Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Creamy Salsa Verde

Bet you didn’t expect your next show stopping dinner to be a casserole! This Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is one of our favorites because it’s easy to make and absolutely packed with flavor. 

You’re Going to Love This Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• It uses a blend of premade and fresh whole ingredients. This recipe uses store bought salsa verde and cooked shredded chicken. Rotisserie chicken works great, or you can cook chicken ahead of time and shred it yourself.  
• It can be scaled up or down. If you have a smaller amount of people to feed, you can cut the recipe in half and bake it in a square 8×8 baking dish.
• It is a great make-ahead recipe. Short on time this week? You can easily make the sauce and chicken filling ahead of time then assemble and bake the casserole when you want to eat.
• It’s unbelievably delicious! It’s so simple but it really delivers on flavor. It’s one of those recipes you’ll come back to time and time again.

Enchiladas + Lasagna = Enchilada Casserole

Unlike actual enchiladas that have filling rolled up inside tortillas, this chicken enchilada casserole is built almost like a lasagna. And what makes up a great lasagna? Noodles, meat or veggies, cheese, and a bolognese or bechamel.

Here we’ve got almost the same setup but with a Tex-Mex twist. We’re swapping the noodles for corn tortillas, using seasoned shredded chicken, and a creamy salsa verde thickened with a little roux, and brightened with sour cream. 

It All Starts With The Sauce

This casserole dish very loosely resembles enchiladas suizas, or Swiss-style enchiladas that are filled with chicken and topped with cheese and a sauce made with Mexican crema and salsa verde. This Tex-Mex version uses milk and sour cream in replace of crema to make the higher volume of sauce needed for the casserole. The sauce is a perfect hybrid between a classic bechamel and enchilada suizas sauce. This recipe makes about 4 ½ cups of sauce.

Ingredients in Creamy Salsa Verde

• Butter + flour – a roux will help thicken up the sauce.
• Salsa verde – use your favorite store bought brand or make your own. 
• Milk – whole milk brings creaminess and adds volume to the sauce. If you don’t have whole milk, a lower fat milk would work but the sauce may not be quite as thick or creamy.
• Sour cream – this adds additional creaminess. Room temperature sour cream will help prevent curdling when you add it to the sauce.
• Seasoning – the creamy salsa verde gets seasoned with some salt, cumin, and a touch of sugar for balance.

A Layered Approach

In addition to the sauce, there are two more parts to the layers of this dish: the chicken filling and the assembled casserole itself. 

Ingredients in the Chicken Filling

• Chicken – any cooked and shredded chicken will work. Use store bought rotisserie chicken to save time. Or you can boil chicken for 20 to 25 minutes and shred it with a couple of forks.
• Onion – use a yellow or sweet onion for mild flavor.
• Diced green chiles – these add a touch of acidity to the chicken. You can use spicy or mild.
• Seasoning – salt and cumin bring additional flavor.

Additional Ingredients in the Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• Corn tortillas – use your favorite 6-inch corn tortillas.
• Jack cheese – we usually suggest shredding your own cheese because it melts better than pre-shredded.
• Optional toppings – for tastiest results, we suggest you top the casserole with cilantro, sour cream or Mexican crema, and either guacamole or sliced avocado.

How to Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Step 1: Getting Ready

First, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Creamy Salsa Verde

Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat until the milk has thickened. Whisk in the sour cream, then the salsa verde and the seasonings. Remove from the heat.

Step 3: Chicken Filling

Combine the shredded chicken, onions, chilies, and spices in a bowl. Set aside. 

Step 4: Assembling the Casserole

This chicken enchilada casserole is built in layers of tortillas, chicken, cheese, and sauce. There are 3 sets of these layers.

First Set of Layers 

1. Sauce: In a 9×13 baking dish, ladle about ½ cup of the sauce down first. This keeps the tortillas from drying out on the bottom.
2. Tortillas: Each tortilla layer will have 4 tortillas total: two whole tortillas placed side-by-side in the middle of the dish, 2 halves placed along the long edges of the dish, and 4 quarters placed in the corners of the dish. [See image below.]
3. Chicken: Top tortillas with 1/3 of the chicken filling. 
4. Sauce: Cover with a third of the remaining creamy salsa verde (about 1 ⅓ cups). 
5. Cheese: Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top of the sauce.

Second & Third SeTs of Layers

• Repeat layers 2 through 5 (tortillas, chicken, sauce, cheese) two more times, but on the final layer, use 2 cups of cheese for an extra gooey cheesy topping. 

STEP 5: Baking the Casserole

In the 350°F oven, bake the chicken enchilada casserole for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese and sauce are bubbling around the edges. Optional: broil for the last 1 to 2 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and garnish with cilantro, crema, and guacamole or sliced avocados.