These creamy keto buffalo chicken enchiladas use deli meat slices instead of tortillas, my trick for 2.3g net carbs with 48.3g protein. The cream cheese and blue cheese melt right into the buffalo sauce, and it bakes in about 30 minutes.
I came up with these buffalo chicken enchiladas because I wanted that spicy, creamy, cheesy casserole flavor without any tortillas dragging up the carb count. The trick is using deli chicken slices as the wrap. They hold the filling, crisp up in the oven, and add protein instead of carbs. It's the easiest enchilada method I've ever used.
The filling is where this gets good. You simmer shredded chicken in buffalo sauce until it thickens, then stir in cream cheese and sour cream off the heat. That cream cheese melts into the buffalo sauce and turns everything ridiculously creamy. I've had readers tell me this part alone is worth making the recipe for. Lakshmi made these for the first time and said she was nervous she'd mess it up, but the filling came together easier than she expected.
I pour a thin layer of the buffalo enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish before arranging the rolls. This keeps the bottom from drying out and gives you that saucy bite all the way through. Then the rest of the sauce goes on top with shredded Mexican cheese and crumbled blue cheese. The blue cheese is not optional in my kitchen. It's what separates this from every other buffalo recipe out there.
What I love about using deli chicken as the wrap is that it doesn't get soggy like tortillas can in a casserole. The edges actually crisp up slightly where they touch the sauce, and the filling stays creamy inside. I've made enchiladas with low carb tortillas, cheese wraps, and cabbage leaves, but the deli chicken method is the one I keep coming back to. If you like this style of keto casserole, my homemade keto enchiladas use a more traditional beef filling, and the white chicken enchiladas go in a completely different direction with a creamy white sauce.
These bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. I pull them when the cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown on the edges. The green onions go on after they come out of the oven. The whole thing takes a little over 20 minutes from start to table, which is why this has become one of my go-to weeknight dinners. If you want something even more hands-off, the enchilada lasagna casserole skips the rolling entirely. And my chicken casserole is another keto chicken dinner I keep in regular rotation.
If you would rather skip the deli chicken, roll the filling in my keto tortillas instead.
The enchiladas come out of the oven under melted Mexican blend cheese and crumbled blue cheese, then get topped with sliced green onions.
The shredded chicken simmers in the skillet with butter and buffalo sauce until the sauce thickens.
Deli chicken slices stand in for the tortillas, and sliced turkey or ham works too if that is what you have on hand.
If You Only Have Raw Chicken
This recipe uses cooked shredded chicken, which is what keeps it so quick. If you only have raw chicken, you can still make it. Cook it in the butter until it is cooked through, and count on an extra 8 to 10 minutes of cook time.
How to Make Buffalo Enchiladas
The key to rolling these is keeping the deli chicken slices cold until you're ready to fill them. Warm slices tear. I lay one slice flat, add a generous spoonful of the filling down the center, and roll it snugly. Place each roll seam-side down so it stays closed while baking.
I watch the oven closely after the 10-minute mark. You want the cheese bubbling and just starting to spot brown on the edges. Mine are usually perfect at 12 minutes, but every oven runs a little different. If the cheese looks melted but hasn't browned at all, give it another minute or two.
When these come out of the oven, let them sit for 3-4 minutes before serving. The filling is molten cream cheese and buffalo sauce, and it needs a moment to set up. If you cut in too early, it runs everywhere. I learned that the hard way. For another low carb dinner with a similar quick assembly, try my BBQ chicken tostada or salsa chicken.
In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt over medium high heat. Add chicken and 1/2 cup buffalo sauce. Simmer until sauce has thickened.
3
Make it creamy
Remove skillet from heat, stir in lemon juice, sour cream and cream cheese. Combine until smooth.
4
Make buffalo enchilada sauce
In a separate bowl, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter using a microwave or a small saucepan. Add remaining buffalo sauce and water. Stir to combine.
