Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole – 4 ingredients is all it takes to make this popular Mexican dish. It’s cheesy, it’s spicy, it’s sinfully delicious.
Mexican food is my weakness. Totally! I love all Mexican food. I love going to Mexican restaurants and trying everything on the menu. But I also love to make Mexican food at home. This chicken enchilada casserole only requires 4 ingredients, so it doesn’t get any easier than this.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
I love chicken enchiladas and this casserole is even easier to make than making regular chicken enchiladas because you just layer your ingredients. Even a kid could make this.
And if you want to have some fun, have a mojito while you make this, or with it, before or after or during, doesn’t really matter. If you have a sombrero you might even want to wear that and make this chicken enchilada while dancing to the Mexican hat dance song.
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Cooked the chicken in the enchilada sauce, just so it gets that nice flavor from the sauce and it’s nice and moist. If you want you could also use roast chicken and make this even easier. But you will love this chicken cooked in the enchilada sauce. It’s amazing.
Although that looks like a lot of chicken, it’s only 2 breasts. Once the chicken is cooked, layer your casserole. I started with a bit of sauce at the bottom of the baking dish just so that it’s all nice and gooey. Next add the tortillas then the chicken. You should be able to get three layers.
After you put some sauce on the bottom of the dish, you layer with 2 tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the cheese and repeat 2 more times.
I used Monterey Jack cheese just because I think it goes really well in Mexican food, it’s milder and creamier, so it’s perfect in this casserole.
How to Bake Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Bake this for 20 to 30 minutes at 375 F degrees until it gets all nice and bubbly.
After you bake it, I dare you not to eat a piece right away. I don’t think you can do it.
This chicken enchilada casserole, 4 ingredients only, one of the best Mexican inspired dishes you’ll ever have.
Check out the video for these awesome Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole from my book:
Other Great Casserole Recipes To Try
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Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts ( boneless and skinless (about 2 large chicken breasts))
- 14 ounce Enchilada sauce
- 6 medium corn tortillas
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast in about 3 pieces, so that it cooks faster and put it in a small pot. Pour Enchilada sauce over it and cook covered on low to medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. No water is needed, the chicken will cook in the Enchilada sauce. Make sure you stir occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred with two forks.
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- Start layering the casserole. Start with about 1/4 cup of the leftover Enchilada sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. I used a longer baking dish, so that I can put 2 corn tortillas across. Place 2 tortillas on the bottom, top with 1/3 of the chicken and 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese and repeat starting with 2 more tortillas, then chicken, sauce, cheese. Repeat with last layer with the remaining ingredients, tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes uncovered, until bubbly and cheese has melted and started to brown on top.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Make your own enchilada sauce using my recipe.
- I’ve made this casserole with both flour tortillas and corn tortillas. For a true Mexican inspired casserole I recommend using corn tortillas, however flour tortillas work as well. Some people have mentioned that flour tortillas turn out a bit soggier than corn tortillas, but I thought it was just fine.
- I used a 5×7 casserole dish here, but please feel free to use a 9×13 or 8×8 casserole dish.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I was looking around for a recipe where I could cook chicken in enchilada sauce and came across this one. My boyfriend liked it so much we had it two days in a row … a first! This dish is absolutely delicious and definitely a keeper in my dinner rotation. Thank you!
This recipe worked well for me but I tweaked it a bit and used cream cheese instead of the Monterey Jack. I like the tanginess of the cream cheese.
My word! My husband devoured this in no time flat and my mother requested I make this dish for our family celebration next month! That is a first! I added a side of lime cilantro rice, which really made the meal. Thank you so much! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I’m so glad you guys liked it!
I intended to make the recipe as per the recipe but my last grocery trip I came home with much more ground beef than chicken bc it was on sale so… I used ground beef, and it was gloriously delicious! The whole family really loved it. The beef was so lean I didn’t have anything to drain off after browning I added the enchilada sauce- I used about 3/4 of a can for 3 lbs [ I feed 3 men ] then I followed the recipe as you wrote it. I served it with chopped romaine, chopped tomatoes and sliced black olives and I “dressed” it with salsa. I think this recipe is fantastic and very versatile.
Oops I used 2 lbs meat not three
I wish these recipes said about how much one serving is in like grams/cups etc. so it’s easier to keep track of but it’s delicious nonetheless
We don’t usually tell you how much a serving is because it could vary based on ingredients you used, their weight and so on, which is why we usually just give you a total number of servings per recipe.
Great recipe! I used corn tortillas, made my Vitamix red enchilada sauce, added in some corn, black beans and black olives. It makes a lot! Looking forward to several more meals for my husband and myself.
I tripled this recipe when we were on a family vacation this past fall. I used 2 large aluminum pans for 6 of us with no leftovers!
This is delicious! I used can green enchilada sauce and Mexican style mixed cheeses. Even my husband liked it, and he’s SUPER picky.
How many servings in this recipe?
The number of servings (6 in this case) is in the top of the recipe card. 🙂
I am trying the Chicken Enchilada Casserole and I was wondering if I can make it up in advance
Sure, you’ll just have to preheat it in the oven. 🙂
This recipe is so yummy I had my wisdom teeth removed and this is the first solid food I ate and I could eat it definitely recommend it so yummy 😋
I always lightly fry the tortillas first. This keeps them in tack and they won’t get soggy
My husband liked, so it’s a winner! He added salsa on his. Quick & Easy to assemble with canned cooked white chicken & used up some leftover corn tortillas. Sour cream on top enhanced flavor. & cut spice for me:)
That all sounds so delicious! Super happy you guys loved it so much!
I love this recipe. I make it almost every week. The family’s favorite. Easy, fast, delicious and easy to modify. Thank you for sharing.
The corn tortillas I used basically dissolved and became an almost gritty u pleasant texture… we couldn’t even eat the casserole. Is there a specific brand of tortillas that you can recommend?
There isn’t a specific brand, different places will always have different types and varieties etc. Look for a corn tortilla that is more on the thick and sturdy side. The better quality tortillas use better ingredients which generally makes them sturdier and less likely to disintegrate. Que pasa makes great corn tortillas, but since we are in Canada, some brands may be different depending where you live!
Great thanks! I’ll have to try those. I used the Casa Mendosa brand, and would not recommend!
I’m Mexican and when my grandma would make enchiladas she would lightly fry the tortillas this kinda helps create a barrier so that the tortillas don’t absorb too much enchilada sauce so they’re not soggy. I’d give that a try and see if it helps!