These campfire chicken enchiladas are filled with veggies, chicken, and beans, then covered in pepper jack cheese and cooked in a cast-iron Dutch oven. A delicious camping meal!
Enchiladas are basically comfort food in my book.
The warm, cheesy, savory goodness — you can almost taste it, right?!
Now imagine how welcome those flavors would be on a slightly chilly evening when you're hanging out at your campsite after a big day of hiking.
What will you fill your enchiladas with? Well, you could go for this veggie version, or you could bring along some canned crab, or you could go for chicken.
If you're looking for more campfire inspiration, try bratwurst and sauerkraut, burgers with grilled avocado, vegetarian lasagna, sausage lasagna, or pesto penne!
Ready to do some meal planning? Campfire chicken enchiladas feature flour tortillas, canned meat, beans and sauce, and shredded cheese in a delicious medley that's cooked in a cast-iron Dutch oven.
Are These Traditional Enchiladas?
These are more of a Tex-Mex style enchilada, which means that they use flour tortillas and are covered in sauce after being rolled up (instead of dipped beforehand).
What Equipment Do I Need?
You'll need some of the same things as if you were making these in your kitchen: a mixing bowl and spoon, a measuring cup, a serving spoon, and a possibly a can opener, unless everything is pop-top.
To make them at a campsite, you'll need to add some aluminum foil and a campfire Dutch oven. This has feet so that it can sit atop the coals. With a flat lid, you can also pile coals on top.
Don't forget to bring charcoal briquettes (easy-to-light ones are most convenient). And long-handled utensils like tongs and a lid lifter (in addition to pot holders) will help keep you safely away from the heat.
Shopping for camping kitchen gear? Here's a guide to my favorite cooking must-haves for the outdoors.
How to Make Campfire Chicken Enchiladas
Once your coals are hot, wrap your flour tortillas in aluminum foil. Let them warm on the campfire grate for a few minutes while you get everything else ready. Then set them aside, still wrapped.
Meanwhile, dice up your onion, peppers, and tomatoes.
Then add some oil to the Dutch oven, and cook the onion, peppers, and tomatoes (along with seasoning) until they're tender.
Take the Dutch oven off the grate, and place all the cooked veggies into a bowl, along with the beans. Give them a good stir.
Next it's time to assemble the enchiladas! Drain the canned chicken, and take the tortillas out of the foil. (You can use the foil as a workspace now, if you need to.)
Pour enchilada sauce into the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Scoop some of the veggie mixture onto each tortilla, and then add a little canned chicken.
Roll each filled tortilla up, and nestle it down in the enchilada sauce in the Dutch oven.
Got extra veggies, beans, or chicken left? Sprinkle it in between enchiladas in the Dutch oven.
Top all of the rolled tortillas with any extra enchilada sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.
If you like jalapeños, add a layer now!
Put the lid on the Dutch oven, set the pot back on the coals, and (if you have a flat lid), use your tongs to add coals on top.
Let the enchiladas bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 or 20 minutes. Juicy tomatoes may mean the liquid takes a little longer to cook down.
Remove the Dutch oven from the coals, and let it cool slightly.
Then dish out those melty, cheesy, warm enchiladas, add a few chips, and a wedge of lime, and dig in!
Campfire Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
- charcoal briquettes
- long metal tongs (for moving coals)
- pot holders
- aluminum foil
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cup + spoon
- large spoon or spatula (for serving)
- can opener (if cans aren't pop-top)
Ingredients
- 10 flour tortillas (already cooked, amount approximate) Use small or medium tortillas, not large burrito-style tortillas
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced (seeds + membrane removed) I prefer sweet red, yellow or orange peppers
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 10-ounce cans enchilada sauce (red or green) Or use a 20-ounce bottle or can, divided
- 14 ounce can black beans, drained
- 10 ounce can chicken Use 2 cans for extra meat, or use other cooked chicken meat
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
Prepare Campfire + Enchilada Ingredients:
- Preheat campfire coals until very hot. Once coals are hot, set aside around 15-20 coals aside for easy access (you'll be setting them on top of your Dutch oven).Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and set them on the hot charcoals or on the campfire grate for a few minutes to warm them up. (I do this while dicing the vegetables.) Set aside (still wrapped in foil).Add oil, diced onion, peppers, taco seasoning and salt to the Dutch oven. Set the oven on the coals and cook until tender.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and scoop the veggies out into a bowl. Add the beans to the veggies and stir.Unwrap the tortillas and open the canned chicken. Drain the canned chicken.Pour one can (about 10-ounces) of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Use the foil from the tortillas or a cutting board as a workspace (if needed).Add about ¼ cup of the veggie mixture to a tortilla. (Filling amount is approximate and will vary depending on the size of your tortillas.) Add a little canned chicken to the tortilla.Roll the tortilla and set it seam-side down in the Dutch oven / enchilada sauce.
- Repeat, filling remaining tortillas and placing them in the sauce.If you've got extra filling, spoon it into the Dutch oven. I like to add it under the enchiladas, spooning in just before I add the last few filled tortillas.
- Top the tortillas with the remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.Optionally, add a layer of pickled jalapeños on top of the cheese.
- Close the Dutch oven lid. Set the oven on the hot coals and top the lid with 15-20 pieces of hot charcoal.
- Cook 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. If you used tomatoes, you'll likely need to cook the enchiladas the full 20 minutes to let the liquid simmer down.Allow enchiladas to cool down for a few minutes before serving. Serve with a lime wedge.
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