Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
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SKINNY, lightened up and healthy enchilada bake!!!! Made right in the crockpot!!! So cheesy and yet guilt-free!!!
Greetings from Italia!
I basically just inhaled 2 espressos, 4 gelatos, and 5 plates of pasta.
In a span of 17 hours.
I’m not ashamed one bit.
Nope.
Because I’ll be on the quinoa enchilada casserole diet immediately upon returning home.
It’s a spin off of this popular recipe.
But since we’re heading into the Fall, let’s dust off those slow cookers and put them to work.
Other than the garnishes and cheeses, you’ll dump everything right in.
Literally.
Even the uncooked chicken.
So just come home from work, add your cheese, wait 10 minutes, and serve.
Or.
Add cheese. Extra cheese.
Wait 2 min.
Then serve.
Then add extra extra avo.
Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
- 1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies
- ½ cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- ½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
Instructions
- Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken broth, quinoa, enchilada sauce, green chiles, corn, black beans, cilantro, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours, or until liquid is reduced.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
- Stir chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.
- Serve immediately, garnished with avocado and tomato, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Unfortunately, my quinoa turned to mashed potatoes after being in the crockpot for 7 hours on Low. Wonder if it could be mixed in during the last 45 minutes of cooking?
Very delicious and another great recipe from DD. Only one comment, it needed more liquid at the end of cooking.
This is one of my favorite crock-pot recipes. This time I had to substitute farro for the quinoa because I had run out of quinoa and I actually liked it better with the farro! It makes it have a creamier texture. I also usually use a prepared pico de gallo to top it (instead of the chopped tomatoes). We always serve it with tortilla chips for scooping. Love it!
Can I use green enchilada sauce instead of red
I did, and it was fantastic!
Thanks, I prefer the green over red.
Can you make this with ground beef? If so would you brown it first and keep the cooking time the same?
Very tasty and easy. I’ve made this several times now, sometimes substituting small things like using pork instead or different chilis and it always comes out great.
Today, however, I dumped it all in the crockpot only to find it is broken so I’m going to try it in the oven! I’ll comment again with my results 🙂
Finally a recipe with quinoa that my 13 yr old son will eat!!!! Thank you this was delicious. Is the nutrition info somewhere and I am just missing it?
This was SO good! I used frozen chicken breasts and a little extra broth because I knew it was going to be in the crockpot much longer than 6 hours (actually like 10) and it came out perfect. I also used a whole can of black beans and didn’t measure the corn. This needs to go into regular rotation!
So good! I’ve made this about 10 times over the last couple months. So easy, so good! I follow the recipe exactly and it comes out perfect every time!
This was very good! Nice taste. I am looking forward to trying more recipes from this web-site. I did have to add more chicken broth about 2 1/2 hours in but I think my slow cooker runs hot. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
A new favorite! I let it cook all day so the texture was very thick and served like a casserole with all the fixins. I used green enchilada sauce but just personal preference. Will make again and again. DELISH!
Love love loved it! Added the full can of beans, a wee bit extra of the chili powder, and topped it with cholula hot sauce & recommended tomatoes & avocado. A definite keeper!
Absolutely spectacular!
Made this tonight for the first time and it was DELICIOUS and super easy. Will definitely come back to this recipe often as everyone in the family loved it too (kids included)!
Since I found this recipe over a year ago, I have made it probably more than any other! And shared it with SO many people! Love that just 2 chicken breasts gives the two of us 3 dinners! And what a great way to get healthy quinoa that tastes like tortillas!
I am curious – has anyone tried freezing the leftovers? Would it end up too mushy you think?
I’ve frozen it and thought that it thaws and reheats fine! Great meal prep dish
I loved this recipe. Easy to follow and a very delicious outcome. Would do again.
Made this before and am making again tomorrow for my fiancé and I! Do you know how many calories are in each serving?
If made per the recipe, each serving has about 430 calories, 33 grams of carbs, 15 g fat, and 38 grams of protein. Enjoy “guilt free” as the recipe says!
Forgot to put this in the crockpot in time. Mixed it all in the instant pot and did manual pressure for 10 minutes with 5 minute natural release. Then followed the other directions. It was perfect! Will definitely make this again.
I came here hoping to see a comment like this!! Thank you!
Awesomely delicious! This recipe is a keeper, will make again & again!
Ever since I first found this recipe over a year ago it’s become a meal we make often as a winter comfort food.
Once I had to get a little creative when I didn’t give myself enough time and made it in the instapot for 10min with a little added broth. Also tastes good with sauté onion added.
