If you’re on a gluten-free diet (or even if you’re not!), you’ll love this lightened up version of classic chicken enchiladas! These Low-Carb Zucchini Chicken Enchiladas use veggie noodles instead of tortillas. This healthier classic is a budget-friendly meal perfect for a weeknight dinner!
A gluten-free and low-carb healthier classic!
These Low-Carb Zucchini Chicken Enchiladas are a lighter version of a classic chicken enchilada, but they still have all the flavor!
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, then you’ll love this take on classic chicken enchiladas. Instead of using the typical flour tortillas, which are full of gluten and heavy on carbs, we use zucchini ribbons to create these easy enchiladas. While you could definitely use corn tortillas for a gluten-free enchilada, using zucchini gives this dinner a healthy boost and makes it low-carb friendly!
The filling of these chicken enchiladas is so incredibly flavorful with just a few simple ingredients. All you need are chicken thighs, salt, pepper, onions, garlic, enchilada sauce, and corn. Most of the flavor comes from the enchilada sauce, but the onions and garlic are so necessary to create this amazing, savory filling. I used a mild enchilada sauce, since I don’t love spicy foods. If you wanted to give this dish a kick, use a spicy enchilada sauce or add some diced jalapeños to the mix!
Tips for Making Low-Carb Zucchini Chicken Enchiladas:
If you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner recipe, this enchilada recipe is it! You can make these low-carb zucchini chicken enchiladas even easier by using rotisserie chicken. Just shred the rotisserie chicken and proceed with the recipe for time savings.
If you are gluten free, I would caution you to check the ingredients to make sure that the rotisserie chicken is truly gluten free. You can also use any precooked chicken of your liking, which makes this recipe great for using up leftovers!
While it may be tempting to add more enchilada sauce, I think the amount written in this recipe is absolutely perfect. If you add too much, the mixture gets loose which makes it a little difficult to roll the zucchini enchiladas when the filling is falling out the sides. Trust me on this one. I know from experience!
A great way to get more veggies in your diet!
The whole family will love these easy low-carb zucchini chicken enchiladas. They’re an easy way to get more veggies into your diet. Even those who don’t love vegetables will like this dinner, I promise! Top with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, and dollops of sour cream to complete this delicious dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or other oil of choice
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced (from 1/2 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup enchilada sauce, divided
- 3-4 zucchini squash, cut into ribbons
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 avocado, sliced for serving
- 1/4 cup sour cream, dolloped for serving
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken in skillet and cook 5 minutes per side, until chicken is almost cooked through.
- Add onions to the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and chicken is completely cooked through.
- Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the garlic does not burn.
- Remove chicken from skillet and place in a large bowl. Shred with two forks. Return to pan and add corn and cook additional 1-2 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce, reserving the rest for later.
- While the chicken is cooking, using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, cut the zucchini in long strips. You'll need about 60 zucchini ribbons in total, which may take 3 or 4 zucchini depending on the size of your squash.
- Place 4 zucchini ribbons on a flat surface and have them overlap to create a width of about 3 inches in total.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the zucchini ribbon and carefully roll.
- Place zucchini enchilada in a 9x13-inch baking sheet and repeat with remaining zucchini and filling. You should get about 15 enchiladas in total.
- Spoon remaining 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce over the zucchini enchiladas. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the enchiladas.
- Bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Top with sliced avocado, sour cream, and cilantro before servings.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: To speed up the process, you can get a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store. Just be sure to check the ingredients to make sure it is completely gluten free.
We hope you love these easy Low-Carb Zucchini Chicken Enchiladas from SoFabFood Home Chef, Megan from A Dash of Megnut. If you enjoyed this deliciously healthy meal, you can find more like it by visiting our Gluten-Free Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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