Life is real, and that’s why 5-ingredient meals are a thing. This cheesy layered chicken enchilada casserole is a real-life dinnertime wonder: just chicken, beans, sauce, cheese, and tortillas.
This is a Chicken Enchilada Casserole, and it’s sososososo delicious.
It’s like taking all the goodness of an enchilada, but making it easier by stacking it up, and making it all even more cozy, if that is possible, baking it under a layer of cheese. It’s also incredibly easy.
Hello, did you see that there are only FIVE ingredients here? As I was writing the recipe out I kinda couldn’t believe it. This enchilada casserole presents like something that took a really long time to make. It’s like free work or something.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Watch How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Ingredients to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Enchilada Sauce Options
- Enchilada Casserole Variations
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
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Ingredients To Make This Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe
We’re working with a short ingredient list here, which is honestly one of our favorite ways to work with food.
- Cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works)
- Enchilada sauce
- Mexican-style cheese (Monterey Jack cheese would also be delicious)
- Tortillas (flour or corn tortillas, whichever you prefer)
- Refried beans
How To Make a Yummy Enchilada Casserole
Here’s whatcher gonna do.
Put some sauce down. Now layer away. We’ve got tortillas, beans, chicken, cheese, and sauce all up in there. Go for it.
Now let’s top it all off with ze cheese. You pick! I used Mozzarella because I had it on hand – as one does.
But, more normally for an enchilada casserole, you could use Monterey Jack or Provolone or Colby Jack or Mexican flavored cheese or anything you want. It’s a baked Tex Mex situation, okay? Lots of cheese is necessary.
Let’s Talk Enchilada Sauce Options
- Make your own enchilada sauce! I might recommend this blender enchilada sauce for something homemade, yummy, extremely easy, and ready in approximately five minutes. I also like Cookie and Kate’s enchilada sauce which is also delicious – it’s just a bit more involved.
- If you are BUYING enchilada sauce, that’s cool, too. I really like the Frontera brand for all things pre-made Mexican and Tex-Mex, including enchilada sauce.
Yummy Variations For Your Enchilada Casserole
- Use green enchilada sauce instead of red enchilada sauce.
- Use ground beef instead of chicken.
- Use vegetarian taco meat or veggies like sautéed mushrooms, peppers, or onions instead of meat (veg lovers unite!)
- Use vegan cheese and aforementioned veggie filling to make this a vegan enchilada bake.
- Use corn tortillas instead of flour (they’ll be softer and more melty / mushy – personal preference).
You know what else would be extra delicious? A thwap of guacamole right on top. YES!
If I’m being honest, I ate this enchilada casserole goodness at 9am on a Sunday morning while Bjork was still asleep.
And that, my friends, is the definition of food blogging.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
Just use corn tortillas to make this recipe gluten-free.
Absolutely! Bell peppers, zucchini, or spinach are a few ideas to start!
Our 5 Minute Blender Enchilada Sauce is as easy as it gets for a quick and delicious homemade enchilada sauce.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 10–12 1x
Description
A 5-ingredient stacked enchilada casserole layered with tortillas, beans, and chicken and covered with cheese and enchilada sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 2 ½ cups enchilada sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 6–8 small flour tortillas (corn works too)
- 1 can refried beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a glass square baking dish (mine was 9×9) to prevent sticking.
- Place 2 tortillas in the bottom of the dish, overlapping to cover the entire surface.
- Layer the beans, chicken, cheese, sauce, and tortillas; repeat once to make a total of 2 layers. (For me this was about 1/3 cup refried beans, 1 cup of the chicken, ½ cup cheese, and about 3/4 cup enchilada sauce in each layer.)
- Cover the top with the remaining enchilada sauce and 1 cup cheese. Cover the baking dish with well-oiled aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown and sauce is bubbling.
- Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes so it can firm up a bit before cutting and serving. Top with cilantro, lime, sour cream, or avocado.
Notes
To get each layer completely covered with tortillas, I cut 2 additional tortillas into fourths and used them to cover the corners. This is not necessary but it helps when you layer your ingredients.
My favorite refried beans are Amy’s Refried Black Beans!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: enchilada recipe, enchilada casserole, casserole, chicken enchiladas, enchilada sauce
More Enchilada Goodness
- Easy Veggie Enchiladas (packed with all the veggies)
- Simple Enchiladas Verdes (that homemade verde sauce!!)
- Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole (tomatillos forever)
- Breakfast Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce (because obviously enchiladas for breakfast)
- Butternut Squash & Mushroom Enchiladas (so, so good)
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our cozy casserole recipes. Check it out!