Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This Chicken Enchilada Casserole is so easy to make with just four ingredients! Instead of rolling the enchiladas in tortillas, you’ll layer everything in a casserole dish to make this favorite Mexican dinner!

Chicken enchiladas are one of my all-time favorite meals.  The tortillas, the spicy sauce, the melty cheese… what’s not to love?  Well, sometimes it’s the assembly of the enchiladas that I’d like to pass on.

That’s why I love this enchilada casserole recipe! To make this easy enchilada bake, you simply layer the ingredients in a baking dish, bake, and serve. It couldn’t be easier!

Sometimes less is more, and that is 100% the case with this enchilada casserole. You only need four ingredients to make this recipe, and you end up with a delicious comfort food dinner that your family will love.

I debated about adding a few other ingredients to the recipe, but in the end I decided to keep it as simple as possible. I’m so glad I did because this layered chicken enchilada casserole tastes amazing just as it is. And we all need more easy dinner ideas, don’t we?

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover shredded chicken, such as the salsa chicken in my Instant Pot Chicken Tacos or Crockpot Chicken Tacos recipes.

One last note: As is the case with many casseroles, this chicken enchilada casserole tastes even better the second day so be sure to plan those leftovers into your menu!

How to make Chicken Enchilada Casserole

What You’ll Need

The first step to making this layered chicken enchilada casserole is to assemble your ingredients. You will need:

• Enchilada Sauce: Use either store-bought red enchilada sauce or homemade enchilada sauce.
• Tortillas: I prefer corn tortillas in this casserole, but flour tortillas also work.
• Cooked Chicken: This recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. If you don’t have leftover chicken, try cooking your chicken using my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe or my Crockpot Shredded Chicken recipe. You can also use rotisserie chicken or quickly poach chicken on your stove. 
• Cheese: You can use shredded Mexican blend cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, or a combination of these in this recipe.

Recipe Steps

To make the casserole you start by spreading a little bit of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8×8-inch square baking dish. Then arrange two tortillas on top of the sauce. You can cut them in half to make them fit.

Put 1/3 of the chicken on top of the tortillas, followed by 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the remaining enchilada sauce.

Repeat the tortilla, chicken, cheese, sauce layer two more times. For the top layer, use the last two tortillas, sauce and cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake until it is hot and bubbly on the sides. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. (You will find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe box below.)

What to serve with Enchilada Casserole

Serve the casserole with guacamole or avocado, sour cream, chopped green onions and/or fresh cilantro. On the side, you can serve tortilla chips, black beans or pinto beans, rice or a green salad.

Recipe Variations

• Black beans would be a delicious addition to this recipe.
• If you prefer, you can substitute browned ground beef from beef enchiladas for the shredded chicken.
• To make this casserole vegetarian, substitute black beans and cooked sweet potato for the chicken. To cook the sweet potato, chop it into small cubes and either steam or roast it until it’s soft.

4.88 from 8 ratings

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

This Chicken Enchilada Casserole is so easy to make with just four ingredients! Instead of rolling the enchiladas in tortillas, you'll layer everything in a casserole dish to make this favorite Mexican dinner!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups red enchilada sauce, store-bought or homemade
• ▢ 8 corn tortillas, or flour tortillas
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
• ▢ 2 ½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, or cheddar, jack, mozzarella (or a combination of these)
• ▢ For serving: sliced green onions, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Place a few spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Lay 2 tortillas over the sauce, cutting them in half as needed to make them fit evenly.
• Put ⅓ of the chicken on top of the tortillas, followed by ¼ of the cheese and ¼ of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat the layers twice more: tortillas, chicken, cheese, sauce. For the top layer, use the last 2 tortillas, the rest of the sauce, and finally the remaining cheese on top.
• Cover the dish with foil that is lightly greased with cooking spray (to prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil). Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, until sauce is bubbly and cheese just begins to brown.
• Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with green onions, cilantro, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, etc., as desired.

Notes

• The casserole freezes well, both before and after baking. Thaw frozen enchilada casserole overnight in the refrigerator and then heat in a 350° F oven until it is steaming hot.

Serving: 1/6 recipe, Calories: 353kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 1069mg, Potassium: 211mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 860IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 341mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: Mexican

Course: Main Dish

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