5
Pour sauce on the bottom
Pour 1/3 of buffalo sauce mixture to the bottom of a 3-quart casserole dish.
6
Assemble enchiladas
Take one slice of chicken and scoop a large spoonful of buffalo chicken mixture to the center of the chicken slice. Roll and place seam side down along the edge of the casserole dish. Continue with remaining chicken slices.
7
Final sauce pour
Pour remaining buffalo sauce mixture on top of enchiladas.
8
Cheese on top
Top with shredded cheese and blue cheese.
9
Bake
Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Top with sliced green onions.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/4 of recipe
Calories
495
Fat
31.8g
Protein
48.3g
Total carbs
2.5g
Net carbs
2.3g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of cooked shredded chicken?
I use rotisserie chicken for these all the time. It saves about 20 minutes of cooking and shredding, and I actually think the flavor is better because rotisserie chicken has more seasoning baked in. I pull the meat from a whole bird and usually have enough for two batches.
Can I make these ahead and freeze them?
I freeze these all the time. I assemble the whole casserole but don't bake it, then cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to a month. When I'm ready, I bake straight from frozen at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. The keto filling holds up well to freezing because the cream cheese base stays creamy when reheated.
What are the best keto tortilla alternatives for these enchiladas?
I landed on deli chicken slices because they're the lowest carb option and they add protein instead of empty carbs. But I've also tested this with Folio cheese wraps (they crisp up nicely) and steamed cabbage leaves (softer, more like a traditional enchilada texture). All three work. If you want a low carb option that feels more like a real tortilla, try the cheese wraps. For more dinners that skip the tortilla entirely, my taco casserole uses a similar layered approach.
How should I store and reheat leftovers?
I store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and they're good for 3 days. I reheat mine in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes rather than the microwave. The microwave makes the deli chicken a little rubbery, but the oven keeps everything crispy on top and creamy inside.
Can I make this recipe dairy-free?
I've tested this with cashew cream cheese in place of regular cream cheese and it works, but the sauce is a little thinner. You'll want to let it simmer an extra minute or two to thicken up. For the sour cream, coconut cream is my go-to swap. I'd skip the blue cheese entirely and just go heavier on whatever dairy-free shredded cheese you like.
Switched to canned chicken on batch two when I didn’t have time to shred. Drain it well and break it up in a warm skillet before the butter goes in. By the time cream cheese pulls it together, you can’t tell. It does run a bit dryer though, so I add an extra tablespoon of buffalo sauce right into the filling. Rolls seal better too and hold their shape through the whole bake. Four batches in on this.
Thank you Jennifer! You nailed the fix there. Canned does bake up drier, and that extra tablespoon of buffalo sauce right in the filling is exactly what it needs. I’m trying the warm skillet step on my next batch.
I wasn’t convinced deli chicken would survive 30 minutes at 400 degrees, but it holds up. The edges of mine got overdone before the center was right, so I’d rotate the casserole halfway through if your oven runs hot in back.
Soften the cream cheese a full hour before. It pulls the filling smooth. Pre-keto I had a standing Friday night enchilada thing, not something I thought I’d find again. First bite and that combination came back, buffalo heat with creamy cheese underneath. The lemon juice. Small thing, but I get it now.
Taylor, the full hour is right. I say softened in the recipe but I’ve done it at 20 minutes and you feel it, little lumps that won’t break down no matter how much you stir. That Friday night tradition is what I was after the whole time I was testing this. Not a consolation version, the actual thing. The lemon juice is one of those, you can’t taste it separately but you’d miss it.
That protein count still surprises me every time I check it. Deli chicken as a wrapper started as a weird experiment and now I make this more than I ever made the tortilla version.
Made these last Friday and my husband walked by while they were baking and got genuinely annoyed that he’d already had dinner. The smell is no joke. Mine came out a little watery but I think I went too heavy on the buffalo sauce, so probably my fault.
