheat tortillas, you’re getting some great lean protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. If you’re making this for kids, you may want to pull back on the spice a bit.
If your crew isn’t a huge fan of enchilada sauce, make sure to check out our Baked Chicken Fajitas. Similar concept but without the sauce. And just as good. 🙂
Side Dish Ideas to Go with Enchiladas
Looking for something to serve alongside this recipe? We have two ideas for you:
- Try our Avocado Lime Salsa on top of your enchiladas or with chips on the side.
2. Try this delicious Fiesta Chopped Salad with tortilla chips.
What kind of containers do you store freezer meals in?
We recommend using a BPA-free container or dish. While it may be easier to buy the disposable Glad ovenware containers, it really makes sense to stock up on some quality, safe dishes that you can bake AND store in. After searching long and hard, we highly recommend and use these containers below. We both have collected a huge stash of them over the years!
8 inch Square Glass Baking Dish with Lid
3 Quart Glass Baking Dish with Lid
A few reasons I like these:
- Glass is a natural, non-porous material.
- Glass cookware doubles as food storageware.
- Glass is easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
- The clear lid allows easy visibility to your food.
- Because they are oven and microwave proof, you can cook, heat, and store your food all in one dish.
- Flat top allows for easy stacking.
- They are VERY affordable.
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe
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Cheesy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
These cheesy chicken and black bean enchiladas are the perfect meal idea for large groups or a family dinner. The only thing that can make this dish better is that it’s a freezer meal! With the chicken, beans, vegetables, and whole wheat tortillas, you’re getting some great lean protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (make your own using this recipe)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, juice and all
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 6 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (sub: Monterey Jack)
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9×9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken/onion mixture and stir to coat. Stir in black beans, green chiles, and salsa and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces.
- Spread out 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×9 casserole dish.
- Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken/bean mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up tortillas and place them seam-side down, side-by-side in the baking dish. Pour a little remaining enchilada sauce over the top of each one. Then, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top.
- Bake enchiladas for 15 minutes, until cheese is golden.
Freeze For Later: Freeze the enchiladas before baking in an airtight freezer safe pan. You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw enchiladas in the refrigerator for approximately 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake enchiladas for 15 minutes, until bubbling on the edges and cheese is golden brown on top. If the enchiladas are somewhat frozen when cooking, cover them in foil and bake longer until hot in the center.
Getting ready to try these!! Would it work okay to use 6″ soft taco size tortillas, and just use a couple more of them? That’s what I had on hand. Thanks!
I’m sure it’d be great!
I really liked this recipe but do u know how many calories is there in one serving?
I don’t, but you can enter in the recipe at Spark People and check. There are a lot of free apps that do this too. One of these days we won’t be wrangling kids at home while blogging and can compute nutrition info for all our recipes, too. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made them last night and they were a big hit at our house. It will become a new staple for us.
So glad to hear it went over well, Bonnie! Thanks for letting me know and thanks for reading.
Wanted to let you know I’m featuring this yummy recipe as my personal favorite at Weekend Potluck linky party. C’mon over and grab the Featured Button. =) http://www.thebetterbaker.blogspot.com/2013/01/gooey-grape-salad-weekend-potluck-49.html
Awesome, thanks so much! Sure will.
Oh these look fantastic. Healthy too! Thanks a million for linking up at Weekend Potluck….I am printing this recipe to try one day soon. MMM good!
Thanks so much! It’s one of our favorites.
Oops – I meant that we've read the book many times. 🙂
Sorry – I just now checked your blog again! Oops! Yes, it's my husband, and we own that book – many times since my husband's last surgery! In fact, we just made a big batch of the pumpkin muffins! Love the recipes in it. I definately agree that it's different with each person – I feel like we've gone the complete circle that everyone talks about – medicine, to the "all natural/diet/nutrition based/Jordan Rueben" method, and then when a flare up comes up again, you realize again that it IS autoimmune, despite whatever you do, and end up on medicine again. *Sigh* 🙂 I'd love to be able to cook the same meal for the three of us – insoluable fiber included!
Alisa,
Sorry…I reread your original comment and realized that it is your husband who has Crohn's (not your child). Regardless, I know it's hard when someone you love has to struggle with this.
Rachel
Alisha,
I'm so sorry to hear about your son. I know how difficult a Crohn's diagnosis can be, especially when you have to watch your child go through it. From what I understand, everyone is different, especially when it comes to foods that are tolerated. Jack can eat beans…in fact, at this point, he eats just about anything. However, I realize that beans and other high-fiber foods, can wreak havoc on a Crohn's digestive system–especially during flares. One book I've found especially helpful is called "What to Eat with IBD" by Tracie M Dalessandro. She is an RD and has Crohn's herself. She gives great suggestions for foods that are healing for the gut and foods that are harmful. And, she includes quite a few recipes, as well. Hope that helps! Please feel free to email me sometime (rachelcasteel@hotmail.com). I'd love to connect more.
Did your son eat these? I'm always looking for new recipes to cook since my husband has Crohn's Disease as well – usually beans tear him up inside – if your son ate them, did you do anything special to his? Thanks!