With simple but flavorful ingredients like peppers, onion, quinoa, chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce, this Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake is a healthier version of comfort food that your whole family will love.

I’m a big fan of simple but flavorful dinner dishes that are family friendly and don’t require a lot of ingredients, and this dish checks all of those boxes. It’s so yummy! I can tell it’s going to be on heavy rotation over here at the Finch house.

To save time, prep ingredients beforehand

The assembly of this Healthy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Bake can be broken down into easy steps that can be done ahead of time, like during your weekend meal prep time. I cooked both the chicken and the quinoa ahead of time, so when it was time to throw the dish together, most everything was prepped and just needed to be combined and finished off in the oven.

How I cook chicken for Mexican-style dishes

My favorite way to cook chicken to use in any Mexican-style dishes is this Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken. All it takes is a pound of chicken breasts, a jar of salsa and an InstantPot. It couldn’t be any easier and you can go about other things while the chicken is cooking. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment to easily shred it, and it’s ready to go for enchiladas or enchilada bakes, tacos, salads, soups or anything else your heart desires.

If you make this Healthy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Bake recipe, be sure to leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know what you think! Your feedback is so helpful for me and other visitors to my blog.

Want more quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes? Try these:

• Mediterranean Veggie Pasta
• Vegan Thai Green Curry
• Tex-Mex Veggie Grilled Cheese
• Easy Veggie Quiche
• Creamy Vegan Tomato Bisque

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake (Gluten-free)

With simple but flavorful ingredients like peppers, onion, quinoa, chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce, this is a healthier version of comfort food that your whole family will love.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 servings

Calories 279 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and either shredded or chopped
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 15 oz jar red enchilada sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (optional)
• Optional toppings: diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, avocado and/or chopped cilantro

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. (I pre-cooked it in my Instant Pot and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, sea salt, cumin and chili powder and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
• Add the cooked chicken to the skillet and mix well with the vegetables. Remove from the heat.
• Spread half the quinoa over the bottom of the dish, followed by half the chicken and vegetable mixture then half the enchilada sauce. Layer the rest of the quinoa, chicken and vegetable mixture and enchilada sauce. Top with the cheese and place the dish into the oven.
• Cook for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the dish is heated through.
• Top with diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, avocado or chopped cilantro.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 24gFat: 8gFiber: 3g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!