This high Protein Chicken Enchilada Bake proves Mexican food can be both delicious and macro friendly at the same time. Mexican food is awesome, but you have to be careful because in restaurants, it can be a calorie bomb. All the more reason to make your own at home.
The Problem With Traditional Chicken Enchiladas (They’re Fat Bombs!)
Here’s the first problem with Mexican restaurant food: The fat: Sour cream, guacamole, and full fat cheese. Plus, oil sneaks in there and you may not even know it. (For example, enchilada sauce can be made with oil or without oil, and refried beans may be made with oil – or traditionally lard).
According to the USDA nutrient data base, the standard serving size for restaurant Mexican cheese enchiladas is almost 700 calories, with a macro breakdown of 61% fat, 23% carbs, and 16% protein. That’s for the enchiladas alone, before sides. With rice and beans you’re easily at 900 calories or more.
A full chicken enchilada plate at Chili’s clocks in at 1,140 calories. That might be an outlier on the high end but shows how quickly a full plate with sides can escalate.
Then there’s that big basket of tortilla chips they give you to munch on before your meal is even served. Those are a combination of refined carbs and fat (deep fried in oil). That makes it easy to hit 1000 calories or even much more, not even counting those chips on the side.
All together, if you’re doing a full accounting of a typical Mexican restaurant meal – enchiladas + rice + refried beans + chips and salsa – you’re very realistically looking at 1,200-1,600+ calories for the whole sitting, sometimes more.
And that’s not counting the drinks!
Developing A High Protein, Low Calorie Chicken Enchilada Recipe
I had the same calorie control issue when first creating this chicken enchilada bake recipe. It contained three different starchy carbs: rice, beans and corn. (Some people call corn a vegetable, but it’s really a starchy carb / grain).
Even after I reduced the amount of fat, I still wasn’t satisfied with my first version of this recipe because a serving that was quite modest in size contained over 500 calories.
That’s not a ton of calories, in fact it’s perfect for a guy my size, but the issue is that it didn’t leave me feeling full.
How To Modify A Chicken Enchilada To Make It Healthier, Leaner, And More Filling
So, I went back into my Burn the Fat Meal Planner software to tweak the recipe, and then back into the kitchen for testing. I knew I could modify the ingredients to not only reduce the calories but also make it feel more filling (while still delicious)
Here’s what I did:
1. Rice instead of tortillas.
I figured that including tortillas in addition to rice and beans (and corn) would bump the calories more than I wanted. That’s why I decided to make this a chicken enchilada bake (casserole), not classic tortilla enchiladas.
Instead of tortillas, I included rice. Rice is a staple in Mexican dishes, and also in bodybuilding style diets, so that was a no brainer.
Make a note that in my recipe I didn’t count the rice cooking time, so factor that into the total time, especially if you use brown rice. (White rice cooks much quicker).
2. Small portion of rice and or corn (less starchy carb)
Here was the problem at first: There were three different starchy carbs, including the rice. So in my second revision of the recipe, I reduced the amount of rice to only 2/3 of a cup dry. That’s 2 cups cooked for the whole batch.
That’s less than I usually use in other recipes, but this is one way you reduce calorie density – reduce a portion of starchy carbs.
Corn isn’t included in traditional tortilla enchiladas, but I thought corn worked great in this original enchilada casserole. It adds a little sweetness and another pop of color. That said you could reduce it or even eliminate it if you wanted to bring the calories down, or you just don’t like corn.
3. Add low calorie veggies to increase food volume.
When looking at my original test recipe, I realized there were almost no veggies! The only one was a little 4 ounce can of mild green chiles. So in the next version, I added one large bell pepper.
Perfect. Hardly any calories, but that bumps up the food volume and makes you feel fuller. (A red bell pepper makes it more colorful too).
Remember, using three different starchy carbs does bump up the calories. If you wanted to make this even lower in calories you could reduce the corn or beans portion as well or simply leave out any one of those carbs. In fact, the simplest basic classic enchilada recipe only contains several ingredients: the tortilla, the sauce, the cheese, and the meat.
4. Use a lower calorie enchilada sauce (no oil).
In the first version of this chicken enchilada casserole I bought the first red enchilada sauce I found in the grocery store. Little did I know, it contained oil, which bumped the calories up to 280 in that small 10 ounce can! Shame on me for not comparing labels more carefully at first.
After shopping around I realized that zero fat (no oil) canned enchilada sauce is widely available. Old El Paso brand for example, has no fat and only 90 calories. In fact, I kept shopping and our local store had a brand with only 67 calories per 10 ounce can.
That’s a massive calorie savings. You could even use two cans and still come in with half the calories of the sauce that used oil. (Note: many enchilada recipes call for two cans of sauce).
In the future, I may circle back and look at how to mix up some home-made enchilada sauce, but the canned stuff, even though you could call it a processed food, is fast, easy and convenient.
I used the mild sauce, as well as the mild green chiles, but if you like spicy food, there are hot versions of both the sauce and the chiles. Even with the mild sauce, there is some spiciness, but that’s the whole idea with this recipe. Enchilada sauce is made with red chili pepper or red chili paste.
5. Use low fat cheese (or reduce the cheese amount).
Another way to save calories is to use low fat cheese. I used a 2% low-fat Mexican blend. You can use any kind of cheese you want, but I definitely recommend at least going with reduced fat so you can save some more calories.
Non fat cheese doesn’t seem as widely available as it used to be, but non fat shredded cheddar is available in all my local stores and that’s a good match for Mexican dishes.
Non fat is not as rich and doesn’t melt as nicely, but if you want to save even more calories, it’s an option. Plus, you get more protein.
