Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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Layered like a lasagna, this extra cheesy, spicy, super tasty 4-ingredient Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a cinch to make! It’s a popular Mexican dish that makes a fantastic weeknight make-ahead meal that you can just pop in the oven!
Best Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Have you ever had a craving for Chicken Enchiladas, but you just didn’t feel like taking the time to make them in the traditional way? Well, now you don’t have to! This easy chicken enchilada casserole recipe is everything you love about enchilada, but made like lasagna! No need to take the time to roll the chicken and cheese up in the tortillas. You just layer all the ingredients and it’s amazing!
Also, to make this recipe even easier and add extra flavor, the chicken is cooked right in the enchilada sauce. This makes the meat extra tasty and keeps it super moist. Yet, this recipe does work with a store-bought rotisserie chicken too. But if you have the time, I do suggest cooking it in the enchilada sauce. You won’t be sorry! And you can enjoy a mojito while it’s cooking!
I should also mention that enchilada casserole is a great make-ahead meal! It reheats incredibly well even after it has been in the fridge for days! I sometimes like to make a few other Mexican favorites like Refried Beans and Mexican Rice on the same day so we have at least 2 to 3 days of dinners covered!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Easy and Inexpensive! Made with just 4 super affordable ingredients in just one baking dish, this chicken enchilada casserole requires almost no prep time and is so easy to make!
- Delicious Lazy Enchiladas! This dish has all the amazing flavors and textures of chicken enchiladas without all the work. Like a lasagna, the ingredients are layered and baked to perfection.
- Family Favorite! Kid-friendly and adult-friendly, you can not go wrong serving cheesy enchiladas with chicken for dinner! And to make them less spicy for kids just use a mild sauce.
- Chicken – You’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. But you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Enchilada Sauce – You can use store-bought canned sauce or make your own enchilada sauce with my easy recipe.
- Corn Tortillas – Traditionally enchiladas are made with corn tortillas but feel free to use flour tortillas if you prefer.
- Monterey Jack Cheese – Makes the casserole super cheesy. Cheddar cheese and Colby Jack cheese are other great choices.
This recipe is so easy it’s silly! It takes all the work out of making enchiladas, but keeps them just as yummy! Just follow these 3 easy steps and you’ll have dinner ready in no time.
To start, you need to cook the chicken for the casserole. First, cut each breast into 3 pieces. This will help it to cook faster. Then put the chicken into a medium saucepan. Next, pour the enchilada sauce over it, cover the pot with a lid, and then cook the chicken for about 20 minutes on medium heat until it’s cooked through. You shouldn’t need to add any water. The idea is for the chicken to cook in the enchilada sauce.
While the chicken is cooking, preheat your oven temperature to 375°F (191°C) so that it is ready to go once the dish is assembled. You can also grab a casserole dish at this time and set it aside. I like to use a longer baking dish for this recipe.
Once the chicken is done cooking it needs to be prepped for the enchiladas. Just remove it from the saucepan and then shred it with 2 forks. You can also cut the cooked chicken into small chunks if you like.
After the chicken is shredded it’s time to build the casserole! You can spray the baking dish with cooking spray if you like but it’s not necessary. Begin by pouring ¼ cup of the leftover enchilada sauce into the casserole dish and spreading it out evenly. Next, place 2 corn tortillas on the bottom followed by a third of the shredded chicken, a third of the remaining sauce, and a third of the cheese.
Then make another layer with 2 more tortillas and repeat the process with the chicken, sauce, and cheese. Finally, add one last layer of tortillas as well as chicken, sauce, and cheese.
To bake, transfer the casserole to the preheated oven and bake it uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. When it’s done it should be brown on top and bubbly. Then remove the chicken enchilada casserole from the oven and serve it warm with some sour cream, salsa, avocado, and cilantro if you like!
What Else Can I Add To This Casserole?
You can add anything you like to this layered chicken enchilada casserole. Sauteed bell peppers and onions, black beans, corn, and canned diced roasted tomatoes with green chilis would all be yummy additions. However, just remember to keep the ratios of the ingredients about the same and follow the instructions for the best results. And you don’t have to use chicken. Turkey is another great option.
Should Enchiladas Be Corn Or Flour?
Traditionally enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. However, both corn and flour tortillas will work perfectly. I’ve made this casserole with both and find both corn and flour to be delicious.
Expert Tips
- Stir the chicken. Make sure to stir the chicken from time to time as it’s cooking in the enchilada sauce to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Use a big enough dish. Keep in mind that the casserole is going to bubble as it cooks. So if your baking dish can barely hold all the ingredients it’s going to make a mess in your oven.
- Remove the spice. If you don’t like spicy food you can use a mild enchilada sauce. But you can also mix regular enchilada sauce with tomato puree to dilute the spice until you are happy with it.
Storage
Leftover chicken enchilada casserole will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat the leftovers, just put them in the microwave for about 4 minutes on medium power or in the oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 10 minutes.
You can also store this enchilada casserole in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then reheat the leftovers in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes while still frozen. However, the time may differ depending on how much you reheat.
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 ounces 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.
- Start layering the casserole. Start with about ¼ cup of the leftover enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 8×8-inch square baking dish. Place 2 tortillas on the bottom, cutting them in half if needed to fit. Top with ⅓ of the chicken and ⅓ from the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with ⅓ 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. You should end of with 3 layers of each ingredient.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes uncovered, until bubbly and cheese has melted and started to brown on top.
- Garnish with some chopped green onions or cilantro if preferred and serve warm.
