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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:
Corn tortillas are traditionally what would be used for enchiladas but I personally like the flour tortillas more myself so that’s what I went with here. You can try corn tortillas instead if you prefer!
Cheddar and Monterey Jack are both excellent cheeses for melting and that’s exactly what we’re using here, along with some cream cheese! Use freshly grated cheese for the best quality and melt.
Nope! You do not need to cover the dish when baking. Leave it uncovered so that the cheese can get all nice and hot and melty!
MORE MEXICAN CASSEROLE RECIPES!
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup enchilada sauce divided
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- 4 ounces canned green chiles
- 1 cup freshly shredded monterey jack cheese divided
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, corn, green chiles, 1/2 cup of monterey jack, 1/2 cup of cheddar, cumin, and chili powder to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Place one tortilla in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1/4 of the filling. Top with 1/3 of the chicken.
- Repeat the layers. The top layer will have just a tortilla and the filling. Spread remaining enchilada sauce over the top layer and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Melody says
My husband loves this
Michelle says
Can you make this ahead of time and then either refrigerate or freeze?
Karly says
I’d be worried the tortillas would get too soggy if you make too far in advance.
Pat says
I made this last night but used corn tortillas. My husband LOVED it. Will make again.
Hazel says
What’s the green speckled over the top of the casserole, please?
Karly says
Minced cilantro. 🙂
Debi says
What is a good brand of enchilada sauce. The last one I tried didn’t really have any flavor.
Thanks
Karly says
If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, I really love their enchilada sauce.
fran says
I agree. Trader Joe’s has THE BEST enchilada sauce!
Hazel says
A REALLY good red sauce is Old El Paso!!
Mike says
Great flavor but we had to cook it significantly longer than 20 minutes. Our pan was pretty full though. It was a dense casserole with that many layers. All in all, we cooked it at 45 mins.
Maddy says
Delicious! Family loved it!
Michelle says
Can canned chicken be used?
Karly says
Yeah, that’d work fine.
Victoria says
This looks really good! Have you ever tried it with corn tortillas instead of the flour ones? Do you think it would turn out?
Thanks for the recipe!
Karly says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would turn out fine. 🙂
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
I haven’t played a virtual reality game since I was a kid, and they were’t quite the caliber they are today. But I want this casserole to become a reality in front of me right now please.
Tiffani says
Made this last night…Delicious! Was a bit spicy for my three year old though.
dezi says
Hi Karly, I have been watching to see if you’ve posted anything about your hair extensions. Maybe you are still trying them out…..so I’ll keep looking. I want to know about your experience so I could compare it to mine. Also, thank you for the chicken enchilada casserole recipe. Totally making it!
Karly says
Hey! I never did follow up on those, did I?? Whoops! So, I’m actually getting a new set next week. I’ve really enjoyed having the thicker hair and it’s nice to be able to do stuff with it. I don’t love the way the extensions feel all the time – it’s hard to run your hands through your hair and I hate that. I’m really frustrated that they’ve only lasted three months – I’ve been losing one extension a day for the past week. I had expected them to last 4+ months and I take very good care of them. I think the issue is that my hair is just very thin and fragile. I’ve started using Pura D’or shampoo and conditioner in the hopes that it will help strengthen my hair and the next set will last longer. If they don’t, I probably won’t do a third set as they’re too expensive for just 3 months. Curious your thoughts and experience with yours!
Marianne McClure says
Looking forward to making your recipes. But I wanted to comment on the hair situation. I have thin hair as well so I started taking powdered collagen every morning. I put a scope of powder in hot water and add lemon juice for a little flavor. My hair is thicker, my nails don’t peel, and it’s also helped with aches and pains! Doesn’t hurt to try!
Karly says
Thanks for the tip!!
Deidre says
How is it reheated? Looks perfect for leftovers!
Dianna says
Definitely I am going to make it next week. It looks so delicious!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
OMG love any kind of Mexican casserole! I like to use rotisserie chicken for a short cut!
Kara K says
great idea.. didn’t think of doing that..
gives you the different types of chicken too from white to dark meat
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I’ve never played a virtual reality game because I know I’d react exactly like you, and probably have nightmares for weeks too! But oooohhhh this casserole. My mom made something similar when I was growing up and it was one of my very favorite dinners. SO GOOD!