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This Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is everything you love about chicken enchiladas…stacked into delicious layers instead of rolled up. Easy to customize and always so delicious!
Friends, have you tried my favorite chicken enchilada casserole recipe yet?
I first shared it on the blog about four years ago, as a stackable casserole riff on my favorite chickenenchilada recipe. And in the years since, it has continued to be a regular in my rotation, as well as a total fave with family and friends. It’s made with my favorite easy homemade enchilada sauce, which automatically bumps any enchilada recipe up a mega notch. It’s easy to customize with any of your favorite enchilada fillings. It makes abig batch, making this the perfect casserole to make for a party, or taking to a friend in need, or just having extras for leftovers. It’s made with corn tortillas and is naturally gluten-free. And it is downright delicious.
I’ve tweaked and updated the recipe a tad on my own over the years. So today, I thought I would bump this chicken enchilada bake back to the top of the blog andgive it a quick refresh with some new photos and recipe tweaks. Because in case you’ve never tried it…it’s time. :)
Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe | 1-Minute Video
My Favorite Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe:
Alright, before we get to the full ingredient list, a quick word about thehomemadeenchilada sauce included in the recipe. In my opinion, it’s simply the best. It’s irresistibly delicious, and made in the New Mexican tradition (without tomatoes, which I love). It calls for a simply ingredient list that you likely already have in your pantry. And it’s absolutely worth the extra 5 minutes of prep time (plus 20 or so minutes simmering on the stove, which you can multitask) that itrequires to make. Thousands of readers have made it and agree — it’s a total keeper!
That said, if you’re absolutely in a hurry, you can sub in some store-boughtgreen orred enchilada sauce instead. But I’d urge you to go homemade if you can. The sauce is the main seasoning in this recipe, and makes all the difference.
Here’s my full post abouthow to make enchilada sauce. (*Also, be sure to note that this casserole requires a double batch of this sauce!)
Chicken Enchilada Casserole Ingredients:
As I mentioned above, the ingredient list for this recipe is super-flexible, so feel free to add in any of your favorite fillings for chicken enchiladas. I like to use:
- Cooked chicken:Either from my recipe forbaked chicken breasts, or I often just shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Veggies:The recipe below uses a quick blend of onion, red bell pepper, diced green chiles and corn. But feel free to add any other favorite veggies to the sauté.
- Beans:Two cans of your faves. I like to use one can of black beans, one can of pinto.
- Enchilada sauce:Homemade or store-bought.
- Corn tortillas:We’llcut them in half, in order to help themlayer a bit more evenly.
- Shredded cheese:Any kind of Mexican blend, Monterrey Jack or Pepperjack will do.
- Toppings:Chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly-sliced green onion, diced avocado, sour cream, extra cheese…whatever sounds good to you.
How To Make Stacked Chicken Enchiladas:
To make this chicken enchilada casserole, simply:
- Cook your filling:Sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Then stir in the green chiles, beans, corn, chicken and enchilada sauce until combined. This will be your main filling.
- Stack your layers:In this order: enchilada sauce, tortillas, chicken filling, cheese, tortillas, chicken filling, cheese, tortillas, chicken, enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake:Covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish:Sprinkle on any of your desired toppings. (Ivote the more, the merrier for sure.)
- Serve warm:Or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (The leftovers are fantastic!)
Possible Variations:
Looking to mix things up? Feel free to:
- use a different protein:cooked beef, pork,or shrimp would all be delicious in this recipe (or you could nix the meat entirely)
- add more veggies:as mentioned above,extra veggies/greens would be delicious in this recipe, either sautéed or roasted
- nix the cheese:I’ve made this recipe dairy-free multiple times in the past, anddidn’t even miss the cheese with all of the other great flavors/textures happening here
Mexican Side Dish and Drink Ideas:
Let’s make this a meal! Some classic Mexican recipesto go with this chicken enchilada bakecould include:
- Restaurant-Style Salsaand/orSalsa Verde
- Guacamole
- Mexican Caesar Salad
- Margaritas
Or as always, feel free to check out ourMexican recipe archiveshere on the blog for more inspiration.
Love Enchiladas? Check Out These Recipes Too!
- TheBest Chicken Enchiladas EVER
- BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
- Ancho Chicken Enchiladas
- Beef Enchiladas
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Crab and Avocado Enchiladas
- Breakfast Enchiladas
- Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
- Vegan Enchiladas
- Easy Enchilada Cups
- Chicken Enchilada Nachos
Enjoy, everyone!
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.8 from 140 reviews
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 8 servings 1x
Description
This chicken enchilada casserole recipe is easy to make, naturally gluten-free, and full of the BEST flavors!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1medium white onion, peeled anddiced
- 1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
- 2 (15 ounce) cans beans, rinsed and drained(I used one canpinto, one can black beans)
- 1 (8 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
- 3cups (about 1.5 pounds) shredded or diced cooked chicken
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce,homemadeor store-bought, divided
- 12 corn tortillas, halved
- 3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese
- toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly-sliced green onion and/or diced avocado
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F.Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 6-7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the diced green chiles, beans, corn, chicken and 2 cupsenchilada sauce, and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Pour about1/2 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is evenly coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves, so that the entire dish is covered. Top evenly with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Followed by a final layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, and cheese.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan and remove aluminum foil.Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.
Notes
*To make this recipe gluten-free, double check the labels of all ingredients toensure that they are certified gluten-free.
*This recipe was originally published in April 2014, and updated in July 2018.
posted on July 2, 2018 by Ali
Main Dishes, Mexican-Inspired
570 Comments »
