KETO Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas (Primal, GAPS)

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Keto Verde Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas are sure to satisfy: high-fat comfort food, perfectly suited for not only the Keto diet, but also Primal and GAPS. Make quick homemade tortillas (recipe below! they cook like crepes!) or use store-bought if you prefer. The filling and topping are SUPER fast for an easy and delicious dinner.

The recipe: Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

The tortillas in Keto Verde Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas are SUPER fast to make, like 10 minutes fast!

Tip: They’re a little fragile when you flip them, so the recipe indicates to carefully flip, or add the one keto-safe ingredient (I mention in the recipe) to strengthen them a bit.

You’ll LOVE the filling: so satisfying and with the best comfort food flavors of chèvre or cream cheese, green chilies, chicken and lovely Mexican spices!

Regarding the fat to protein ratio: You can also put less chicken into these enchiladas and more cheese, if you prefer. 

In a hurry? Tortilla variation!

If you’re in a hurry or don’t have the energy to make homemade tortillas, there are now two great Keto alternatives … that are instant!

1. You can, amazingly, use deli turkey meat! This is a great alternative, because it’s instant, it works great and tastes great! Plus, it’s healthy. This option is also a great egg-free variation, for those who can’t eat eggs.

Tip: If you’re lucky enough to have a good deli that slices turkey for you, look for Applegate Farm’s turkey and have them slice it to medium-thin thickness for you. This gives you nice big circles of meat, bigger than pre-packaged deli meat.

2. You can use Egg Thins. These are crepe-like tortillas that work great for enchiladas. They’re made from cauliflower, eggs and olive oil. Ratings are in, and they’re yummy!

What to serve with Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas is a meal in one dish, so no side dish is needed. But feel free to serve with a salad or classic Mexican toppings:

• Sour cream
• Additional verde salsa or pico de gallo 
• Guacamole
• Sliced greens of green onions
• Fresh cilantro
• Spicy pickled jalapeños, which also have probiotics (great with meals)
• Sliced red bell peppers
• Fresh radishes
• Herb Roasted Cauliflower (with the Mexican spices option)

How to make Verde Enchiladas ahead of time

You can indeed make Verde Enchiladas ahead of time!

Initial meal prep steps can include: making the tortillas ahead of time, shredding or chopping the chicken and making the chicken filling.

You can even assemble the whole dish, if you like; then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

How to reheat and store leftovers of Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

Leftovers of Keto Verde Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas are easy to store and reheat.

To reheat: Cover. Heat in a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until heated through to the center.

To store leftovers in the freezer: If you wish, separate the enchiladas into serving size portions. Cut (or tear) sections of parchment paper to fit under each serving. Use a storage container with lid that will fit all the pieces. Place each section of enchiladas on one rectangle of parchment in the storage container.

When frozen, each serving is easily removed from the storage dish to be reheated or brought to work for lunch. Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost leftovers before reheating, by placing in the fridge overnight.

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

More Keto comfort food

Love Keto Mexican food? Also try other reader favorites:

• Keto Chile Relleno Casserole 
• Keto Pizza Bake 
• Easy Low Carb Mexican Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole

Keto Verde Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Keto Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas (also Primal/GAPS)

Fast to make and SUPER delicious Mexican comfort food, Keto Verde Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas are favorite-meal worthy!

Prep Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Course: DInner

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: chicken, enchiladas, keto, low carb

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 670kcal

Author: Megan

Cost: $10

Equipment

• casserole dish
• oven

Ingredients

Tortillas (OR use large slices of deli turkey meat/Egg Thins if you're in a hurry and don't want to make tortillas)

• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon cream (or coconut cream for GAPS)
• 1 teaspoon butter (to season crepe pan)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil , butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder optional for Keto, (not GAPS); this ingredient makes the tortillas a bit stronger, less fragile when flipping, but you may need to spread the batter a bit more with your spatula, instead of just rotating the pan to distribute the batter thinly and evenly
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Filling & Topping

