Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Dinner | Published May 2, 2019 | Updated Aug 6, 2020 | By Tawnie
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With Cinco de Mayo approaching I thought it would be fun to share a chicken enchilada casserole which would taste so yummy with a refreshing margarita. Ya feel me?
Table of contents
With wedding planning and all of the other duties life brings, I don’t have much time for elaborate or complicated dinners and I am sure you can somewhat relate.
That’s why here on Kroll’s Korner I love making realistic recipes that I actually make on a regular basis and we eat in our home too.
This chicken enchilada casserole is my go to when I want to make Mexican fare. Well, this and of course my taco skillet.
You’ll LOVE this Chicken Enchilada Casserole because it’s:
- Easy to make
- Less than 10 ingredients
- Big on flavor!
- Super satisfying
- Pairs nicely with a side salad to complete dinner
- and of course, incredibly delicious!
It’s super easy to make and has less than 10 ingredients, some of which you probably already have in your pantry!
What you’ll need (9 ingredients):
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (I use this for convenience, but you can also cook up 3 chicken breasts and shred that too).
- Diced green chiles (4 oz. can)
- Green enchilada sauce (28 oz. can)
- Pinto beans (15 oz. can): You can swap these out for black beans.
- Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend, shredded
- Tortillas: I use the soft 8-inch flour tortillas. You can also use corn tortillas if you prefer.
- Jalapeño: optional for a spicy kick!
- Garlic Powder
- Sour Cream
How to make it:
Let’s do this —>
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a 9×13 inch pan, spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce down in an even layer. Then, place a layer of tortillas over this. You will have to cut the tortillas in half so they fit nicely in the pan without any gaps. See photos below.
- In a bowl, mix 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce together. If you don’t like sour cream, simply layer more enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas and ditch the sour cream all together. Set aside.
- In another bowl, make the chicken mixture. You will combine the shredded rotisserie chicken, diced green chiles, pinto beans (drained and rinsed), shredded cheese, diced jalapeño (optional) and garlic powder.
- Next, layer 1 cup of the sour cream/enchilada sauce mixture on top of the tortillas followed by 2 cups of the chicken mixture. Then continue to layer: tortillas, sauce and chicken mixture, tortillas.
- Finish the casserole with one last layer of tortillas (you will have 9 tortillas total in the casserole) on top, pour a little more sauce on top and a sprinkle of cheese.
- Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on and 10 minutes with the foil off. (In those last 10 minutes you can also broil on high for 3-5 minutes to get a nice brown color on top, be sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn!)
Be sure to wait 20 minutes before cutting in to the casserole before eating. (If you can wait, haha!)
Optional garnishes:
- Jalapeños
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Salsa
- Tomatoes
More Healthy Mexican Inspired Recipes
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Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe the whole family will love. It's filled with shredded chicken, pinto beans, enchilada sauce and lots of cheese!
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 264kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 (4 oz.) can Diced green chiles
- 1 (28 oz.) can Green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (15. oz.) can Pinto beans*, drained and rinsed
- 8 oz. Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend (shredded), divided
- 9, 8-inch flour tortillas (corn tortillas work too)
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a 9×13 inch oven safe casserole dish, pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce down in an even layer. Then, place a layer of tortillas over this. Cut the tortillas in half so they fit nicely in the pan without any gaps. (See video for guidance).
- In a medium sized bowl, mix 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, make the chicken mixture. Combine the shredded chicken, diced green chiles, pinto beans, 6 oz. shredded cheese, diced jalapeño (optional) and garlic powder.
- Next, layer 1 cup of the sour cream/enchilada sauce mixture on top of the tortillas followed by 2 cups of the chicken mixture. Then continue to layer: tortillas, sauce and chicken mixture, tortillas.
- Finish the casserole with one last layer of tortillas (you will have 9 tortillas total in the casserole) a little more sauce and a heavy sprinkle of cheese. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on and 10 minutes with the foil off. (In those last 10 minutes you can also broil on high for 3-5 minutes to get a nice brown color on top, be sure to watch it so it doesn't burn!)
- Allow to cool, then slice and garnish with your favorite toppings (sour cream, green onions, tomatoes, hot sauce, avocado, etc.).
