According to private surveys, a quarter of people around the globe enjoy chicken enchiladas. While some would prefer to have them as starters, others would love to have them as a whole meal.
This article will provide a detailed insight into this attractive dish, explaining whether it’s healthy or not.
Are Chicken Enchiladas Healthy Or Unhealthy?
In reality, many people would claim that chicken enchiladas are beneficial for your health. Meanwhile, others may defend the opposite. After all, your desired method of cooking plays a key role in determining whether they’re healthy or not.
What Makes Them Healthy?
Most people would consider Mexican food unhealthy.
It’s up to you to decide: You can make or order the creamiest dish, but you could also make some simple swaps to have a healthier meal with beneficial nutrients.
Consider using the ingredients below to make them healthy:
- Whole wheat flour tortillas or just regular wheat
- Shredded chicken (just the lean part, so they don’t have much fat)
- Use corn, black beans, yellow onion, garlic, and cilantro for vegetables.
- You can’t have this dish if you don’t have cheese. But to ensure a healthy meal, you should use cheese with low-fat content.
- For spices, use chili powder, cumin, ginger, and salt.
- Scallions, cilantro, and jalapeños all make a good topping for healthier choices.
What Makes Them Unhealthy?
The two main ingredients in this traditional dish that make it less healthy are cheese and sour cream. But why do so many people think that way?
People think cheese is bad for health because:
- High-fat content: Cheese, especially processed American cheese, has a lot of trans fats. These fats are not healthy. Consuming trans fat could increase the chance of having blood vessels and cancer.
- High salt content: Cheese cannot be cheese without salt, but a considerable amount of sodium in salt can harm your heart. Some cheeses are low in sodium, but they are hard to find.
- Too many calories: Cheese has many calories that are difficult to digest even when you exercise. Some studies claim that to use all the calories from cheese, you would have to exercise double the amount of time. Calories from fat also make cheese a heavier food for humans.
How about the sour cream?
Sour cream is a versatile ingredient that goes well with a wide range of meals. It’s created from lactic acid bacteria-containing cream (which gives it its flavor)
90% of sour cream is fat, with approximately 60% of the fat coming from saturated fat. With so much saturated fat, consuming sour cream every day could make you have short-term effects like:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Nausea
In the long-term, you may have some side effects:
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased cholesterol
- Heart disease
- Weight gain
As a result, traditional chicken enchiladas are considered unhealthy food just by two main ingredients.
Who Shouldn’t Eat Chicken Enchiladas?
People who have the following diseases or symptoms should keep themselves from eating this delicious food:
- Obesity people: Definitely! Even a more healthy version has too many calories for those who want to lose weight.
- People who have high blood pressure symptoms: This dish might have a huge amount of fats and salt, leading to more severe symptoms like headaches, nosebleeds, or shortness of breath.
- Who has kidney stones? All kinds of salt contain sodium, and extra sodium can increase one’s chances of developing another stone or making the current stone bigger.
- People with cardiovascular diseases: chicken enchiladas are high in cholesterol and lots of salt, which puts more stress on their hearts.
Without such problems, you can enjoy chicken enchiladas without worrying about the negative impact. That said, don’t eat it too much and too often, then you should be able to keep yourself in good shape.
How Many Calories Is Chicken Enchilada?
We have many different varieties of chicken enchiladas, from the traditional dishes with heavy ingredients to a more healthy version of it. The total calories of one standard chicken enchilada are about 287 calories. Including:
- 130 calories from corn tortillas
- 86 calories from Chicken Breast (cooked, no skin and bones)
- 26 calories from cheese
- 17 calories from non-fat sour cream
- 11 calories from enchilada sauce
- Six calories from a green spinach
- Four calories from raw Onions
- Four calories from Tomatoes
- Two calories from Ortega green chiles canned
What Do They Taste Like?
Due to the various ingredients of chicken enchiladas, you may taste complex flavors when consuming them.
For example, you will feel the creamy, milky taste of cheese and sour cream and the sweetness of corn, tomatoes, and cooked onions. Then, chicken brings you a meaty feeling with a little sweetness from enchilada sauce and spinach.
But you don’t feel fed up because the sourness from sour cream, tomatoes, and even enchilada sauce can neutralize the greasy feeling from cheese.
Lastly, when everything is less intense, herbs’ spicy aroma occurs. Those attractive tastes definitely make you want another bite!
What Are The Best Side Dishes?
A perfect meal never ends with only one dish.
So, what are the perfect side dishes to enjoy with chicken enchiladas?
Tradition Mexican coleslaw
Mexican coleslaw usually contains apple cider vinegar and cilantro. These little changes lead to a more acidic and refreshing flavor, which greatly contrasts the rich and heavy taste of chicken enchilada.
Mexican slaw requires more ingredients. It’s associated with the taste of shredded cabbage and carrots, avocado, jalapeno, black beans, corn, red onions, and cumin.
The following video will describe how to make traditional Mexican coleslaw in two ways:
Chips and Salsa
What I like most about this side dish is that you usually have salsa on hand for your enchiladas. Hence, all you have to do now is select and mix them with your favorite chips.
Make a dish of melted cheese while you’re at it to add even more flavor!
Guacamole
When ordering chicken enchiladas, you can’t skip the guacamole! These two make an iconic pair that will guarantee a mind-blowing experience.
The thick and creamy avocado dip complements the taste of this cheesy meal. Serve them alongside a bowl of tortilla chips for an incredibly tempting side dish.
Mexican-style corn pudding
Chicken enchiladas are savory, so what is a better way to balance them off with something sweet? A warm cup of Mexican corn pudding will do the trick in no time.
This creamy treat contains milk, cheese, egg, and corn—all of which come together to create an unforgettable meal!
Jicama with mango slaw
In case you don’t know, jicama is a Mexican yam that tastes like a combination of a potato and a pear. Mix crunchy jicama with sweet mangoes, then season with honey and lime juice for a delicious slaw.
You can also add some chopped jalapenos or chili powder to give it extra heat.
White rice
Like any other Mexican dish, chicken enchiladas can be made more joyful by adding rice. You can always go simple with a bowl of white rice, while others may prefer adding some spice.
For example, green bell peppers, cumin, and cilantro will enhance the taste of plain white rice. You can even use black beans, which will make it more filling.
What about the huge amount of calories in rice? Use quinoa as a substitute for rice, which will contribute to a healthier option. Just add some corn, zucchini, black beans, and Fajita seasoning, and enjoy!
Mexican sweet potato salad
This dish has corn, topped with a rich cilantro dressing, a hearty black bean salsa, and delicious sweet potatoes. These ingredients combine to create a dish that goes great with your main dish.
Conclusion
Chicken enchiladas are juicy, cheesy, and full of flavor, which explains why more people love them. If you are an average person with good health, don’t hesitate to try this Mexican-style meal out without worrying much.
Anyway, know your limit, because eating them regularly won’t be very beneficial to your health and physical condition.
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The post Are Chicken Enchiladas Healthy Or Unhealthy? (Solved!) first appeared on elpasoNY.com.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels / Los Muertos Crew.
For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.