Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Enchiladas recipe is an easy family favorite that combines the flavor of cheesy enchiladas with packed ranch flavor!
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Ranch Chicken Enchiladas Inspiration
Slow cooker ranch chicken enchiladas are the perfect dish to celebrate every season. This simple recipe is one of the easiest Mexican-inspired dishes. It’s my personal favorite to make for guests, meal prep, or a simple family dinner. It’s one of those slow cooker recipes your whole family will keep asking you to add to your meal plans.
Each Monday is cleaning day in my house. The kids are back at school, the hubby back at work, and I spend most of the day deep cleaning the house from the previous week/weekend. Since it takes me most of the day, I never want to cook dinner and make a mess, therefore, I always plan a slow cooker meal each and every Monday!
A few weeks ago, I was meal planning (typically on Sundays) for the week and found a huge bag of tortillas in my freezer. Since I had been dying to try a new enchilada recipe, I decided to use them up by creating delicious enchiladas on Monday! Of course, I wanted to share this with you all—the entire family is going to love it!
Ranch Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: This protein will help keep you full—but if you don’t eat meat you can easily replace this main ingredient with black beans or Gardein’ faux chick’n.
Taco seasoning: You can easily find taco seasoning pre-made at the grocery store (and some even make their own). It’s often a mixture of various spices that will pack a punch of flavor into every bite!
Package dry ranch dressing mix (from a ranch packet): You can’t have a slow cooker ranch enchiladas recipe without the ranch seasoning! Much like the taco seasoning, this dry ranch dressing mix will pack a punch of flavor too!
Minced garlic cloves: Garlic offers a brilliant, sweet, and strong flavor (and aroma) to any dish it graces. If you’re a big garlic fan, you might even throw in an extra clove or two!
Red pepper flakes: Red pepper flakes will add just a touch of spice—not too hot but definitely not mild!
Can chicken broth: This broth will be poured around your chicken, help cook it and give it a slight flavor.
Ranch dressing: You’re going to want to drizzle a little ranch on top for a flourish-effect!
Salsa: The secret weapon is to mix your ranch with your salsa in a separate bowl—creating your own unique concoction full of flavor and fun!
Flour tortillas: You certainly can’t have enchiladas without your tortillas! These are what hold all your goodies together. Once you feel the taste of a soft tortilla with various levels of spice and protein, it’s going to be hard for you not to take another bite!
Cheddar cheese: Shredded cheese can go both inside and on top of your enchiladas. You can both bake some on top but also give it a little flourish with some after too!
Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Enchiladas Directions
- Place your chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and red pepper flakes on top of chicken.
- Pour chicken broth around the chicken.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for about 3-4 hours.
- Once chicken is cooked, shred using two forks. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing and salsa.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Scoop a small amount of the ranch salsa mixture and spread it on the bottom of the baking pan.
- To assemble enchiladas, spread a layer of ranch salsa mixture evenly onto each tortilla. Follow it up with a layer of shredded cooked chicken, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Roll each tortilla tightly up and place in a single layer on the bottom of the casserole dish, seam side down.
- Continue until the pan is filled with rolled enchiladas.
- Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of enchiladas.
- Place the pan in a preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool a few moments, then drizzle a small amount of ranch dressing on top. Flourish as desired and then serve!
The History of Enchiladas
As I’m sure you know, enchiladas are a traditional Mexican dish. They allegedly date all the way back to the Mayans. They were often made with corn tortillas because corn was a staple crop of the time. The tortilla was once called ‘tlaxcalli’ but that all changed once the Spanish invaded and changed the name to better suit their needs. To learn more about the history of enchiladas, check out this fascinating deep dive over at the History Today website.
Alternative Enchilada Ingredients
While my ingredients are just a guideline to making what best suits you, here are other common ingredients found in other enchiladas that you can try!
- Black Beans (for you non-meat eaters)
- Green chiles (if you like a little kick of spice)
- Sour cream (serve enchiladas on a plate and place a dollop of cream on top)
- Red onion
- Black olives (these can go inside or adorning the top—or both)
- Old El Paso red enchilada sauce (this is often used in more classic enchilada recipes)
- Salsa verde (some people just prefer green over red sauce)
- Chili powder (this is a common seasoning in Mexican recipes)
Other Mexican-Inspired Dishes
- Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
- Try this Mexican Street Corn Casserole
- Mexican Stuffed Shells
- Shake it up with this Mexican Chicken Bake
- Slow Cooker Chicken Ranch Tacos
I hope you enjoy this ranch twist on a classic enchilada recipe. I’d love to hear about your favorite enchilada recipes! Are you a fan of Mexican food like I am? Do you have favorite recipes you love to make for loved ones? I am always open to learning about a new, great recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What to serve with chicken enchiladas:
You can add flavor to this slow cooker ranch chicken recipe by serving them with sour cream, salsa Verde, black olives, or any other toppings you like on Mexican food.
Can this recipe be adjusted?
Yes! Feel free to swap out the meat, add some special sauce, or make any changes that will make it better for your family.
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Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken breasts boneless
- 4 tbsp. taco seasoning or 1 store bought packet
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 15 oz. chicken broth
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup salsa
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 10 flour tortillas
Instructions
- Place chicken on bottom of slow cooker.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning, dry ranch dressing mix, garlic, and red pepper flakes on top of chicken.
- Pour chicken broth around chicken.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for about 3-4 hours.
- Once chicken is cooked, shred using two forks. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing and salsa.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Scoop a small amount of the ranch salsa mixture and spread it on bottom of baking pan.
- To assemble enchiladas, spread a layer of ranch salsa mixture evenly onto each tortilla. Follow it up with a layer of shredded cooked chicken, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Roll each tortilla tightly up and place in a single layer on bottom of casserole dish, seam side down.
- Continue until pan is filled with rolled enchiladas.
- Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of enchiladas.
- Place pan in preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and drizzle a small amount of ranch dressing on top….then serve!!
Notes
Nutrition
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