Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole is packed with layers of tasty ingredients. Treat your family to this delicious meal and it’ll quickly become a fan favorite!
Enchiladas of any kind are at the top of my favorite foods list and this cheesy, easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole is the most fun task you’ll take on when making enchiladas for dinner. Forget about the tedious mess of rolling up tortillas and getting sauce everywhere. This simple recipe takes all of the ingredients we love and layers them into a delicious casserole that the whole family will love. I am always looking for ways to keep my family healthy but also still making the meals they love, here are my 20 Favorite Weight Watchers Casserole recipes that help me plan better!
CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
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This Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is so quick and easy to make. Five simple ingredients are layered into a casserole dish and baked together until the cheese and sauce are melted and bubbling. All of those amazing layers baked together into this delicious enchilada casserole. I think it’s even better traditional enchiladas! If you like it as much as we do make sure to give our Beef Enchilada Casserole a try too!
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Start by placing your shredded chicken, onions, taco seasoning and a ¼ cup of water into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the liquid has mostly disappeared. When the meat has finished cooking set it to the side.
- Grease an 11×9 inch casserole dish and pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom. This will help to keep the bottom tortillas from burning.
- Place two tortillas on top of it so that they cover the bottom of the dish. Now you start your layers. Place 1/3 of the chicken on top of the tortillas, followed by a ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Then create two more layers adding two tortillas, chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese twice. Place the final two tortillas on top and pour remaining enchilada sauce over it followed by cheese.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Once it has finished baking remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Chicken Enchilada Ingredients
- Flour tortillas – Traditionally enchiladas are made with corn tortillas but I have always preferred flour tortillas because I like how soft they are. If you prefer the more version you can substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas. Since corn tortillas are smaller you will need a few more than are listed in the recipe to cover each layer.
- Enchilada sauce – I make this quick and easy homemade red enchilada sauce for my casserole and I think it takes them to the next level. It’s not required though! If you want to save time you can use your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce.
- Seasoned Chicken – You can cook chicken breasts and shred them yourself or you can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it to save some time. The shredded chicken is cooked with taco seasoning to give it a bold Tex-Mex flavor.
- Yellow onion – These slightly sweet onions are finely diced and cooked with the chicken until they are translucent. They add just the right amount of savory flavor to the dish.
- Cheddar cheese – Cheese may be my favorite part of enchiladas…right after that red sauce! I use sharp cheddar for my enchiladas but you can also use mild cheddar, or a Mexican cheese blend if you prefer.
What to serve with Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Traditional rice and beans are always delicious and easy. However, if you are trying to keep dinner light I prefer a salad for a cold crisp side. Don’t forget chips and salsa, it’s a tasty way to scoop up all of your food in one yummy bite. If I choose to eat them as leftovers for lunch I won’t usually add anything extra except for maybe some jalapenos and sour cream since they are plenty filling.
More Amazing Enchilada Recipes!
There is so much you can do with enchiladas! Traditional, creamy, Verde, or vegetarian they’re all great! Here are some of my favorite enchilada recipes for you to check out!
- Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Skinny Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchilada Sliders
All things Casserole!
- Au Gratin Potato Casserole
- Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Simple Broccoli Casserole
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Italian Style Creamy Corn Casserole
- More Casserole recipes…
Tools used to make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Skillet: This skillet is my go-to kitchen tool. It’s large circumference and high sides make it perfect for cooking anything from one pan meals to soups and sauces.
Casserole Dish: This simple and elegant serving dish goes from oven to table! It’s a staple at our dinner table and I know it will be at your table too!
Aluminum Foil: Foil is one of my favorite kitchen essentials. It helps keep food from browning too quickly, keeps clean up easy, and lets me make delicious foil packet meals!
Ingredients
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- 2 lbs chicken shredded
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 12 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place shredded chicken, onions, taco seasoning and a ¼ cup of water into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the liquid has mostly disappeared.
- In a greased, 11x9 casserole dish add a ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to the bottom and then place two tortillas on top of it so that they cover the bottom of the dish.
- Place 1/3 of the chicken on top of the tortillas, followed by ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Repeat steps to create two more layers.
- Place the final two tortillas on top and pour remaining enchilada sauce over it followed by cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Vickie Gallegos says
I am making this for 100 ppl. I am getting guff that ppl think they will be soggy. What do you think?
Also… how far in advance can I put these together?
KA says
Definitely use corn tortillas instead of flour! My family agrees, they are too “slimy” when I use the flour tortillas.
K.S. says
Can you freeze this casserole and bake later? Thank you
Kathy Payne says
Made this tonight for dinner. It was wonderful! I only had 12 ounces chicken, so I had to pare the recipe down a bit. Made it with your taco seasonings recipe. Ther than that, I followed your instructions. Will definitely add this to the rotation.
Gina says
This was awesome! I always cook chicken breast in the crockpot to shred, portion out, and freeze for recipes exactly like this. I seasoned the chicken ahead of time (needed probably double the amount of seasoning and water called for in the recipe to fully coat and get good flavor), then refrigerated until it was time to assemble and cook. If you do this, leave the casserole in for about an hour to ensure it gets piping hot in the middle (mine was about room temperature after 30 minutes). I also removed the foil and broiled for a few minutes at the end of bake time to get some color on the top. I served it with guacamole, sour cream, and fresh salsa… yumm! Made it for a family gathering and everyone loved it!
Deb says
How much shredded rotisserie chicken do I need?
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hey Deb, it is 2 pounds of shredded chicken.