After all of my years of cooking healthy, I’ve finally found my all-time favorite dish – Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas with Cauliflower.
It’s savory, healthy and perfect for weight loss with the 17 Day Diet.
This dish has probably been the most popular ever when I featured it in a previous weight loss challenge.
It was such a hit that I decided to also feature it in my newly updated Simple N’ Lean 17 meal plan for the 17 Day Diet.
Oh, and it’s my all-time fave, so I added this recipe to My Favorite Low Carb Recipes for Weight Loss post, too!
If you happen to be on the 17 Day Kickstart Diet or the Keto Diet, keep reading as I have adjustments, if any, that may be necessary for your particular weight loss program.
This version is slightly modified than the one I featured previously – I opted for fresh cauliflower (rather than frozen), I added a bit of cheddar cheese on top for extra color, and let it brown up nicely under the broiler.
Here are a few tips and a secret weapon I use for this recipe.
My secret weapon is the salsa verde.
I love the Sam’s Choice brand (it can be found at WalMart).
If you can’t find this, use your favorite low-sugar salsa.
This particular brand has a lovely tangy bite to it.
Plus, it’s really low in sugar!
There’s something really yummy about tomatillos, so if you’re into this type of flavor as opposed to a chili verde, for instance, I highly recommend this!
I like to use a bit more extra salsa than the recipe calls for – it adds such a lovely flavor to the dish!
Quick Tip #1
When mixing the ingredients (cream cheese, cheese, salsa and Greek yogurt mixture), make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.
This will ensure the ingredients blend well together.
No need to stir until your hands are tired though!
Once you place the hot chicken into the bowl, the smaller bits of cream cheese will melt and your mixture will be well-combined!
I also like to throw in an extra bit of cheddar cheese into the actual mixture because I’m a rebel like that! ;)
Quick Tip #2
The recipe calls for a quick broil in the oven after it’s finished baking.
I think having a nice layer of slightly golden brown cheese adds to the yumminess of this dish!
Can you tell I love this recipe?
When I took the photo below, I used my collection of vintage Pyrex dishes so I’m mainly posting this photo to show off the dishes!!
This recipe really is a keeper – it will likely be on a monthly (if not bi-monthly) rotation in my house!
It’s so good, you’ll want to have leftovers for the next day! So you may want to double your recipe!!
Freezer Friendly Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower
Since you will definitely want to make enough for leftovers, know that this recipe is very freezer friendly!
This is how I freeze my leftovers:
- Keep leftovers as-is in the original dish overnight in the refrigerator
- The next day, cut your servings into single squares
- Place each single serving in a vacuumed sealed bag (or an air tight container)
- Leftovers are great months down the road (as long as they are sealed very well)
17 Day Diet Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower
If you’re on the 17 Day Diet, then you’re in luck as this yummy low carb enchilada recipe can be eaten on all cycles.
If you’re not sure which foods are allowed during cycle 1, make sure you take a peek at my 17 Day Diet Cycle 1 Food List.
You can also check out my book on Amazon called Fast Track Your Weight Loss With the 17 Day Diet which has all the food lists (and a 7 day meal plan, too!).
17 Day Kickstart Diet Friendly Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower
This recipe can be used on the 10-Day Stabilize Phase if you’re on the 17 Day Kickstart Diet.
However, you’ll need to make a minor adjustment if you want this to be approved for the Kickstart Diet.
Here is what I recommend:
- Use cheddar cheese in place of mozzarella (cheddar cheese is listed on the last phase as an easily digestible cheese).
- Special note about cream cheese – you won’t see this on the food list as a recommended cheese, but I think it’s fine to use.
If you’re new to the 17 Day Kickstart Diet and you’re not sure which foods are allowed, take a peek at my 17 Day Kickstart Diet Food List for more information.
Keto Diet Friendly Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower
This recipe can be used as-is if you’re on the Keto Diet.
However, if you want to make this recipe even lower carb, here are a few adjustments I recommend (this is basically how I make it at home):
- Omit Greek Yogurt all together
- Use 8oz cream cheese (basically doubling this amount if you choose to omit Greek Yogurt, otherwise keep the measurement of cream cheese at 4oz).
- Use full-fat cheese (Pepper-jack is perfect in this dish instead of Mozzarella)
If you’re new to keto, make sure you check out my Keto Diet Beginner’s Guide.
Are you unsure of which foods are keto friendly? Make sure you check out my Keto Diet Food List.
Side Dishes to Serve with Low Carb Chicken Enchiladas with Cauliflower
This dish is so yummy by itself. However, here are a few ways to serve this with side dishes:
- Small salad with tomatoes, avocado and dressing (this reminds me of the small salads they put on your plate of food at a Mexican restaurant)
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Spanish Rice (if you’re not low carb)
Other Low Carb Mexican Recipes
If you’re a Mexican food lover like me and enjoy this Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower recipe, you might want to try these other recipes:
- Chicken with Mexican Dry Rub and Fruit Salsa
- Mexican Beef Taco Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Fajitas
- One Skillet Chicken Taco Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Soup (Slow Cooker)
- Mexican Lime Chicken
- Cauliflower Nachos
- Turkey Cilantro Enchilada Soup
- Cauliflower Tortillas
- Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas
- Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mexican Cilantro Chicken
- Christine’s Mexican Turkey Chili
If you make this recipe, come back and give it a rating in the recipe card below AND leave a comment to let me know how you enjoyed it and what, if any, modifications you made to make it your own!
Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower
This low carb, Keto Friendly Green Chili Chicken Enchilada with Cauliflower recipe will likely be your new favorite dish after you taste it for the first time! It's my fave and it's on my monthly rotation!
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag of fresh cauliflower florets, ends removed and roughly chopped into smaller pieces
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 2 Large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup of your favorite low-sugar Salsa Verde + a bit more for extra flavor (I really like the flavor of Sam's Choice Salsa Verde and I use the full 3/4 cup)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded full-fat or low-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese, for sprinkling on the top (for added color)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Steam or microwave cauliflower until barely fork tender. Remove excess liquid and set aside. If you have a colander, place cooked cauliflower in colander and let it drain while you're mixing the rest of your ingredients together.
- In a large bowl add cream cheese, chicken, salsa, salt and pepper, ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and Greek Yogurt. Stir until well combined.
- Add cauliflower to bowl and gently fold until combined.
- Add mixture to a 7x11 oven safe dish. Add the remaining ½ cup cheese to top as well as a sprinkle of cheddar and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
- When the dish is finished baking, turn your broiler on high and allow cheddar to slightly brown.
Notes
Prep time includes cooking and shredding chicken before hand.
17 Day Diet: Approved for all cycles
17 Day Kickstart Diet - approved for 10-Day Stabilize phase. Use full fat cheddar cheese instead of Mozzarella
Keto Diet: You may use this recipe as-is. If you prefer to make slight changes to lower the carb count even more, change the recipe as follows (this is how I personally make mine):
- Omit the Greek Yogurt all together
- Use 8oz of cream cheese (instead of 4oz)
- Use full-fat pepper jack cheese instead of Mozzarella
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I’ve been loving the 17 Day Diet since 2011. I love sharing my favorite healthy recipes and meal plans to keep you motivated and on the right path to success!
When I’m not hanging out here, I enjoy quick trips to the Oregon Coast, designing my jewelry line, being a proud Swiftie, and tinkering with my personal Youtube Channel!
Are you new to the 17 Day Diet? Check out my latest book, Fast Track Your Weight Loss With The 17 Day Diet on Amazon! (aff link)
Hello, I am confused because I didn’t know cream cheese was allowed in phase 1?
Hi Heidi, technically non-fat cheese is allowed in all cycles under the condiment section. I personally don’t like anything non-fat as there are added ingredients to make it taste better such as sugar, salt and other artificial sweeteners and ingredients. I think less of a full or lower fat version is much better. Here’s the C1 food list – scroll to the bottom and you’ll see the condiment section: https://17ddblog.com/food-lists/cycle-1/
I appreciate your perspective on nonfat dairy because I feel the same. I know C1 is for kickstarting the fat burning and full-fat foods can slow the burn, but years ago when I looked at the ingredients of nonfat and low fat dairy products vs. full fat, I knew it couldn’t be healthier to eat all those additives. As you said, better to eat a small amount of the real stuff than a lot of the FrankenCheese.
Thanks so much for your comment, Tara! When the 17 Day Diet was started years ago, nonfat was still the “rage”. Since the doctor created his new diet, he’s finally changed his tune on non fat foods, so for that, I’m grateful!
Can you put even a little bit of milk (any kind) in your coffee. If you can do non fat cheese can you do non fat milk?
Jessica, I go into more detail about milk in this post: https://17ddblog.com/is-coffee-allowed-on-the-17-day-diet/
thank you for your response! I knew fat free cheeses were accepted, I just hadn’t lumped in fat free cream cheese with that. That makes sense though, thanks!
Is there any idea how many carbs are in this dish?
Hi Lynn, I don’t keep track of nutritional info, but if you use an app that tracks (like My Fitness Pal), you can put the ingredients in and see what it calculates to. I suspect the carb count is low on this dish.
I just made this and can’t believe I’m on a diet. It’s so good. The next day I was down a pound. I mean come on…This rocks!!!!! Every recipe I have made from your site has been delicious.
Thank You
Down 10 pounds!!!!
You’re welcome! This recipe is THAT good!! Congrats on your 10 pounds!
I just “discovered” the 17DD, and I’m really digging it. I made the green Chile chicken enchilada dish tonight, and wow! This will definitely be in rotation for us. I was afraid the addition of cauliflower would be a turnoff for my husband (he’s not a huge fan of vegetables), but he asked if there were potatoes in it, so success!
YAY!! So glad hubby approved – it makes things SOOOO much easier when the rest of the family is on board! We’ve had a few community members also add a bit of spinach to this dish and they said it was excellent!