Video
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. If you use flour tortillas, your casserole can be a bit soggier than if using corn tortillas.
- Stir the chicken. Make sure to stir the chicken from time to time as it’s cooking in the enchilada sauce to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Use a big enough dish. Keep in mind that the casserole is going to bubble as it cooks. So if your baking dish can barely hold all the ingredients it’s going to make a mess in your oven.
- Remove the spice. If you don’t like spicy food you can use a mild enchilada sauce. But you can also mix regular enchilada sauce with tomato puree to dilute the spice until you are happy with it.
- Leftover chicken enchilada casserole will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat the leftovers, just put them in the microwave for about 4 minutes on medium power or in the oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 10 minutes.
- You can also store this enchilada casserole in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then reheat the leftovers in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes while still frozen. However, the time may differ depending on how much you reheat.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I’m OBSESSED with this recipe! We just had the leftovers and they were also amazing! The default recipe says to use a 8×8 casserole dish and it serves 4. How would you turn this into a 13×9 to serve more? I know the secret is in how you divi out the tortillas. I had totally thought this would be mushy but it just melted in my mouth. Help I have a party of 7 coming and 2 are hunky eaters!
Glad to hear it! In the recipe card you can change the number of servings to however many you wish and it will update the ingredient amounts automatically.
That I know – any thoughts about how to lay out the tortillas? I know this is silly but your 8×8 was perfection!
super AMAZING fantastic. Thought it was like another recipe I made but WOW great!!!!!!
This is great! I chose the recipe because it’s in an 8×8 pan, so not huge. I don’t much like enchiladas, mostly because they’re annoying to make. Not these, though: It’s really easy, and the end result is excellent. I made it before dinner, but things changed, and I had to put it in the fridge overnight. Figuring it’s basically a Mexican lasagna, I cooked the next night like that: 350-degrees covered for 40 minutes, then remove the foil covering and cook an additional 15 minutes. Perfect! We used canned sauce, but it seems cans now are only 10oz, so we used two cans. Turns out that was just the right amount. And, like others, added a small can of green chilis. It did take 2 chicken breasts, and 3 cups of shredded cheese. I was surprised that it held together when done and was simple to cut (into quarters). And it was easy to scoop out with a spatula for serving.
We’re going to make variations – thinking of it as a layered lasagna. Next time, the bottom layer of shredded chicken, but the middle layer, some refried beans with maybe some pinto beans. Then the top layer might be a combination of chicken with some rice. Kind of like a super burrito. And I think I’ll put a thin layer of sour cream right in there, maybe on top of the refried beans. As you say: Hey – play around with it. 🙂 I think I’m a convert now; and looks like enchiladas will be on the menu more often. Many thanks.
Hi there! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, that’s what’s great about this 4 ingredient recipe, is the you can customize it so much.
This was quite tasty and very easy to put together, thank you for that. My husband and I are feeling pretty low as we just lost a beloved pet cat yesterday (she was put down as she was extremely weak and had lost all kidney function), and my husband also had to go for a biopsy today. So I’m left with welllllll….what to make for dinner, when neither of us feels like cooking and we’re both heartbroken, and no, we don’t want take out. Something nourishing, easy to make, and good. This dish was perfect comfort food.
Hi Amber! I’m so sorry about your cat, same thing happened with one of our dogs a few years back, so I know how hard it is. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe though. 🙂
So easy & delicious. I added diced green chilis, olives and chili powder to the sauce. My husband crumbled up some tortilla chips and threw on top. Will definitely make again.
I apologize if this has been asked before – I read a lot of comments and didnt see this question, but I didnt read all of the comments.
Do you use the same enchilada sauce that you boiled the chicken in in the casserole dish or do you use whats left in the can?
I used the one that I boiled the chicken in.
My husband and I like spicy so we substitute the red Chile Colorado sauce for the enchilada sauce. I use mild cheddar and Mexican 3 cheese for each layer. Delicious!
My go to recipe for several years.
So glad you liked it!
Great recipe!
I always try and make recipes exactly as written the very first time. However for this, I needed to substitute gluten-free *flour tortillas and dairy-free cheese.
I followed directions exactly and the tortillas fit my pan perfectly.
There are no leftovers, it was so simple and surprisingly very delicious!
I will definitely make again but I think I will double-layer the gluten-free tortillas because they kind of melted into the casserole.
A great tasting and fast dinner!
So glad you liked it!
This is genius! It certainly appeals to my laziness when I’m having that kind of day…I love to cook but sometimes I just like an easy to put together meal like this. I have some green enchilada sauce in the pantry – maybe I’ll give that a try as well.
Can I assemble the day before and bake the next day? Or will the tortillas get too mushy?
I think the tortillas will get mushy, so if you really want to prep ahead, the only thing I’d do is cook the chicken, then assemble the day you want to serve.
This is part of our regular meal rotation. I love it so much. With young kids who are picky eaters this is the perfect simple recipe. It’s delicious and easy to make!
I accidentally bought Burrito soft tortillas in place of corn tortillas. Would the burrito tortillas work for this recipe?
I’m assuming they’re flour tortillas, so they should be ok, but the casserole might be a bit more soggy than with corn tortillas.
Delish. Thanks!
Made this last night and loved how easy it was. Added a can of black beans and some frozen corn to the enchilada sauce before baking and it was delicious.
So glad you liked it!
i used left over shredded chicken that was already mixed with a green salsa. i used the rest of the salsa as a substitute for the enchilada sauce. came out just as good with the salsa. also added some mexican rice on the side with it. so good !