Video
Notes
- We’ve added in 2 (15 oz.) cans of pinto beans to make it a little more hearty. You can also switch up the beans and use black beans too!
- If you want to use chicken breasts and shred them instead of the rotisserie chicken, 3 chicken breasts shredded is plenty.
- Corn tortillas may be substituted for flour.
- If you don’t like sour cream, replace sour cream with all enchilada sauce or Greek yogurt!
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Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 21.1g
Hi, I’m Tawnie!
Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.
More about Tawnie
I literally dislike cooking, but once I saw how this chicken enchilada casserole was made … I said to myself I’m going to try it.. well I just now finished making it. I didn’t use the rotisserie chicken, I cooked my own add it different spices and I did the rest with the ingredients you posted, except I didn’t add the Jalapeños at last part.. To be honest I’m not a cook, I love chicken enchiladas, especially in green sauce, I just literally had to try your recipe.. now time to eat. Looking forward to more of your recipes..
Hi Ana! You have no idea how happy this makes me. I’m so glad. I appreciate it. Enjoy!
Made this tonight and was delicious. I did leave out the jalapeño and substituted corn for flour tortillas. Not a big fan of how soggy the flour ones get.
Thank you so much Bridgett! So glad you enjoyed it with the corn tortillas. xo, Tawnie
Can this be frozen and reheated?
I haven’t tried but I don’t think I would recommend it.
Made this a couple days ago and it was delicious! The only minor draw back was it did not reheat well the next day, even in the oven. I used flour tortillas as the recipe called for but wonder if corn tortillas would help with the reheating. I also couldn’t find a large enough container of green sauce so I used a combo of green and red and it was still great! There was barely any leftovers anyways. Delicious!!!
Hi Lindsay! Thank you so much for visiting my site and making this recipe! We usually eat it within 1-2 days so I’ve never noticed the tortillas to be an issue but I do know what you mean. I’ve had readers say they’ve used corn tortillas and they enjoyed it. Thank you so much!! xo, Tawne
I’m wondering if this can be made ahead or if it will affect the tortillas to have them exposed to the wet ingredients?
Thank you!
Lea
Hi Lea! I cannot advise since I have never personally made it in advance. It might make the tortillas soggy. You could try with corn tortillas?? SO sorry I am not of more help. xo, Tawnie
Hi! You have a lot of great recipes. I made this yesterday and used the recipe with the sour cream. I let it sit after baking and found the layers of tortillas were “gummy” and soft like they were raw. The bottom layer stuck to my spatula. Also it could use more seasoning. I used jalapeño green chiles too. This is my 3rd feedback ever and 2nd pic I ever posted lol. What do you suggest I do next time?
Hi Deborah! Thank you. So sorry this didn’t turn out as you expected. I haven’t had an issue with ours being soggy/gummy or having the bottom layer stick. Did you add the enchilada sauce down on the bottom layer to prevent sticking? Thank you for the heads up about the seasoning, I could see how the enchilada sauce/sour cream mixture could have addition salt, pepper, garlic powder or onion powder added to it, That would be delicious! Thanks again for making it. xo, Tawnie
I know this is pretty late, but I just made this tonight with very small adjustments. I did notice the tortillas in the middle were soft, but I really didn’t mind. I’m not weird about textures, but some people might be. For seasonings, I cooked my own chicken thighs with a Mexican style seasoning in the crock pot (about 4 hours on high). I also mixed in some of the green enchilada sauce with the chicken mixture. I find it was sufficiently seasoned without being overpowering!
Hi Heather!! 🙂 Thank you so much for making this recipe and leaving such a sweet comment! I need to pull out my slow cooker again – great idea for this recipe!! xo, Tawnie
Made this tonight and it’s a new family favorite! So easy and the directions were easy to follow. Thank you!
We love this chicken enchilada casserole!!
Heck yes girl!!! I live for Mexican and this looks so easy and flavorful!
Such an easy weeknight meal, thank you!!
Adding this to the menu this week! I love how simple it looks to make! 🙂
Thank you so much, I hope you guys love it!! 🙂