Can you make this in a 4 quart crock pot?
So good, mine overcooked a bit but it’s because i left it in too long – don’t do this! Still delicious though!
Very Good. I was looking for recipes to use up my quinoa. I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes,
Hello, I know this recipe has been around for a long time, I have one question. Can you double this recipe in the crockpot? I have a family of 6 and this would only mean one serving so no left overs . Let me know if it turns out okay if you double this! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
To say my family loved this recipe would be an understatement! They immediately asked for it to be fixed again – SOON!
I have 5 hungry guys to feed, so doubled the recipe. Used frozen boneless chicken thighs (did not thaw – threw them in the crockpot frozen), so cut back on the water/stock added. Also, spread a double layer of paper towels across the top of the crock, under the lid to prevent pit from being soupy. It was perfect!!!
Absolutely love this recipe! It’s a regular on our dinner table. My husband loves it. Our guests rave about it too. Everyone says, “It IS damn delicious!” I follow the recipe exactly.
Awesome, Kristin! We love hearing that! 🙂
Has anyone subbed ground beef for chicken in this recipe? Thoughts on this idea?
I am interested in trying this recipe, but do not own a 6 qt slow cooker. I have a 1970s vintage 3 qt cooker, known in those days as a crock pot. It has served me faithfully for over 40 years. Is this recipe downward scalable…in other words, can I half the recipe? Hopefully, this thread is still being monitored since I know that it has been over a year since the last comment. Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your reply.
Yes, you can try to halve the recipe but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I couldn’t wait to make this yesterday but when I peeked in 4 hours into it ( on low) it was so dried out we couldn’t eat it. Wasn’t happy wasting all the thing that went into it . Poop! Really wanted that too.
What a bummer! Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
I used the 1 1/4 chicken broth, the recipe had no other liquid in it. Was there something that was missing in the recipe?
Did you add the 10-ounce can of enchilada sauce?
Yes , I put the sauce in. Even a little extra cause the can was a 19 oz size
How strange! I’m not entirely sure what could have caused the dish to turn out so dry!
I used organic quinoa . Could that of done it? Going to try again this weekend
It’s hard to say. That shouldn’t really be the culprit. The only thing I can think of is if you used a larger slow cooker (which would have caused the dish to be overcooked). But please do let me know how it turns out if you get a chance to try it again!
One more question then I’ll leave this alone. One reviewer said in step 2 she added the 4 cups of water. I don’t see that in my recipe . Maybe that is why mine was so dry.
Susan, there is no water in this recipe. When cooking quinoa, it is typically 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid. This recipe has 1 cup quinoa with 1 1/4 cups chicken broth as well as 1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce. There is more liquid than required when cooking quinoa so I cannot speak for why your dish came out to be so dry.
I’m curious to know if Susan figured out why her recipe was dry. A few years ago I had trouble with all of my slow cooker recipes coming out dry for awhile, and figured out that the lid to my old crockpot was no longer fitting properly, so steam was seeping out. Once I replaced the crockpot, the problem was solved.
I have a large family of 8 people and we love leftovers. Could I double this and still have it turn out well? This looks amazing send I’d love to make soon for my large family.
Yes, of course, but you may need to use a larger slow cooker.
How long to cook for frozen chicken
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This recipe is delicious. I would like the nutritional info on it.
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. But if it is not available for a specific recipe, you can always use free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”). Hope that helps, Debbie!
Do you think this recipe would work doubled?
It should, but you may have to adjust cooking times. Please use your best judgement when making substitutions and modifications.
I made this recipe. I added more chicken than required and I cooked mine on high for 2 hours because my slow cooker seems to cook faster than most. I wanted to ensure my chicken did not dry out. I waited until the last hour to add diced tomatoes from the can. The last 10 minutes I added the cheese. I left the avocados out. This dish was AMAZING!!! I will definitely make this again
I made this last night. It was a HIT! the family loved it!
And to clarify, I used Trader Joe’s red enchilada sauce (all 12 oz), TJ low sodium chicken broth, TJ chopped fire roasted green chilies (4 oz), TJ organic black beans (1 FULL can drained and rinsed), TJ tri color quinoa, an Heirloom tomato in lieu of a Roma and topped with a dollop of sour cream & avocado. I also only used 1 chicken breast b/c of the how much quinoa there was and my hubby and 15 year old son LOVED it. They didn’t even notice there was very little chicken but were both full after dinner. You know it’s good when the family says “Make this again!”
Would cooking this on high for 3 hours be a bad idea?
High for 2-3 hrs should work just fine!
