This baked chicken enchilada is a traditional Mexican dish. It is a corn tortilla casserole with a filling. Most often (in our case) the filling includes meat. But if you want variety or just a vegetarian version, replace chicken with vegetables and chicken cream soup with eggs.
How to make chicken enchilada casserole?
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray oil to a 13 * 9-inch baking dish. Prepare the products: cut the chicken into cubes, chili peppers into small pieces and grate the cheese.
- In a large deep bowl, combine chicken cream soup, sour cream, milk, chili, dried garlic, onions, salt, and black pepper.
- Put 6 tortillas in a baking dish.
- Put 3 cups of chopped chicken.
- Pour in half the liquid sauce.
- Sprinkle half the grated cheese.
- Repeat: 6 tortillas, chicken, sauce, cheese.
- Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubble. Let the dish cool for about 15 minutes and serve.
What to serve with chicken enchilada casserole?
With such a casserole, vegetables and salads are best combined. It can be a light summer salad or a very hearty salad. An easier option for a casserole snack is baked or stewed vegetables.
How to layer chicken enchilada casserole?
First, line the bottom of the baking dish with 6 tortillas. Do not forget to grease the form itself with oil so that the tortillas do not burn.
Then spread 3/4 chopped chicken and fill it with half the sauce. Distribute the sauce until the chicken is completely covered. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
Cheese in a casserole plays the role of “glue”, so on top of the cheese; we spread a new layer of tortillas and repeat again. Besides, the cheese, combined with a liquid sauce, thickens it.
Can you make chicken enchilada casserole ahead of time?
Easy! You can cook the casserole and freeze it. Defrost and heat up the day before cooking. Or just keep the cooked casserole in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
The hot casserole will spread a little on the plate. Cold can be easily cut into portioned pieces.
Can you freeze chicken enchilada casserole?
The beauty of this casserole is that you can freeze it in two stages. Freeze the raw casserole once you have laid all the layers. Or freeze an already prepared dish.
To do this, wait until it has completely cooled down, wrap it with cling film or foil, and put it in the freezer. In both cases, defrost the casserole overnight in the refrigerator before cooking or heating.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 8 oz. (1 cup) sour cream
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 (4 oz.) can dice green chiles (or fresh)
- 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- pepper, salt to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Ina large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, chili, garlic, onions, and black pepper.
- Lay the layers in a greased baking dish:- 6 tortillas- 3 cups chopped chicken- Half the sauce- Half grated cheese, And repeat again: tortillas, chicken, sauce, cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubble.
Notes
- You can cut the chicken into slices with a knife or torn into fibers with a fork or fingers.
- When cutting chili peppers manually, be extremely careful. After cutting, wash your hands, chopping board and knife well.
- In the hot season, I do not like spicy food, so I reduce the number of chili peppers at least twice. Adjust the severity of the dish to your liking.
Answering Your Burning Questions:
How long to bake chicken enchilada casserole?
The approximate cooking time of the casserole is 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 350 degrees F.
At the end of baking, you will notice that the sauce with cheese is boiling and bubbling, and the surface of the casserole has turned golden brown. This indicates the readiness of your casserole.
Good recipe. Tasty, easy to fix. Someone suggested adding a packet of taco seasoning which we did along with 1/3 cup sauteed onions instead of the dry onions called for in recipe. It had just enough spice for me but my husband likes things spicier. When we make it again I think I’ll put out some do it yourself garnishes/toppings for added flavor/texture/color….ie. diced avocado, diced bell/jalapeno peppers, sliced olives. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Do you cook the chicken first before you put it in the layers?
Yes, of course. The list of ingredients says “diced cooked chicken”. You can pre-boil it or fry it until golden brown.
If you replaced the cream of chicken with eggs how many eggs do you need?
Hi, Sara,
Take at least 4-5 eggs and a whole cup of milk instead of ⅔. but in general, I would not recommend replacing the cream of chicken soup, because there are as many as 10 ounces! By the way, you can easily prepare it yourself, with milk, butter, flour, chicken broth, and spices.
Can u add retried beans to these layers
Hi Shirley, yes of course, a layer of refried beans can be spread over the tortillas.
It looks like flour tortillas in your photo, not corn; which one do you use.
Hi lacey,
I used corn tortillas, they may look different from different manufacturer. If necessary or preferred, feel free to use flour or cheese tortillas.