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overhead of a chicken enchilada casserole in a baking dish
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5 from 97 votes

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Casserole is perfect easy comfort food. Just a touch easier than chicken enchiladas, you will love this make ahead and freezer friendly casserole!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: casserole, freezer friendly, make ahead
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 410kcal
Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

Enchilada Sauce (see note)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

For Casserole

  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4.5 ounces diced green chiles
  • 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
  • 12 corn tortillas (6 inches)
  • 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese see note

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large skillet for the enchilada sauce, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add 1 diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • While the onion is cooking for the enchilada sauce, make the enchilada filling. In a bowl mix together the shredded chicken, salt, black pepper, diced green chiles, and drained black beans.
  • Stir chili powder and cumin into the onion for the enchilada sauce and cook for about thirty seconds. Then stir in 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Then stir in the tomato sauce and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the enchilada sauce to a blender and blend to make smooth (optional). Pour 1/2 cup in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the chicken mixture.
  • Dip 6 tortillas in the remaining sauce to coat them and line the bottom of the casserole dish with them.
  • Divide the chicken mixture in half, and add half of it to the top the tortillas in the pan. Top with 1 cup of cheese.
  • Dip the remaining 6 tortillas in the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining chicken mixture. Pour any remaining sauce over the casserole and top with 2 cups of colby jack cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Video

Notes

You can replace this enchilada sauce recipe with two cups of store bought sauce.
The preparation time for this recipe includes shredding Colby Jack cheese from the block. I highly recommend using block cheese and shredding it yourself as it melts significantly better.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1327mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g