This Quinoa Enchilada Bake is the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and nutrients thanks to protein packed quinoa and chicken and our homemade enchilada sauce.
The Best Quinoa Enchilada Bake
This recipe just might be my newest favorite, folks. It’s packed with up to 40 grams of protein per serving thanks to juicy bites of chicken, hearty quinoa, and trusty black beans. Then add in some homemade enchilada sauce (that’s kid approved, BTW), shredded cheese, and fresh toppings, and you’ve got yourself a healthy and flavor packed dinner.
Looking For More Recipes Like This?
Then you’ve got to try our chicken enchilada casserole or our green chicken enchiladas.
What You Will Need
- olive oil & flour (feel free to use GF flour) – these will go in the pan first to make a little roux to keep some thickness to your sauce.
- chili powder – this is where you can kick up the spice (if you want). Just give it a taste and add more until it is the perfect spice level for you!
- ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, & oregano leaves – this combo of spices brings a depth of flavor that is simply amazing!
- kosher salt & pepper – because everything needs a little salt and pepper.
- tomato paste – this is needed for the red color and the tomato base of the red sauce.
- chicken or vegetable broth – this helps to thin out your sauce and if you are making a vegetarian dish you can opt for the vegetable broth.
- apple cider vinegar & lime juice – this touch of acidity really helps bring out all the great flavors!
- butter – Just a bit to soften the onion.
- onion – Adds some classic warming flavors.
- quinoa – a gluten-free pseudograin that you can find in the pasta aisle.
- corn – We used frozen, but you could use fresh or canned.
- black beans – One can has over 20 grams of protein plus fiber!
- chicken breast – Another great protein source. Scroll down to the recipe card to see how to make this with pre-cooked vs. raw chicken.
- colby jack cheese – Pairs perfectly with the other savory ingredients.
- sour cream & fresh cilantro – Optional finishing touches.
How To Make Enchilada Quinoa Bake
Start by gathering all of your ingredients for this yummy chicken enchilada quinoa bake.
Feel free to use store bought enchilada sauce from your local grocery store, but if you have the time, please, please, please make our homemade red enchilada sauce. I made it specifically for my kiddos who didn’t like the spice of traditional sauces. So it’s got all the flavor without the heat.
While the oven preheats to 375 degrees, bring a large skillet to medium-high heat and add in the butter and let it melt to coat the pan. Then add in the diced onion and let it soften. Next, add in the uncooked quinoa, chicken broth, corn, black beans, enchilada sauce and the raw chicken. Give everything a good stir to combine.
Raw Chicken vs. Pre-Cooked
If you’re using raw chicken, follow the recipe as written. But if you’re using pre-cooked chicken, wait to add it until after the first 30 minute baking period. Then add it in, give it a good stir, add the cheese, and pop it back in the oven for about 10 minutes to allow the chicken to heat through and the cheese to melt.
Place the entire skillet into the preheated oven and let it all bake for about 40 minutes. Then carefully remove the skillet from the oven, give everything a good stir, top with shredded cheese, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
What To Serve With Quinoa Enchilada Bake
Just like our healthy chicken enchiladas, we like to serve this easy dinner with fresh cilantro and sour cream. There are so many healthy ingredients packed into this dish that it really doesn’t need much in terms of side dishes, but you could always serve it with some homemade guacamole and chips and one of the many margarita recipes we have on the site like our famous beer margaritas!
Meal Prep
We love making this one at the beginning of the week so that we can enjoy leftovers for lunch all week long. It’s so nice knowing that we’ve got a healthy option ready to go in the fridge for the week ahead. Simply store individual portions in their own container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- enchilada sauce: This recipe calls for 2 cups of sauce, which is exactly how much our homemade enchilada sauce recipe yields. It seriously delivers on flavor, but feel free to use 2 cups of store bought if that’s easier.
- Chicken: We tested this with both pre-cooked and raw chicken and it works both ways, with slight variations to the process. When using pre-cooked chicken, add it after the quinoa has baked for 30 minutes. Add in the chicken, stir, and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Made this black bean quinoa enchilada bake and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Healthy Dinner Recipes You Might Like
Quinoa Enchilada Bake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
The BEST Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Bake! Packed with flavor and perfect for a rotisserie or leftover chicken!
Ingredients
Homemade Enchilada Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (1-to-1 gluten-free works)
- 2–4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
Quinoa Enchilada Bake:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup traditional quinoa
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 10oz frozen corn (sub canned corn, drain)
- 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 18oz boneless skinless chicken breast (approx. 2 medium chicken breasts), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups colby jack cheese, shredded (sub dairy-free option)
- topping: sour cream (sub dairy-free sour cream or plain greek yogurt)
- topping: fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Make Enchilada Sauce: Add olive oil to medium sauce pan. Bring to medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk immediately until fully combined. Add in chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano leaves, salt, ground black pepper and tomato paste into the pan. Whisk to combine. While you continue to whisk slowly pour in the broth, adding about 1/4 cup or so at a time, then stop and whisk until it is combined and thick. Continue whisking and adding 1/4 cup at a time until fully combined. The sauce should be fairly thick at this point. Turn up the heat a bit and bring sauce to a low simmer (this will help to continue thickening your sauce). Add the apple cider vinegar and lime juice. Whisk to combine. After sauce has a simmered 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat: Turn on oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine Skillet Ingredients: Bring a deep, 12-inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter and let melt; swirl to coat the pan. Add onion and move around pan to soften. Add quinoa, chicken broth, corn, black beans, enchilada sauce and the chicken. Stir to combine.
- Bake: Transfer to oven and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Top with shredded cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted, approx. 5 minutes.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve with sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce: I cannot recommend enough that you make the homemade enchilada sauce for this recipe! It is just so good and how this recipe is supposed to taste – that being said, I totally get it, and if you need to use a store-bought version, go for it! Just make sure you use a store-bought brand that you know and love – you will need 2 cups. I do like the Siete brand enchilada sauce in a pinch.
- Chicken: you can make this with pre-cooked chicken BUT, add it in after the quinoa mixture has baked for 30 minutes. Then let bake 10 minutes to warm chicken through, add cheese and let melt. If you add it in at the beginning, it will be chewy/overcooked by the end of the bake time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 613
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 1158.4 mg
- Fat: 37.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Protein: 40.9 g
- Cholesterol: 137 mg
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