Easy Dutch Oven Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of my favorite dutch oven recipes for camping! With a little prep at home, this meal comes together quickly at camp. It’s absolutely delicious and great for a large group. Let’s get started!

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If you’re looking for an easy camping dinner for a crowd, these dutch oven enchiladas are perfect! You can scale this recipe up or down depending on how many people you’re camping with.

This is one of the easiest dutch oven camping recipes thanks to a little preparation at home. I like to cook the chicken before my trip. Then at camp, all I have to do is assemble and bake. It’s so nice to not have to worry about raw chicken.

For this camping meal, I like to poach chicken breasts at home. After poaching, the chicken is easy to shred, and it takes on whatever flavors you have in your main dish. See the instructions below for how to do it.

If preferred, you can dice up a rotisserie chicken or dice grilled chicken instead.

Prep At Home: Cook the Chicken

Poaching chicken is an easy way to cook chicken breast without adding much flavor. It’s a blank slate that you can add to all sorts of recipes for a quick boost in protein.

These enchiladas include refried beans, cheese, and a tasty enchilada sauce. The chicken doesn’t need much extra flavor, so poaching is perfect for this camping recipe!

How to Poach Chicken

1. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a medium pot. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Pour water over the chicken until it’s completely covered. Place the pot over the stove and bring to a boil.
2. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down, cover the pot, and simmer the chicken breast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use an instant-read thermometer to check the chicken’s internal temperature at its thickest part. The chicken is ready when the thickest part hits 165°F. If your chicken breasts are big, they might need more cooking time.
3. Once done, remove the heat, carefully drain the liquid, and let the chicken breasts cool for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it using two forks. It should shred easily. You can store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator or cooler at camp for up to three days.

Dutch Oven Enchiladas Gear Highlight:

• 10 or 12-inch dutch oven – You can use either size for this recipe depending on how many enchiladas you want to make. A 10-inch dutch oven will fit 5 or 6 enchiladas. I usually make 5 if it’s me and my husband. If you want to make more for a larger group, use a 12-inch dutch oven. Note that you may need a little more enchilada sauce if making more than 8 enchiladas.
• Chimney Starter – This is the only way I light briquettes. I have a compact chimney starter. It’s great for small batches of briquettes.
• Briquettes – I like to use the Kingsford Original briquettes in my recipes. I’ve tried other brands, and they don’t heat as well.
• Long Metal Tongs – Used to move the briquettes around.
• Lid lifter – For lifting the hot dutch oven lid.
• Heat-resistant gloves – to protect your hands!

More easy dinner ideas for camping:

• One-Pan Beef and Veggie Stir-Fry
• One Pot Sausage Jambalaya
• The Best Dutch Oven Chili Recipe

Easy Dutch Oven Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of my favorite dutch oven recipes for camping. With a little prep at home, this meal comes together quickly at camp. You can easily scale this recipe up or down depending on how many people you're camping with.

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Servings: 4 people

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Equipment

• 10-inch Dutch Oven (or 12-inch)
• 12-inch Dutch Oven
• Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes
• Charcoal Chimney Starter

Ingredients

 

• 5-8 flour tortillas (I usually use 7-inch tortillas)
• 10-12 oz Colby or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 16 oz can refried beans (you probably won't use all of this)
• 1/2 lb cooked chicken breast*, shredded
• 8 oz enchilada sauce
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp shallot, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream, for serving

Instructions

 

• Start heating your briquettes.
• While the briquettes are heating, assemble the tortillas. In the middle of each tortilla, layer refried beans, shredded chicken, and cheese. Roll the tortillas and place them seam side down in a dutch oven. Make more or fewer tortillas to fit your dutch oven or group size.
• Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled and stuffed tortillas. Top with a little more shredded cheddar cheese.
• Cover the dutch oven and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.**
• While the enchiladas are baking, make the topping. Add the tomato, shallot, cilantro, and avocado to a bowl. Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix well.
• Once the enchiladas are done, remove the heat, uncover, and let them rest for a few minutes. Use a spatula to plate the enchiladas and top with the tomato-avocado mix and sour cream. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use a 10-inch or 12-inch dutch oven for this recipe depending on how many enchiladas you want to make. A 10-inch dutch oven will fit 5 or 6 enchiladas. I usually make 5 if it’s just me and my husband. If you want to make more for a larger group, use a 12-inch dutch oven. Note that you may need a little more enchilada sauce, cheese, and chicken if making more that 8 enchiladas. 

*For this recipe, I prefer to poach the chicken at home. See the blog post for more details on how to do this. Store the cooked shredded chicken in an airtight container in the cooler until you’re ready to cook at camp. Cooked chicken typically lasts 2-3 days in the fridge/cooler. If preferred you can use diced rotisserie chicken or diced grilled chicken instead. 

**For a 10-inch dutch oven, 350°F = 14 briquettes on top, 7 on the bottom. For a 12-inch dutch oven, 350°F = 17 briquettes on top, 8 on the bottom.

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