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Chicken Meatball and Cauliflower Rice Enchilada Skillet

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Filled with cauliflower rice, vegetables, and enchilada sauce, but then covered in juicy chicken meatballs and melty cheese: this Chicken Meatball and Cauliflower Rice Enchilada Skillet is perfect for dinner tonight!

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My family loves a good Mexican night… I mean, who doesn’t?! Sometimes we go all out (think tacos, sides, guac, salsa… the works); but, a lot of the time, we just want an easy, good Mexican dinner. When dreaming up this quick meal, I immediately thought of a skillet enchilada. In my opinion, skillet meals are one of the easiest dinners to throw on the table, especially when they have the base, protein, and vegetables all in one. Still, the average skillet enchilada contains “lasagna style” layers of sauce, filling, and tortillas. They are such a pain to serve up, and usually end up being mush. Honestly, if I wanted a tortilla, I would rather make a good ass taco, like my, Healthy Salsa Verde Chicken Carnitas or my Crispy Black bean, Tomato, and Mushroom Tacos with Avocado Crema.

That’s where this Chicken Meatball and Cauliflower Rice Enchilada Skillet comes into play. It’s an easy skillet dinner for your average weeknight, yet it’s a lot more cohesive than your average skillet enchilada. Plus, you get moist, flavorful meatballs, and who doesn’t want that?

Best thing about this dinner? Everyone loves it. No, seriously. It’s filled with cauliflower rice for the health nut of the fam, but is still hearty enough for dad (lol, right?)… It’s also Mexican food and meatballs, and, honestly, I can’t think of a better combo. Even better, it comes together so fast and can be adjusted to your liking. Enough said, just go make this right now… you won’t regret it!!

Chicken Meatball and Cauliflower Rice Enchilada Skillet

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: All Recipes, Main CoursesCuisine: Mexican, AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes
Total time

35

minutes

Filled with cauliflower rice, vegetables, and enchilada sauce, but then covered in juicy chicken meatballs and melty cheese: this Chicken Meatball and Cauliflower Rice Enchilada Skillet is perfect for dinner tonight!

Ingredients

  • meatballs:
  • 1 lb ground chicken (or ground turkey)

  • ½ cup finely grated zucchini (that has been drained of all water with a paper towel)*

  • 1 egg

  • ½ cup panko or breadcrumbs

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • ¼ cup cilantro, finely diced

  • ½ tsp ground cumin

  • ½ tsp chili powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • skillet:
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

  • 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

  • 1 yellow or white onion, diced

  • 1 cup frozen or fresh sweet corn

  • 1-2 tsp chili powder

  • 2 cups red enchilada sauce

  • 4 cups cauliflower rice*

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • ½ -¾ cup mexican blend or cheddar cheese

  • sliced spring onions, to garnish

  • cilantro, to garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a wire baking rack. Grease the wire rack with olive oil or cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into 1-2 inch balls and place on the greased baking rack. It should make 18-22 meatballs. Spray or drizzle the meatballs with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
  • In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Saute poblano, jalapeño, onion, and corn until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the chili powder.
  • Mix in cauliflower rice and enchilada sauce, and cook on medium-high for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Nestle the meatballs into the skillet and sprinkle cheese all over the top. Reduce to medium-low, cover with a lid, and allow the cheese to melt, about 3 minutes (Alternatively, you could turn the oven to broil, and bake the uncovered skillet until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.)

Notes

  • The shredded zucchini is key to having a moist meatball! Simply finely shred a zucchini, place inside a few paper towels, and squeeze the paper towels over the sink to remove any excess moisture.
  • Instead of cauliflower rice, you could also use white basmati rice. I would not recommend brown rice as it takes too long to cook. If using basmati, up the enchilada sauce to 3 ½  cups, and only use 2 cups of rice. It should take about 20 minutes to cook on low. 
  • If you do not have a baking rack, you can omit it. In this case, I would recommend using parchment paper instead of aluminum foil so the meatballs do not stick. 
  • Poblano peppers are very mild, but jalapeños have some spice. The dish can easily be made mild, medium, or spicy, depending on your preference. Simply adjust the spice level of the enchilada sauce, the amount of jalapeños used, and the amount of chili powder. The flavor is great regardless!
  • Pair this with my Mexican Corn and Pepita Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and you have the best Mexican dinner party menu!
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