• 3 cups cheddar cheese , grated, divided (aged for GAPS)
• 1-⅔ cups verde salsa divided (I buy the jarred verde salsa at Trader Joe's; it's a bit thick, not watery; so strain off a bit of the watery brine if you buy or use a fresh verde salsa that's watery)
• 2-3 cups chicken , cooked and shredded (about 5 boneless, skinless thighs cooked or any leftover chicken, shredded)
• ¾ cup heavy cream divided (use real probiotic sour cream for GAPS)
• 1 bunch green onions' greens sliced
• 4 ounces chevre or cream cheese, room temperature (sub half sour cream, half aged cheddar for GAPS)
• 1 4-ounce can green chilies chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Garnishes (optional)

• 1 cup sour cream preferably probiotic (cultured) real sour cream, grass-fed and organic
• 3 radishes sliced thinly
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro , minced
• 1 lime , cut into wedges or thin slices
• 1 avocado sliced and fanned, or cut into wedges
• 4 green onions sliced
• ¼ cup red onions diced (optional)
• ¼ red bell pepper in long slices or diced

Instructions

• Place all tortilla ingredients (except the 1 teaspoon butter used for seasoning the pan) in blender. Blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.
• Heat crepe pan or large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add 1 teaspoon butter and coat pan with it. Add about ¼ cup batter and swirl around to a thin (approximately 6") circle. Cook on first side about 1 minute, then carefully flip. (The first tortilla will stick and be messier; but it will season the pan and the following tortillas will not stick. You'll still need to be careful flipping them.)
• Cook remaining tortillas: The first 2-3 can be cooked over high heat. When they start getting too dark too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking each one without adding any new fat to the pan. Set aside tortillas as you go, layering them on a plate.
• When tortillas are done, assemble chicken filling in medium size bowl: Add chicken, greens of green onions, 1 cup cheddar cheese, ⅔ cup verde salsa, ¼ cup heavy cream, chèvre or cream cheese, green chilies, oregano, sea salt and cumin. Fold together well.
• Grease large casserole dish (9"x13" or similar) and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Fill first tortilla with about 1/3-½ cup chicken filling. Roll tortilla around filling and place into casserole dish to one side. Continue to fill, roll and place all tortillas into casserole dish until finished.
• Pour remaining 1 cup verde salsa evenly over rolled tortillas. Top with remaining ½ cup heavy cream and then remaining 2 cups shredded cheddar.
• Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes, until cheese is browned and edges are very bubbly.
• Serve with optional toppings/garnishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 311mg | Sodium: 942mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2165IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 535mg | Iron: 2mg

The Keto diet’s benefits

Keto meals are satisfying for so many reasons! Most people enjoy eating high-fat meals because they stabilize blood sugar levels. Fats nourish and heal — turning into energy for muscles and brain. Specifically, fats, when not eaten with lots of carbs, are broken down in the liver and turned into energy. That’s what ketones are: highly efficient energy molecules!

The body does not long for more nutrition. Instead, the body’s cells become healthier and more efficient, while the gut (and therefore the brain) are gently healed.

Here are a few more facts to know about why ketosis is good for most bodies:

• Ketones regenerate damaged nervous system cells.
• Ketones can not be used by cancer cells as energy. The immune system can finally get the upper hand and eliminate them, because cancer cells have no fuel (excess carbs and sugar) for growth.
• Ketones benefit those with autism, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease because:
  • Brain cells functioning off of ketones (instead of sugar) work more efficiently.
  • An overly excited nervous system calms down, thus fewer seizures, less autistic behavior etc. (source)

New to keto? One thing to watch: the right ratio of fats to proteins to carbs. Here’s a great article to guide you, on how much protein is just right for your body (for a ratio of 75% fats, 20% protein and 5% carbs). Here’s a Keto Calculator, which helps determine how much protein to have daily to reach your wellness goals.