A husband annoyed he’d already eaten is the best kind of review. You’re right on the sauce (the recipe already has 3 tablespoons of water in it, so extra buffalo gets watery fast). Skip it next time if you’re going heavy.
Not a blue cheese person, so I swapped it out for extra cream cheese with a little ranch seasoning to get that tang back. The filling came out really creamy, almost like a hot dip wrapped in deli slices, and it held together better than expected for someone who eyeballed the proportions.nnMade these on a Thursday, 90 degrees out, didn’t want to be near the stove. Done in under 30 minutes with cleanup.nnThe buffalo sauce caramelized against the sides of the casserole dish where it hit direct heat. Wasn’t expecting that. Best part of the whole pan.nnThinking pickled jalapeños next time, just gotta watch the moisture before it bakes.
Made these Sunday and my wife (who thinks buffalo anything is ‘too basic’) scraped the dish clean and asked me to grab more deli chicken for next week. That cream cheese melting into the buffalo sauce is legitimately addictive.
Trying to get ahead this week. Want to assemble Sunday night so I can just pop them in the oven Monday after work. My big worry is the deli chicken sitting in buffalo sauce overnight. Does it get soggy, or hold up okay refrigerated? Would you assemble everything and keep it in the fridge, or hold the filling and sauce separate until bake time?
Assemble the whole thing Sunday. I’d hold back about 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce and pour it over right before baking. The deli chicken softens a little overnight but it doesn’t get mushy, it gets more flavorful from sitting.
Batch four now. Started mixing extra cream cheese into the buffalo sauce before pouring, and the filling got so much thicker and tangier. Can’t stop eating it.
I’ve tried at least three different keto enchilada approaches and the deli meat wrap is the one that actually holds together. The cream cheese mixed into the buffalo chicken filling keeps everything from drying out, which was always the issue with the other versions.
The cream cheese is holding more together than people realize. I had early versions without it and the filling just pooled at the bottom of the dish instead of staying inside the wraps.
I’ve tried four versions of keto enchiladas before this. Zucchini strips fall apart in the sauce. Low-carb tortillas go gummy in a casserole dish. The deli chicken holds its shape for the full 30 minutes and actually soaks up the buffalo sauce. That alone puts this ahead of anything else I’ve tried. The cream cheese keeps the filling from running when you cut into it, which was my main problem with other buffalo chicken casseroles. This one holds together like enchiladas should.
My husband took one bite, paused, and goes ‘wait, there’s no pasta?’ because he was convinced it was a casserole. That cream cheese melts into everything so it just reads like comfort food. I’d probably add a little more blue cheese next time, but this is going on repeat.
Was fully prepared to write this off when I saw deli meat instead of tortillas. Held up better than any flour tortilla enchilada I’ve made, and the cream cheese and blue cheese together does something to the buffalo sauce that I haven’t found in other versions.
Deli meat gets written off constantly. But it wraps tight, holds the sauce, and comes out of the oven with actual structure. Low-carb tortillas can’t always say that.
Good recipe, but I’d cut the buffalo sauce by about a third. The deli meat soaks up a lot of liquid and mine came out pretty soupy. Great flavor, just a warning for anyone who likes it less saucy.
I was so nervous I’d mess this up but it came together way easier than I expected! The buffalo sauce with the cream cheese got SO creamy and the blue cheese on top was perfect. My kitchen smells incredible. Feeling pretty proud right now.
Hi Annie,
I soo love your site and happy to have stumbled into it. I am trying to transition my family into eating low-carb and looking for recipes that are delicious. Most of the recipes I tried before didn’t pass the taste test for my picky husband and 2 toddler boys. The recipes I tried in your site passed the test and husband didn’t think they were low carb. Is there a homemade substitute for Buffalo sauce? We live in Spain and I don’t think we have this sauce here.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe. Do you have Frank’s red hot sauce? There are lots of recipes on the internet for homemade buffalo sauce using Frank’s Red Hot Sauce as a base. Maybe that will work.
