Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a cheesy, easy dinner recipe with layers of tortillas, enchilada sauce, chicken and beans for a wholesome and absolutely delicious casserole! This is a simple meal that the whole family will adore!
Be sure to try this recipe with my favorite homemade Enchilada Sauce recipe, and then enjoy Beefy Enchilada Shells, Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup, Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole, and Spinach Enchiladas.
Why This Recipe Works
Flavorful & Filling: In this chicken enchilada casserole recipe, you will get all of the flavors you love about homemade enchiladas, without all of the work. The enchilada sauce has just a slight kick and loads of flavor for a super flavorful casserole that is filling and comforting. Combined with the creamy sour cream, black beans and shredded chicken, you get lots of textures and flavors that make this casserole irresistible!
Simple Dinner: Enchiladas have never been easier! Instead of assembling the enchiladas like normal, simply layer the tortillas with the fillings and you get a flavor-packed casserole that is super cheesy and yummy! This casserole recipe is great for a simple weeknight dinner when the family need something filling and quick!
Ingredients
My chicken enchilada casserole uses pantry staples to create a delicious dinner! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Enchilada Sauce: You can use your favorite canned enchilada sauce or make your own!
- Corn Tortillas: Small corn tortillas work best here. Flour tortillas might get too soggy in this casserole! The exact number of tortillas you need for this casserole depends on your baking dish.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream makes this casserole nice and creamy.
- Chicken: You just need some shredded chicken! You can use a rotisserie chicken or make your own chicken breast and shred it.
- Black Beans: You can use canned black beans and even mix it with some canned corn if you would like!
- Shredded Cheese: Mexican-style shredded cheese will make this casserole perfectly cheesy!
- Toppings: Chopped cilantro, fresh avocado, and lime wedges are great to serve on top!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce to prevent the casserole from sticking. (photo 1)
- Assemble: Arrange the halved tortillas to create a layer in the bottom of the dish, then top with approximately 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce, half of the sour cream, half of the chicken, half of the black beans, and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Repeat the process to create two layers. (photos 2-8)
- Top with More Tortillas: Arrange the remaining tortillas on top of the casserole. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. (photos 9-11)
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese on top is browned and bubbly. (not pictured)
- Rest: Leave the casserole to rest for 15 minutes before serving. This is important to stop the layers from falling apart before serving! (photo 12)
- Serve: Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro and with avocado and lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make this chicken enchilada casserole according to your liking! You can switch out the black beans for pinto beans, use red or green enchilada sauce, and even top this with olives and tomatoes if you prefer!
- Make ahead of time! You can assemble your chicken enchilada casserole a few hours ahead of time so that once dinner time rolls around, just pop it into the oven! Or, you can assemble the casserole in a disposable baking dish and freeze it until you are ready to bake and serve!
- For super melty cheese, grate your cheese from a block! Freshly grated cheese melts a lot more seamlessly. But any shredded cheese will be delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can use turkey or beef in this casserole if you prefer. Or, you can make this a vegetarian casserole by increasing the amount of beans and omitting the chicken!
Yes! This chicken casserole is freezer-friendly. I would assemble the casserole in a disposable baking dish so that you can freeze it and then pop it directly into the oven without the baking dish breaking. So, assemble the whole thing in the disposable baking dish, wrap it well in plastic wrap and freeze it until you are ready to bake and serve! When baking from frozen, add about 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
To store any leftover casserole, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat this casserole in the microwave until heated through!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
- Baked Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
- Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Sweet Pork Enchilada Stacks
- Easy Taco Casserole
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo of your CDLC creation!
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups enchilada sauce
- 12 small corn tortillas - halved (see note)
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 3 cups shredded chicken - from approx. 3 small chicken breasts
- 1 ½ cups black beans - or a mix of black beans and canned corn
- 3 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
- salt - to taste
- chopped cilantro - for serving
- cubed avocado - for serving
- lime wedges - for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce to prevent the casserole sticking.
- Arrange the halved tortillas to create a layer in the bottom of the dish, then top with approximately 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce, half the sour cream, half the chicken, half the black beans, and 3/4 cups of the shredded cheese. Repeat the process to create two layers.
- Arrange the remaining tortillas on top of the casserole. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese on top is browned and bubbling.
- Leave the casserole to rest for 15 minutes before serving. This is important to stop the layers falling apart during slicing!
- Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro, and with avocado and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- The exact number of tortillas you need will depend on the exact size and shape of your dish, as well as how big they are which can vary brand to brand. Write down how many you use so you’ll know for sure the next time you make this casserole!
- Corn tortillas are best in this recipe as flour tortillas may become too soggy during baking.
great idea 🙂 sounds delicious. Great week night dinner.
I made this tonight, and it was quite good! I didn’t have corn tortillas, only flour, but I fried them and it worked well. The only thought my bf and I had to improve this would be to possibly add some more veggies (like tomatoes or corn) and/or black beans next time. Thanks for sharing!
Would you recommend freezing? I like to make a lot and pull out meals like this from the freezer on week nights…
Yes, you can assemble the casserole in a disposable baking dish and freeze it until you are ready to bake and serve! 🙂
EXCELLENT! I am not a lover of most Mexican food but I’ve always wanted to try a Mexican casserole. Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious to me and my entire family loved it.
I especially love your Chicken with Alfredo Pasta recipe. It is the best chicken I have ever cooked. Thank you. I will only use your recipe.
Wow! Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoy both recipes 🙂
We made this the other night and it’s really, really good and super easy. Just re-heated some for lunch and it’s still really good.