Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4.56 from 9 votes

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Casserole is layered with chicken, melty cheese, black beans, and corn. It’s much easier to make than classic enchiladas, giving you all the same flavor in less time. Freeze it for a quick weeknight dinner.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Keyword: casserole, easy chicken recipe, easy freezer meal, easy recipe ideas, gluten free, make-ahead meal, tex mex

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $10.25

Equipment

Mixing Bowl
8x8 or 9x9 Oven-Safe Baking Dish

Ingredients

6 Taco-Sized Corn or Flour Tortillas, sliced into thick strips (be sure to use gluten-free tortillas if needed)
1 cup Frozen Corn, defrosted
1 4 ounce can Mild Green Chiles
1 15 ounce can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups Cooked and Chopped Chicken (use chicken breast, thigh, or rotisserie chicken)
3 cups Red Enchilada Sauce (it’s best with this homemade version)
2 + 1/2 cups Shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese, divided
Optional toppings - sour cream, guacamole, chopped red onions, cilantro, salsa, tortilla chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F. Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or rub it with some cooking oil.
Slice tortillas into thick strips (about 4 to 5 strips per tortilla).
In a large mixing bowl, combine corn, green chiles, black beans, and chicken.
In the prepared baking dish, start layering ingredients by first spreading a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom.
Top with tortillas, vegetable / chicken filling, enchilada sauce, and cheese.
Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used, finishing the top with tortilla strips, vegetables / chicken, and enchilada sauce (reserve 1/2 cup of cheese to finish the dish after baking).
At this point, casserole can be refrigerated for up to 3 hours or frozen for up to 6 months.
To bake, cover the enchilada casserole tightly with aluminum foil. Place it on a sheet pan (in case it bubbles over).
Bake, covered, for 20 minutes (add 10 to 15 minutes if the dish has been refrigerated before baking).
Remove foil and add the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Return casserole to oven and continue baking, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.
Let casserole rest for 10 min before slicing. (The slices will hold together better if it’s slightly cooled before serving.)
Serve immediately with any toppings you’d like!

Notes

Note: Be sure to taste the enchilada sauce you use in the dish (whether homemade or store-bought). Most of the flavor and seasoning in the dish comes from the enchilada sauce, so be sure that the sauce has a sufficient amount of salt. If not, you can stir a bit of salt into the enchilada sauce or lightly salt the beans, chilis, and chicken.

This dish can be baked in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. If baking in a 9x9 baker, you may need to use 2 additional tortillas to make sure that each layer has tortillas that reach the edges of the pan.

If assembling this dish in an 8x8 disposable aluminum baking pan (to freeze or take to someone else, as shown in photos above), the shorter sides of the dish may mean that you have some filling leftover. I find that a double batch of the ingredients can be spread out over 3 separate 8x8 reusable aluminum baking pans (each pan then easily can serve 4-5 people).

Nutrition