Do you happen to know an estimate of calories per serving?
Thanks
Hi Christina! Nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I made this & I was extremely sick with a stomach bug, my husband finished it & I didn’t get the chance to tell him it had cheese. He absolutely loved it & I’m so glad I got this in the crockpot before getting sick! Thanks for a good recipe even without the cheese.
This was delicious! I didn’t use chicken (meatless Monday) so it quickened the cooking time, and I used Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce. If you don’t overdo the cheese and sour cream, this meal is comforting and clean. Yum!
I’m not positive you’ll be able to answer this for me, but can I try this in my Dutch Oven instead of my Crock pot?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Made this for dinner, came out great. So quick and easy to put together!
I’m short on time. Do you know what settings I could use to make this in the Instant Pot?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Love the colors! And my slow cooker is putting in work these days, haha 🙂
Yep, way too much liquid for me too 🙁 it ended up being a stew almost lol
Lauren, my apologies! The slow cooker we used for testing did not work properly. After a retest and a few more retests, I have tweaked the recipe from 4 cups water to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth (for additional flavor, but water will also work!).
I’ve had great success with a lot of these recipes, but I thought this was really disappointing. I used green enchilada sauce instead of red, so maybe that had something to do with it, but I thought this was tasteless, flavorless, mush. I added lime juice, jalapeños, more salt, extra cilantro, and was still dissapointed. At least the quinoa made it high in protein for my family.
Yes for high protein! But I am sorry you had such bad results here but I hope you get to try this again soon with red enchilada sauce. The green sauce sounds like the culprit here!
Can I substitute couscous in place of the quinoa?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications as cooking times can vary with different grains.
I also experienced issues with it being too watery. Could the “4 cups water” in step 2 be a typo? Two cups seems more appropriate given the amount of quinoa.
Natalie, my apologies! The slow cooker we used for testing did not work properly. After a retest and a few more retests, I have tweaked the recipe from 4 cups water to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth (for additional flavor, but water will also work!).
This is damn delicious. I like how I can use a slow cooker, makes everything easier. Enough for the two of us and some in the freezer for tomorrow. Thank you Chungah! 🙂
Can’t wait to give this a try! It looks amazing!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Would it affect the taste/quality if I left out the chicken?
Not at all – you can omit as needed.
Same cooking time of the chicken is frozen? Or should I thaw the chicken first?
I recommend thawing first.
Looks delish. Making it tonight. I only have a 4 quart slow cooker. Do you think I would need to adjust the cook time?
Yes!
What should the cooking time be reduced to?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This looks great, but we have a small family. Do you think the quality would suffer if I froze half– minus the toppings?
Not at all! 🙂
Hi Chungah!
Long time reader, but my first time making a comment. This looks delicious. Do you think I could sub soy chorizo for the chicken? If so, when would you suggest adding the soy chorizo. Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Made this tonight and there was way too much liquid. I ended up making a separate pot of quinoa to add to it.
Oh no – what a bummer! Can I ask how long this was left in the slow cooker? Also, was the chicken frozen or thawed? This has been tested several times so the cooking time and liquid ratio should not be a problem. Less liquid will call for less cooking time, and some chicken are pumped full of water!
I agree. I just knew it was too much water when I was adding it and why didn’t I stop myself? And the quinoa is not plumping like quinoa does it’s just flat.
I’ll make some rice and add to it. And it was organic chicken and I followed the recipe completely.
Barbara, my apologies! The slow cooker we used for testing did not work properly. After a retest and a few more retests, I have tweaked the recipe from 4 cups water to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth (for additional flavor, but water will also work!).
I am going to try doubling this recipe and freezing 1 for another time. Wish me luck and thank you for the recipe!
Enjoy yourself in Italia!!
When you call for 2 chicken breasts do you mean 2 full breasts or 2 half breasts ( like they’re typically sold at the meat counter). Thanks for the clarification!
2 half breasts as typically sold at the meat counter.
Can we prepare this recipe in a pressure cooker????
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi, I have to leave the beans out of this recipe. Should I decrease the volume of water? If so, how much? I know generally the ratio of water to quinoa is 2:1.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I love everything about this recipe! Mexican food is my favorite and I love that it’s in the crockpot. I’m also new to the quinoa bandwagon and loving it so I’m glad to have another recipe to try!
I don’t think this is what I would call “guilt-free” haha!!
Definitely better than tortillas though, right? 🙂
This was fantastic!!! I substituted 1 cup rice for the quinoa, cooked 5 hours and it turned out perfect! We added sour cream to the garnishes as well. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Sending this to the extended family!!