If you want to save the most calories of all, reducing cheese is the most efficient option. However, this recipe, per serving is already low in calories and, well, cheese is awesome.
Sodium And Seasonings
The sodium content can get out of hand pretty quickly if you use regular canned goods. However, no salt added corn and black beans are widely available. I prefer to use reduced sodium canned products and then taste test and add the amount of salt I want directly.
Note:If you try to avoid salt completely, this is going to be pretty bland.
I thought my first batch, while not as low in calories as I wanted it, tasted pretty good, but it seemed like it was missing something. A bit of salt and pepper helped, but it still needed something else.
Two things popped into my mind:
One was chili powder (or chipotle Chile powder). Which I’m sure would work great. The other was cumin. I ended up going with cumin. Why? Because that’s one of the secret ingredients that makes stovetop Mexican rice taste so fantastic, so I thought it would be good in the enchilada casserole. Plus, I wanted to create something unique
After adding cumin in my second batch, it was perfect!
For the finishing touch, garnish your beautiful casserole with cilantro. I’ve come to realize not everyone is a cilantro fan. I love it, but if you don’t, try scallions, or even parsley. It adds an extra flavor boost and it presents colorfully when you serve it.
What Is The Best Protein For Enchiladas?
Last but not least, let’s talk about the protein. Chicken is most common in enchiladas and usually shredded chicken.
Shredded chicken is a great ingredient to cook in bulk and keep on hand in the refrigerator and or freezer. If you already have shredded chicken on hand, this recipe is really quick and easy to make. If you need to shred your chicken, count on it adding about 15 minutes or so to your cooking time.
The easy way to do it is to boil your chicken and then shred. The old fashioned way to shred is with two forks. But finally I decided to give the hand mixer trick a try. It’s works! A mixer shreds up your chicken completely in just seconds. If you prefer larger, stringier chunks of chicken, then use the fork method, but if you want to get done fast, use the mixer.
Alternately, a short cut is to buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and shred that. And don’t forget, the slow cooker is a great way to cook chicken to pull/shred. In fact, instead of using plain boiled chicken, consider checking out our Mexican pulled (shredded) chicken with salsa.
For protein, this should also work with lean ground beef or shredded beef as well, but I haven’t tried it yet. Using chicken breast keeps the calories as low as possible. Very lean ground beef in 93% and even 96% fat free grade are available however.
Serving Suggestions
There are many ways you could alter this recipe, leaving out an ingredient or two, or adding other ingredients. And of course, if you choose, you could wrap this up in a tortilla, just remember to account for the extra calories (probably better for bulking than cutting diets!).
You can also serve it with extra salsa, chopped cilantro, scallions, jalapeños, or a dollop of light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. If you want even more volume and fullness for very few calories, serve it alongside a big salad or extra vegetables.
One of the things I like most about this high protein chicken enchilada bake is that it feels like comfort food, but the macros still work. You get the cheesy, hearty Mexican flavor without getting a whole day’s worth of calories in one meal.
And with over 40 grams of protein per serving, it’s filling enough to work well for meal prep, fat loss diets, or even muscle-building plans where you simply want cleaner, higher protein meals that still taste great.
High Protein Chicken Enchilada Bake (Casserole)
Equipment
- casserole dish
- rice cooker
Ingredients
- 680 g chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw (24 oz)
- 2/3 cup long grain brown or white rice, uncooked (2 cups cooked)
- 489 g black beans (one 15.5 oz/489g can)
- 432 g whole kernel corn (one 15.25oz/432g can)
- 113 g mild green chilis (one 4oz/113g can)
- 283 g mild enchilada sauce (no oil/fat free) (one 10oz/283g can)
- 164 g red bell pepper (5.8 oz / 1 large)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 cups Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar) 2% lowfat
Instructions
- Cook rice in rice cooker. Cook on stovetop if you prefer, or use leftover rice.
- Use pre cooked shredded chicken, or boil/poach the amount you need for this recipe: Place two extra large chicken breasts in the bottom of a pot or dutch oven. Cover with water. Boil 12 minutes or until cooked through (165F). Shred with fork (or a hand mixer). Put cooked shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl. Alternate "lazy" method: Shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Pre heat oven to 350
- In a large bowl combine the chicken with the enchilada sauce, black beans, corn, rice, chilis, enchilada sauce and cumin. Mix well. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if desired and mix again.
- Transfer mixture into a 9 X 13-inch casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top. Alternately stir half the cheese into the mixture and sprinkle the other half on top.
- Bake 20 minutes. Cheese should be completely melted and everything heated through.
- Optional: garnish with cilantro or scallions
Nutrition
More Mexican Recipes:
3-Ingredient Shredded Salsa Chicken
One Skillet Chicken Fajitas (Low Calorie)
Cheesy Mexican Chicken And Rice Casserole (One Pot)
Cilantro Lime Rice (Better Than Chipotle)
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilding and fat loss coach with 35 years of experience. He holds a degree in exercise science and has trained hundreds of clients in person and thousands online. He is also a recipe creator specializing in fat-burning, muscle-building cooking.
A former competitive bodybuilder, Tom is now a full-time evidence-based fitness writer, blogger, and author. His classic book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is an international bestseller, first as an ebook and later as a hardcover and audiobook. He is also the author of Meal Prep For Fat Loss, a practical guide to smart shopping, batch cooking, and kitchen strategies that make healthy eating simple and sustainable.
Tom is also the founder of Burn the Fat Inner Circle, a fitness support community with more than 59,000 members worldwide since 2006.
Tom’s work has been featured in Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Oprah Magazine and dozens of other major publications. He is best known for his no-BS, scientific approach to natural fat loss and muscle-building.
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