Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This chicken enchilada casserole is creamy cheesy perfection and it’s so easy to throw together since everything is layered together instead of rolled. Perfect for a busy weeknight and ready in 30 minutes.

This enchilada pie is pure comfort food! It’s basically my favorite cream cheese chicken enchiladas in pie form.

Chicken Enchiladas without the work!

We love a good Mexican-inspired meal – and let’s be real, my Midwestern concoctions are not ‘real’ Mexican food by any stretch, but they are darn good.

My family loves enchiladas, so it’s no surprise that this chicken enchilada casserole is every bit as big of a hit as our taco lasagna and burrito casserole.

The filling is packed with shredded chicken all mixed in th most flavorful, creamy sauce that’s made of a combo of sour cream, cream cheese (!!!), and enchilada sauce. We toss in some green chiles for a little pizazz without making things too spicy for the kids and we throw in some corn for a little sweetness and texture.

This all gets layered between flour tortillas, much like a lasagna, and it’s so much easier than rolling out individual enchiladas. Not quite as easy as our lazy enchiladas, but close enough. 😉

♥ What We Love About This Recipe:

• Cheesy Layers: We love all the different layers in this casserole! You’ve got layers of tortilla, creamy filling, chicken, enchilada sauce and cheese. It’s pretty much pure comfort food and we love it!
• Easy: Like most casserole recipes this one is quick and easy to prepare and will feed a crowd! Just a bit of mixing and then layering the ingredients in a baking dish and that’s all the prep work there is. It’s ready in 30 minutes!
• Versatile: If you’ve got a preference for different ingredients in your enchilada casserole feel free to change things up! You can use spicier chiles, our crockpot ground beef or Instant Pot barbacoa in place of the chicken, a variety of cheeses, and a mix of veggies. Mix it up however you like!

Ingredient Notes:

Shredded Chicken – You’ll start with some already cooked, shredded chicken. We usually make crockpot shredded chicken ahead of time for recipes like this, but you could also just pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Enchilada Sauce – You can use canned red or green enchilada sauce here or make your own homemade enchilada sauce! We sometimes use red and sometimes use green. Both are delicious.

Sour Cream – It’ll add creamy flavor and it helps keep the enchilada casserole from drying out while baking.

Corn – I’m using frozen corn for this because it’s quick and easy. You could use canned corn or fresh corn if you prefer. No need to thaw the frozen corn, you just add it right into the casserole!

Green Chiles – You can find canned green chiles in a few varieties including mild and hot. We use the mild ones to keep it kid friendly.

Cheese – You’ll need some softened cream cheese along with freshly grated cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses. It’ll melt much better when you grate your own but you can use pre-shredded if necessary.

Spices – You don’t need much here for spices just some ground cumin and chili powder! You’ll get plenty of flavor from the enchilada sauce and other ingredients too.

Tortillas – We use 8 inch soft flour tortillas.

How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole:

Add cream cheese, sour cream, a half cup of enchilada sauce, frozen corn, green chiles, spices, and a half cup each of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine!

Place a tortilla in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Top with 1/4 of the filling and 1/3 of the chicken. If you’re not using 8 inch tortillas, you can just tear them to fit the pan in a mostly even layer.

Repeat the layers and then spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the top tortilla and sprinkle on the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The filling should be hot and the cheese should be melty and gooey.

Serving Suggestions:

This recipe can make a meal all by itself but it’s also great along with some of my other favorite homemade Mexican inspired recipes!

This easy Mexican rice is definitely a winner, and it wouldn’t hurt to serve it up with some homemade refried beans too!

Some air fryer tortilla chips and homemade queso dip are also excellent sides to go with chicken enchilada casserole.

We also really love this air fryer street corn!

Freezing & Storage Instructions:

If you’ve got leftovers you can keep them stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 3 to 4 days. It’s best reheated in the oven or microwave.

This chicken enchilada casserole recipe can also be frozen for up to a few months! Let the casserole cool completely before wrapping individual portions in plastic wrap and foil.

To reheat thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave.

Recipe FAQs: