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This creamy Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole is layered with shredded chicken, green chiles, sour cream, and cheese for all the flavor of classic green enchiladas without any of the rolling. It’s one of those easy weeknight dinners I make at least once a month, and my kids devour it every time.
More enchilada recipes to try: Chicken Enchiladas | Ground Beef Enchiladas | Ground Turkey Enchiladas
3 Tips That Make or Break This Recipe
A few notes to help this casserole turn out right the first time.
- Use corn tortillas, not flour. Flour tortillas turn mushy under all that sauce. Corn holds up through the bake and gives the casserole its layered structure.
- Grate your cheese fresh off the block. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking coating that keeps it from melting smoothly. A quick grate makes a real difference on top.
- Don’t drown the layers in sauce. You may not need the full can. Too much sauce leaves the bottom soggy and the layers slide when you serve.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
A few minutes to mix the filling, a few more to layer, then the oven does the rest. Here’s exactly how I do it.
Step 1: Mix the creamy chicken filling
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, sour cream, and green chiles. A stand mixer or hand mixer makes quick work of this and breaks the chicken down into a smoother filling as it mixes.
A rotisserie chicken is my go-to shortcut here, but you can also use my method for homemade shredded chicken if you’re starting from scratch.
Step 2: Start the layers
Spread about half a cup of green enchilada sauce across the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with a single layer of corn tortillas, tearing them as needed to cover the surface. This sauce layer is what softens the tortillas as the casserole bakes.
- You want green enchilada sauce here, not salsa verde: They look similar, but enchilada sauce is thinner and designed to soften tortillas in the oven. If salsa verde is all you have, thin it with a little chicken broth or try my roasted tomatillo salsa verde for a homemade substitute.
Step 3: Build up the casserole
Add a third of the chicken mixture in dollops across the tortillas, then sprinkle on a third of the cheese, then spoon on a third of the remaining sauce.
Don’t stress about spreading the chicken perfectly; the next layer of tortillas will press it out as you build. Repeat for two more layers.
The recipe is forgiving on layer count. If your dish is smaller or you’d rather do two thicker layers instead of three, that works too. Just adjust your tortillas and filling to fit.
Step 4: Finish with cheese and olives
The top layer is tortillas, sauce, a generous amount of cheese, and sliced olives.
The olives are technically optional, but I really do recommend them. They add a salty bite and a little texture that rounds out all the creamy layers.
Step 5: Cover and bake
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes.
If the top is tall enough to touch the foil, stick a few toothpicks into the casserole first to keep the cheese from sticking.
Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the casserole is hot and bubbly.
Step 6: Rest, then serve
Let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. This gives the layers time to set so they hold together when you serve. Skipping this step is how you end up with a sliding, messy square on the plate.
Planning a full Mexican-inspired dinner? My collection of Taco Night Ideas has everything you need.
Serving Suggestions
This casserole is filling on its own, but a classic pairing of rice and beans turns it into a full Mexican-inspired dinner. I usually reach for my Mexican Rice and a batch of Homemade Refried Beans when I want to keep things simple.
If you want to round out the plate further, a few other sides and toppings work beautifully alongside:
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice or Slow Cooker Mexican Beans for hands-off options
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn) or Black Bean and Corn Salad for something fresh
- Guacamole and Restaurant-Style Salsa with tortilla chips to start the meal
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
This casserole keeps beautifully, and it’s one of my favorite make ahead freezer meals. I almost always make two, one for dinner and one for the freezer.
Refrigerator: Cool leftovers completely, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil to protect from freezer burn. Leftovers keep up to 2 months, unbaked casseroles up to 3 to 4 months.
Reheating: Individual portions reheat well in the microwave. For a larger portion, cover with foil and warm at 350°F until hot through.
Make ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 4 months before baking. Thaw frozen casseroles in the fridge overnight before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my casserole soggy?
Usually it’s too much sauce. You don’t have to use the entire can. If the layers look soupy as you build, back off on the sauce for the remaining layers.
Can I use salsa verde instead of green enchilada sauce?
I don’t recommend swapping them straight across. Salsa verde is thicker and chunkier than enchilada sauce, so it won’t soften the tortillas the same way. If it’s all you have, thin it with a little chicken broth first.
What kind of chicken works best?
White meat or a mix of white and dark. A rotisserie chicken is my go-to because it’s flavorful and already cooked. I don’t recommend all dark meat here, it can get too greasy.
Can I use flour tortillas?
Corn tortillas work best. Flour tortillas get mushy and fall apart under the sauce during the long bake.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Just use two separate baking dishes rather than trying to fit it all in one. This is also how I build a second one for the freezer.
More Easy Mexican-Inspired Dinners
- Mexican Lasagna
- Chicken Taco Casserole
- Doritos Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 12-16 corn tortillas
- 28 ounce green chile enchilada sauce mild or medium
- 3 cups shredded chicken rotisserie works well
- 3 cups cheddar-jack cheese freshly grated
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 ounce canned green chiles canned
- 4 ounce sliced olives well drained, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, sour cream, and green chiles. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Pour about ½ cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread to coat. Layer corn tortillas on top, breaking them as needed to form a single layer.
- Spoon a third of the chicken mixture over the tortillas in dollops, then sprinkle with a third of the cheese and spoon on a third of the remaining sauce. Repeat two more times, finishing with a final layer of tortillas, sauce, and a generous amount of cheese. Top evenly with sliced olives.
- Cover with nonstick foil. If you don't have nonstick foil, stick a few toothpicks into the casserole first to keep the foil from touching the cheese. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and the casserole is hot and bubbly.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Rotisserie shortcut: A store-bought rotisserie chicken is the fastest route and adds great flavor. 3 cups of shredded meat is roughly one rotisserie chicken.
- Stand mixer shred: Toss warm chicken in a stand mixer with the paddle on low for about 30 seconds, then add the sour cream and cream cheese right in. Don’t overmix or you’ll pulverize the chicken.
- Don’t spread, just plop: Drop the chicken mixture in spoonfuls. The next tortilla layer will press it out as you build.
- Sauce judgment: You don’t have to use the full 28 ounces. If the layers look soupy, ease up on the sauce for the remaining layers.
- Freshly grated melts better: Block cheese grated at home melts smoother than pre-shredded, which has a starch coating.
- Storage: Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days. Freeze baked up to 2 months, unbaked up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen casseroles overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Doubling: Use two separate baking dishes rather than one large one.
Spicier version: Use medium or hot enchilada sauce, or swap the green chiles for diced jalapeños.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
All I have is flour tortillas. Do you think I should just use less of the enchilada sauce since they tortillas are soft?
I wouldn’t personally use flour tortillas because they will kind of melt into the casserole. But you could of course try it with maybe half of the sauce and see how they turn out.
We were looking up recipes to use up some tortilla shells (we fry ours, so rolls and such were out) and stumbled on your site. The only thing we don’t have is the green enchilada sauce. Do you think Rotel would work instead? Maybe mixed with the leftover 4 oz of cream cheese (blocks come in 8 oz blocks here)?
The sauce is what softens the tortillas, so maybe if you blended the Rotel to more of a sauce?
This was really good! Did 2 thicker layers of the chicken mixture instead of 3 so I only needed 9 corn tortillas. Can’t wait to make again and hopefully I will remember to buy the ingredients to make your Authentic Mexican Rice to go with this as well!
This looks delicious, and simple to put together. Thank you!