So you use regular cream cheese and low-fat mozarella? I’m like you I don’t like fat free but you feel even if we are cycle one that this little bit will not affect our results??
Hi Tiffany, mozzarella is naturally low-fat, so I have a habit of referencing it that way. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Sugar (and especially when you combine it with fat) is one of many causes of weight gain.
I personally would use regular cream cheese if you can. When you start looking for non or low fat, you’ll notice that there’s usually more sodium in it (among other things). When you strip the fat, you strip the flavor. To add more flavor back in, you add more sodium (and often times sugar!). Do what works best for you!
Hard to believe this is diet friendly! I made it a couple nights ago and popped it in the freezer. I took it out 2 days ago and just remembered for lunch today that I had it so I put it in the oven and it is beyond delicious. Will be making this often. I added in chopped green chilies well because my roots go back to New Mexico and I can never get enough of them
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish, Molly. It’s one of my favorites!
Can you substitute fat free sour cream for the Greek yogurt?
Hi Diane, you can definitely use fat free sour cream if you’d like, or more cream cheese for that matter. I’ve been experimenting with this dish the last few months and actually have skipped the Greek yogurt all together (with NO subs) and it was fine (I added a bit more salsa in its place).
This is an awesome recipe! Love it!! My husband didn’t even know there was cauliflower in it! Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow!
Yay! I love hearing this! It’s the same in my household too (although my honey knows about the cauliflower lol).
Hubby and I LOVE this dish! The first time I made it, it didn’t have the kick I was expecting, so this time I added a little chili powder to my chicken breast when I cooked them. (I also nuked my cream cheese for about 20 seconds)
I’m so happy to hear you and your hubby enjoyed it! For me, it’s all about the green tomatillo salsa used that gives it its flavor! Glad you found something to give it an extra kick!
This is an excellent recipe! My entire family loved it! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Liz! I’m glad your family loved it!
Hi Torrey, when I made this recipe, it came out with a really odd bitter taste. Any ideas why? Everything smelled amazing while I was mixing it up. The salsa verde I used was from Whole Foods. It was fresh and tasted fine out of the container, but I wonder if you’ve heard of anyone else describing a bitter effect. I plan to try again with different salsa. I might even try red salsa.
Hi Kathryn. I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience. I haven’t heard this before, but I can only assume your salsa likely changed flavor a bit after baking. I personally love a tomatillo-based salsa (the one I use is in the post). It has a bit of a sweeter taste to me than one with mainly green chilis. Maybe try it again with a different salsa to see how it turns out?
I saw the recipe and was hesitant. In my head, the ingredients just didnt sound like they would be good all mixed together. Boy was I wrong! I made it and my husband and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. My son likes it as well. This recipe is on regular rotation at our house. Honestly, we are probably eating more of a serving size than we should, but its just so yummy. I cut up a head of cauliflower and steam it until its soft, but still has some crunch to it. Then I put the steamed cauliflower a bowl lined with paper towels and press lightly to dry it off a little. It helps keep the meal from getting runny
Yay! I’m so glad to hear your family enjoyed this so much.It’s on regular rotation over here, too!
Hi! I’m excited to start cycle 1 on Monday. Wondering if I can use frozen cauliflower or is there something in the frozen cauliflower that is not good?
Hi Nancy! I actually originally used frozen cauliflower in this recipe, but I enjoy fresh more so I made the change to it. Just steam or microwave your frozen cauliflower until barely fork tender. Remove as much liquid ad you can and that’s it!
I made this last night it was so good! My husband even went back for seconds and he’s no fan of cauliflower. I wish I could think of a good side to have with it on cycle 1.
YAY! I’m so happy to hear this! I’m making it tonight, actually. What I usually serve it with is a shredded ice burg lettuce and tomato salad drizzled with a little sour cream. Sometimes I’ll sneak diced avocado in there (C3). This side salad reminds me of the garnish/side salad you’d get on your plate at a Mexican restaurant.
I’m wanting to make this but I’m such a baby when it comes to spice! Is there a sub I can use that isn’t spicy like salsa verde? I want to eat spicy things but destroys my mouth and makes me sad lol
Hi Katy! Actually, if you make this recipe exactly as written using the salsa (it’s Tomatillo based), then it’s not spicy at all! Tomatillos have a sweeter flavor to them! If you already have a favorite salsa (red or green!) that you already know and like, then use that!
I was wondering how the chicken should be cooked and how it should be cut up or pulled? Also how many pieces or pounds should I use?
Thank you for all the help your blog gives me. The 17 day was popular years ago, and I’m glad 10 years later I still have support since we have all these new low carb options!
Hi Taylor! Thanks so much for reaching out! I personally like to do a combo of shred + chunks cut up to give it a little different texture. The shredded tends to get “lost” a bit, so the chunks (basically I cut them into thin-ish slices of different sizes) give us something to “chew on” if you will. I think it’s a personal preference (the recipe calls for shredded, but you do it how you think you’ll like it). I generally use two large chicken breasts or roughly a pound or so. Let me know what you think once you try it!