Chicken enchilada casserole is a delicious, tex-mex comfort food that is loved by many. It has layers of tortillas, chicken, beans, sauce, and cheese baked together into a hearty and flavorful dish. This casserole is easy to make, customizable, and a great meal for feeding a crowd or having easy leftovers. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make chicken enchilada casserole.
Ingredients Needed
To make chicken enchilada casserole you will need
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Tortillas – Corn or flour tortillas cut into pieces to fit your baking dish. Corn tortillas are more authentic
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Cooked chicken – Rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts shredded into bite size pieces.
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Beans – Black beans, refried beans, or pinto beans.
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Enchilada sauce – Red or green store bought or homemade sauce.
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Cheese – Shredded Mexican blend, monterey jack, cheddar, etc.
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Veggies (optional) – Onion, garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper etc.
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Seasonings – Cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper.
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Toppings – Avocado, cilantro, salsa, sour cream etc.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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Prep the ingredients: Dice the onions, peppers, and garlic. Shred the chicken into bite size pieces. Drain and rinse the beans. Shred the cheese. Cut the tortillas into pieces to fit your baking dish if needed.
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Cook the veggies: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until translucent, then add the peppers and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.
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Add chicken and seasonings: Add the cooked chicken, beans, and seasonings like cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
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Add enchilada sauce: Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and mix it in well. Reserve the remaining sauce.
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To put the casserole together, cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of sauce. Place a layer of tortillas over the sauce. Add some sauce, 1/3 of the chicken mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese on top. Repeat layers two more times.
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Bake: Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
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Rest and top: Let casserole rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Add any toppings you want, like sour cream, avocado, cilantro, salsa, or avocado.
Tips for the Best Casserole
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Use freshly shredded cheese for maximum flavor.
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Fry or toast the tortillas first for added texture.
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Make your own enchilada sauce for superior flavor.
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Add different veggies like corn, zucchini, or mushrooms.
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Adjust spice level by adding more jalapenos or chili powder.
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Garnish with classics like cilantro and avocado or get creative.
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Make it ahead or freeze for easy weeknight meals.
Chicken enchilada casserole is easy to make, has few ingredients, and tastes great. It will quickly become a family favorite. You can change it to your liking and enjoy this hearty baked dish.
How To Make Chicken Enchiladas
- We start our enchiladas with garlic, red bell pepper, and yellow onion. Pulse them in a food processor instead of just cutting them up and cooking them down in a pan. This will make sure that all of your vegetables are chopped up finely and evenly.
- Cumin: There are already a lot of flavors here, so just add a little cumin to season the vegetables.
- The Sauce: This recipe for homemade enchilada sauce is a great way to make it. Putting it together only takes twenty minutes and really makes these enchiladas taste extra good. But if you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought instead.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Our sauce is smooth, and a can of crushed tomatoes gives these enchiladas an extra tangy and sweet taste.
- Chicken: I cook and shred the chicken breasts ahead of time to make these enchiladas even easier. This is a great meal to make ahead of time. Once the chicken is done cooking, put it in a container that won’t let air in and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it, up to 5 days. Read our guide on how to shred chicken to learn everything you need to know.
- Cilantro: Adding fresh cilantro is always a good idea, and it works great here. It adds flavor to our chicken filling and looks great on top.
- Cheese: I like to mix cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses in this dish. You can use either one, but two kinds of cheese make the dish taste twice as good. I really think that shredding your cheese right before using it will give it the best melty texture.
- Tortillas: I like corn tortillas better than flour tortillas because they taste better and are more traditional. You can use flour tortillas instead if you’d like. No matter what kind of tortillas you use, make sure to warm them up a bit before you fill them. This will bring the tortillas together and make them easier to roll.
- Toppings: I like to serve these enchiladas with fresh cilantro, lime, and sour cream, but feel free to try other things. You can add sliced avocado to make it creamier or your favorite hot sauce to make it spicier.
After preheating our oven, we’ll first cook down our veggies. Once your garlic, bell pepper, and onion are roughly chopped, put them in a food processor and pulse until they are very small.
Once finely chopped, set aside while you heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion-pepper-garlic mixture and cook until softened (making sure to stir occasionally). Add the cumin and give it a stir to fully coat the veggies, then cook until fragrant—only about 1 minute more.
Then you can add the homemade (my preference) or store-bought enchilada sauce along with the crushed tomatoes to the pan, and cook over medium heat. Stir the sauce mixture while cooking until it’s warm, then set aside ¾ cup to put on top of the enchiladas later.
Now we can work on our filling. The chicken, cilantro, half of the cheddar, half of the Monterey Jack, and 1 cup of the sauce mixture should all be put in a bowl. Toss everything together to fully combine, then season to taste with salt.
Don’t worry—we aren’t forgetting about what’s left of the sauce. Spread what’s remaining of the sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Now we can move onto my favorite part: filling the tortillas. First, it’s important to slightly warm your tortillas to make them more pliable while rolling—we don’t want any breakage. Spoon about ⅔ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of your tortilla, then roll up the tortilla and arrange them seam-side down on top of the sauce in your baking dish.
Then, repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas, placing them next to each tortilla to form a row along the length of the dish. Once your row is complete, spread your reserved sauce mixture on top of the tortillas, then add your remaining cups of cheese.
Now, we can bake! Add them to the oven, and bake the enchiladas until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Once melty and incredible, top them however you please! I love fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges, but you do you.
The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
- All about enchiladas. Enchiladas started out as a Mexican street food: just rolled tortillas dipped in chili sauce. As Mexican immigrants, known as Tejanos, came to Texas, they brought their food traditions with them. Over time, they changed them to make Tex-Mex food that we love today. While these enchiladas aren’t quite Tex-Mex, they are still in the middle. If you ask anyone, they might not be authentic, but they’re quick, easy, filling, and tasty.
- Filling variations. If you want more than just these classic chicken enchiladas, we have a lot more for you. For those who don’t want chicken, our vegetarian or green chili white bean enchiladas are great options. If you’d rather have meat, you can also try our beef enchiladas.
CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE: Quick, Easy and Absolutely Delicious!!!!
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