Our simple Chicken Enchilada Casserole is full of melty cheese, tender chicken, refried beans, layers of tortillas, and red enchilada sauce with just a bit of spice. A perfectly flavorful Mexican-inspired dish that everyone is going to love!
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Our family absolutely loves any dish that incorporates all the traditional Mexican flavors, like our Ultimate Mexican Stuffed Peppers or our Southwest Salad (Santa Fe Salad). These dinners are regularly on our weekly meal plans because they bring so much great flavor! Another wonderful perk of this recipe is that you can enjoy all the greatness of enchiladas without having to wrap them individually. Our healthy chicken enchiladas are amazing but personally, I find this layering technique quicker and easier! And if you want to sip on a skinny margarita while making these, more power to you!
Love chicken enchiladas – try our Chicken Enchilada Soup!
What You Will Need
- olive oil – a splash in the pan to help with sautéing the onion and garlic.
- sweet yellow onion & garlic – a classic combination to get the flavor party started in the pan.
- shredded chicken – feel free to grab a rotisserie chicken or quickly and easily make your own shredded chicken at home!
- canned green chilis – a traditional component for many Mexican-inspired meals.
- cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, & pepper – the perfect group of seasonings to really pack a flavorful punch.
- enchilada sauce – we love our homemade version, but you can also keep it simple with your favorite store-bought sauce.
- tortillas – we used flour tortillas but you can easily use corn tortillas too if you prefer or want it to be gluten-free.
- refried beans – option to use these or black beans would be delicious too!
- shredded cheese – just grab your favorite – marble jack, Mexican, colby jack, etc.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is amazing if you follow it as is but it is also extremely versatile so if you need or want to make any changes, you definitely can. Here are a few options:
- halve it – this recipe definitely makes a lot of food so if you want, you could halve the recipe and bake it in a 9×9 pan.
- gluten-free – if you would like to make this dish gluten-free you will want to use a gluten-free enchilada sauce and corn tortillas.
- dairy-free – to make this dish dairy-free, all you have to do is change out the cheese for your favorite dairy-free cheese option.
- tortillas – you can easily swap out the flour tortillas for corn, if you prefer or as part of making the dish gluten-free.
- beans – this is completely up to your flavor preferences or what you have on hand. Option to use refried beans, black beans, pinto beans, etc.
- enchilada sauce – we used a red enchilada sauce (our homemade version is amazing), but you could also use a green enchilada sauce, if that’s more your style.
How To Serve A Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole
We love serving this casserole with a side dish of salsa rice and a variety of toppings like, sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, fresh tomatoes, and maybe a few slices of jalapeño for an added kick! Share with us how you like to top your enchilada casserole!
Can You Freeze This Enchilada Casserole
Absolutely! Whether the enchilada casserole has been cooked or not, you can cover and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you haven’t cooked the casserole yet, just make sure you place it in an oven-proof pan so that you can move it straight from the freezer to the oven to cook. This will obviously add quite a bit to the length of time it needs to cook. If it was fully cooked before freezing you can thaw and reheat.
How To Make A Chicken Enchilada Casserole
You can begin by sautéing the onion and garlic on medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Then you can add the shredded chicken, green chilis, and spices.
Now spread a bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of our large baking dish.
And place the halved tortillas on top.
Next, spread on the refried beans.
Then a layer of the chicken mixture.
More enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
Continue this process of repeating layers: tortillas, beans, chicken, sauce, cheese. And then a final layer of tortillas, sauce, and cheese on top.
Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Let it cool for a bit and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
- Feel free to halve this: as written this recipe makes quite a bit … enough where you will have leftovers. Feel free to halve the recipe if you want – cook time will be the same!
- Storage: any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free ensure your enchilada sauce is gluten-free and use corn tortillas.
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free simply use your favorite dairy-free cheese.
- Enchilada Sauce: we love our homemade red enchilada sauce (we also have a green enchilada sauce), but feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand too.
- Serving: Serve this with some sour cream, fresh cilantro and some Salsa Rice!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
Chicken Casserole – a delicious weeknight dinner idea! This easy chicken casserole recipe is made with simple and so good!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 4 heaping cups shredded chicken
- 8oz can green chiles
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Approx. 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 12 regular size tortillas, cut in half (flour or corn)
- 15oz can refried beans (black beans work too)
- Approx. 3 cups shredded cheese of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
- Add oil; swirl to coat the pan.
- Add garlic and move around pan until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.
- Add onion and move around pan until it softens slightly, approx. 1 minute.
- Add chicken, green chiles, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Stir until combined and chicken is warmed through.
- Take a 9×13 baking pan and add about a tablespoon or so of sauce on the bottom.
- Top with a layer of tortillas (cut them in half and place the cut sides along the edge of the pan – two on each long side and one on each short side with one covering the middle).
- Continue layering by adding 1/2 the beans, 1/2 the chicken mixture, approx. 1/2 cup enchilada sauce and then 1/3 cup cheese.
- Repeat layers: tortillas, beans, chicken, sauce, cheese.
- End with another layer of tortillas, the remaining sauce and then the remaining cheese.
- Spray a piece of foil with olive oil or your favorite non-stick and cover the pan (non-stick side down) and place in the oven, middle rack, for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is a bit bubbly.
- Remove and let cool slightly before serving.
- We love serving this with some sour cream, fresh cilantro and some Salsa Rice!
Notes
- Feel free to halve this: as written this recipe makes quite a bit … enough where you will have leftovers. Feel free to halve the recipe if you want – cook time will be the same!
- Storage: any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free ensure your enchilada sauce is gluten-free and use corn tortillas.
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free simply use your favorite dairy-free cheese.
- Enchilada Sauce: we love our homemade red enchilada sauce (we also have a green enchilada sauce), but feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand too.
- Serving: Serve this with some sour cream, fresh cilantro and some Salsa Rice!
C says
Delicious meal! We did use more enchilada sauce and cheese than called for due to personal preference. Loved how the flavors of the layers complemented each other. Looking forward to the leftovers!
Erin says
So glad to hear that! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I appreciate it!
Maja says
Can you make this ahead and wait to bake until the day of?
Julie says
Excellent! Made with your homemade enchilada sauce. My husband said to add to the “Make Again” list!
Erin says
So happy you both enjoyed this one, Julie! Thanks for taking the time to come back and write a review!
Angie B says
Any suggestions for vegetarians? Swap chicken for shrimp??
Cynthia says
I see rice in your casserole but there is no rice in the ingredients list or the instructions. ???
Erin says
Hi Cynthia! I think you are seeing the Salsa Rice which we have listed as a recommended side dish – there isn’t any rice in the actual casserole – you can find the salsa rice here: https://thewoodenskillet.com/salsa-rice/