Instead of using tortillas, I roll these Zucchini Enchiladas up with thin-sliced zucchini and stuff them with a cheesy chicken filling. It’s everything I love about traditional enchiladas, but it’s a little lighter, a little fresher, and super budget-friendly. Plus, this easy recipe only has 5 ingredients(!) and is ready in about 35 minutes. These zucchini enchiladas are such a fun way to incorporate more veggies into your weekly meal plan and make use of my favorite summer squash while you can get them at a great price!
My partner’s love language? Chicken enchiladas. So when I want to spoil him, that’s exactly what’s on the menu. This year, we also ended up with an excess of zucchini in our garden, so I figured, why not put it to good use? Swapping tortillas for zucchini not only tastes amazing but also makes for a lighter, low-carb twist on a traditional enchilada recipe.
Zucchini is packed with vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants, but you’d never guess they’re doing you any nutritional favors when they’re rolled up with tender shredded chicken, smothered in enchilada sauce, and baked under a blanket of bubbling cheese! 😉 But while this zucchini chicken enchiladas recipe is simple, the most important part is making sure your squash is sliced just right. It needs to be thin enough to easily roll up, so be sure to check out all my tips below!
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Gather all of your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the zucchini: Use a mandoline slicer to very carefully slice 2 large zucchini into thin strips (lengthwise). I used the thinnest setting my mandoline had, which was about 1/16 inch. You should get 18 wide slices per zucchini, so 36 in total. Press your zucchini slices gently between paper towels if they’re quite watery.
A regular vegetable Y-peeler will work if you don’t have a mandoline slicer, but you’ll likely need an extra zucchini to get enough slices to assemble the dish.
Make the filling: Add 2 cups shredded chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), ¼ cup enchilada sauce, ½ cup Monterey jack, and 2 sliced green onions to a large bowl. Mix to evenly combine.
Roll the enchiladas: Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your 9×13” casserole dish. Now lay out 3 slices of zucchini (making sure they are slightly overlapping) and place a spoonful of the chicken filling on the shortest edge closest to you (the side you will start rolling with). Carefully lift up the edge where you placed the filling, roll it up over the filling, and place it into the baking dish seam-side down.
Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices and chicken filling until you have 12 rolled zucchini enchiladas in your baking dish.
Evenly top the zucchini with the remaining enchilada sauce…
And then finish them off with the remaining Monterey jack cheese. Make sure you cover as much of the dish with the shredded cheese.
Bake: Place the baking dish in your preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Top with your favorite toppings, serve, and enjoy!
You could easily serve these zucchini enchiladas as they are. BUT I do like to add a few toppings depending on what I have on hand! Here are some delicious topping ideas to try:
The last time I served these chicken zucchini enchiladas, I added a side of Spanish rice and air-fried tortilla chips with a dip. Guacamole is my usual dip of choice, but if I can’t find any avocados at a good price, I’ll go for our black bean dip instead. It’s the perfect midweek meal for the whole family during summer!
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Reheat your chicken and zucchini enchiladas in the oven or the microwave until hot throughout. Just note they’ll likely be much softer after reheating. I wouldn’t freeze this dish as zucchini doesn’t usually freeze that well (it turns very soft after thawing), but you could totally freeze the enchilada filling on its own for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before rolling it with freshly cut zucchini strips and baking.
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