Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This easy chicken enchilada casserole is filled with all your favorite flavors of enchiladas but layered like a lasagna with corn tortillas, plenty of cheese, and red enchilada sauce. It’s a delicious way to use familiar ingredients in a new way that your family will love!

Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• This is comfort food at its finest! It’s loaded with cheesy layers of corn tortillas, shredded chicken, and black beans for an easy family dinner that comes together quickly.
• It’s a great way to feed a crowd. This enchilada casserole is the perfect dish to feed a group. It’s also easy to prep at the beginning of the week so you’ve got leftovers to warm up anytime!
• If you’ve got leftover rotisserie chicken or shredded instant pot chicken, this recipe is the perfect way to repurpose it into a meal that feels brand new!

Ingredients for Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• Rotisserie Chicken: You can use cooked shredded chicken (made with my instant pot recipe or slow cooker recipe) or rotisserie chicken for this recipe. To save even more prep time, look for pre-shredded rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.
• Enchilada Sauce: Use your favorite enchilada sauce from the store or make homemade enchilada sauce. I like to use red enchilada sauce but you can use green enchilada sauce as well.
• Spices: Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder create the perfect combination of flavors. Feel free to add your family’s favorite spices.
• Black Beans: You can use pinto beans instead of black beans if you prefer.
• Diced Green Chiles: Fire-roasted diced green chilies add delicious flavor to the enchilada casserole filling. Canned diced jalapenos would work as well – just be sure to note whether they’re mild or hot as the hot ones add a lot of heat!
• Corn Tortillas: I prefer to use corn tortillas in this casserole because they seem to hold up better than flour tortillas.
• Colby Jack Cheese: Use your favorite melty cheese for this chicken casserole. Shredded Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, or mild cheddar cheese all work well.

How to Make Enchilada Casserole

In a large bowl combine shredded rotisserie chicken, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black beans, and diced green chilies.

Slice corn tortillas in half so you’ll have 24 halves total. Pour enchilada sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Place 8 halves of tortilla in a single layer on top of the sauce.

Add 1/2 of the chicken mixture in an even layer on top of the corn tortillas.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Add 8 more tortilla halves in a single layer.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients, layering the tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then slice, garnish, and serve with sour cream, cilantro, and green onions!

Tips for Making the Best Enchilada Casserole

• Grab a 28-ounce can of enchilada sauce. Use 2 cups for the casserole and then serve the remaining cup or so alongside the casserole for those who like it more saucy.
• Switch up the protein! If you have ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken on hand – use that instead.

Variations

You can totally customize this enchilada casserole recipe to use up what’s in your fridge or pantry. Here are some of our family’s favorite things to add:

• taco meat (instead of chicken)
• salsa
• mix in a bit of cream cheese
• 1-2 teaspoons chilies in adobo
• sliced black olives
• corn
• diced red bell pepper
• diced pickled jalapenos
• refried beans
• rice

FAQ

What is chicken enchilada casserole?

Chicken enchilada casserole includes all your favorite enchilada ingredients, just assembled in a different way. It includes corn tortillas, red enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, black beans, green chilies, plenty of melty cheese and spices layered together to make a cozy, comforting casserole.

Why is my enchilada casserole soggy?

You might have used too much enchilada sauce! The key to a perfectly moist enchilada casserole that isn’t soggy is to add enough sauce to make the corn tortillas tender without making them fall apart. You can always serve the casserole with extra sauce on the side – which is actually my favorite way to serve it!

How to layer chicken enchilada casserole?

Start with a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, then add corn tortillas, a layer of the chicken and bean mixture, then top with shredded cheese and repeat with the remaining ingredients until it’s layered like lasagna. Cover the corn tortillas with enchilada sauce and cheese, then bake!

Making Enchilada Casserole Ahead of Time

These enchiladas are the perfect make-ahead meal. Assemble the enchiladas through step #8. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Then bake according to recipe instructions but plan to add extra baking time to account for the cold temperature. If you plan to make these ahead of time, I recommend using slightly less enchilada sauce when assembling. Then serve it with the extra enchilada sauce on the side. This will prevent the corn tortillas from getting too soggy as they sit in the fridge.

Storing Leftover Enchilada Casserole

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Freezing Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Freeze chicken enchilada casserole in an airtight container in a large Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge for 24 hours before baking. Plan to add an additional 20 minutes or more of baking time to account for the cold temperature.

Reheating Chicken Enchiladas

Reheat chicken enchiladas in a 350-degree oven. Cover them with aluminum foil and bake until warmed through and the cheese is melted. You can also microwave them in 30-60 second increments until warmed through.

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