25-Minute Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas
These chicken enchiladas are great for using up any veggies you have lingering in your fridge. Our chicken enchilada recipe calls for zucchini, squash and onion, but you could easily swap in spinach, onions or potatoes.
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Recipe Summary
What Are Enchiladas?
Enchiladas are a traditional Mexican food that in it's earliest form, was recognized as simply a tortilla smothered in chili sauce. The definition of an enchilada has grown to encompass new variations on that theme with tortillas rolled around fillings that include cheese, veggies and/or meat. Depending on their region of origin, they can be made with flour or corn tortillas, smothered in a variety of sauces from red enchilada sauce to green chili sauce and are often topped and baked with cheese.
How to Make Enchiladas Quickly
From making the filling and sauce to rolling the tortillas, enchiladas can be a time-intensive recipe—but with a few handy shortcuts, you can make enchiladas on any busy weeknight. Here, we call for cooked chicken, which is a great way to use up leftovers. You could also substitute rotisserie chicken or a quick-cooking ground meat or plant-based protein. Opting for veggies that take minimal prep work and cook time like zucchini or summer squash and adding canned beans to the filling can speed up the process. And using store-bought sauce in place of homemade can help bring everything together quickly.
How to Warm Up Tortillas
To heat the tortillas in the microwave, place 4 tortillas at a time on a microwave-safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second bursts until they are warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Additional reporting by Hilary Meyer
