• Join the Club!
  • About
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • BLOG
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • GCE Meal Plans
    • Digital Meal Planner
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Purchases
  • SHOP
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Good Cheap Eats

eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

Find a Recipe
  • Budget Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
      • Yeast Breads and Rolls
      • Muffins and Quick Breads
      • Scones and Biscuits
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Lunches
    • Main Dishes +
      • Beef
      • Bowl Meals
      • Meatless
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry +
        • Chicken
        • Ground Turkey
        • Turkey
      • Sausage
      • Seafood
    • Salads
    • Slow Cooker
  • Money-Saving Tips
    • Take the Pantry Challenge
  • Affordable Meal Planning
  • Show Search
Hide Search

The Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole You’ll Want on Repeat

Jessica Fisher · August 24, 2019 · 12 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole comes together quickly, freezes beautifully, and makes for a delicious and hearty main dish. Make a double batch so you can repeat the experience next week!

gratin dish of chicken enchilada casserole

Dinnertime can be a delicious time.

Or it can be a headache. 

Sure, there’s the burger joint around the corner. Or the taco shop down the street. But as nice as take-out is, it gets old after awhile.

You know what doesn’t get old? This Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

The Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole You’ll Want on Repeat

Made with basic staple ingredients, this quick-to-whip-up casserole freezes beautifully and makes for a hearty and flavorful main dish casserole that you’ll want to put on your meal plan on repeat.

grain dishes of enchilada casserole

What kind of tortillas do you use in enchiladas and enchilada casserole?

Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. In my opinion, this is the best way and what I use in enchiladas as well as enchilada casserole. (Flour tortillas tend to get very gummy when sauced.)

There are lots of opinions on which tortilla is better, though.

What kind of dish should you use to bake enchiladas and enchilada casserole?

You can bake enchiladas and enchilada casserole in a standard 9×13-inch baking dish, or you can prepare them in single-serve gratin dishes. 

I also prepare both in these plastic meal prep dishes. Packed this way, enchiladas and enchilada casserole make for a great meal prep. The only difference is that to bake, you’ll need to cook the dish in the microwave instead of the oven.

Can you freeze enchilada casserole?

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a perfect candidate for freezer meals. It mixes up quickly, making it super easy to make a bulk batch.

Can you make enchilada casserole gluten-free?

This version contains gluten in the cream of chicken soup. However, I have an equally easy and delicious, gluten-free option in this Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe. Just be sure to read the tortilla and salsa labels to make sure they haven’t hidden gluten in there.

step by step pictures of making casserole

How do you make Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole?

One of the beauties of Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole — besides how amazing it tastes — is that it comes together super quickly.

  1. Prepare your ingredients. Cook and chop the chicken. Shred the cheese. Prepare the “Cream of” soup, if you’re using homemade. Tear or cut the tortillas. Measure out the other things.
  2. Whisk together the soup, sour cream, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Then add the chicken, 1 cup cheese, onion, chiles, jalapeños, and tortillas. 
  3. Stir well to combine.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish or single-serve gratin dishes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
  5. Bake immediately or cover and refrigerate or freeze.

gratin dish with enchilada casserole

How to make this dish inexpensively

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

  • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. It’s a great way to save money on your groceries without clipping a single coupon. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of cheese, chicken, and sour cream is key. These are higher priced ingredients, so buy them on sale when you can.
  • Use fresh jalapenos or green chiles instead of canned. You can even roast and freeze your chiles in advance. 
  • Make your own cream of soup. Making my own creamed soup with flour, butter, and milk is so simple and easy. Plus, the sauce freezes well, so I can make big batches so I can have some always to hand. You don’t need no stinking cans, man.

Tools I use to make it EASY:

  • plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
  • Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
  • rubber spatula – I have two of these; I love them so much.
  • 9×13 baking dish or gratin dishes
  • box grater or food processor for cheese

chicken enchilada casserole ready for freezer

After you’ve prepared the recipe, would you do me a favor? I’d really appreciate it if you came back and left a starred review. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
grain dishes of enchilada casserole
Print Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
5 from 5 votes

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole comes together quickly, freezes beautifully, and makes for a delicious and hearty main dish. Make a double batch so you can repeat the experience next week!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: casserole, casseroles, chicken enchilada, enchilada, enchilada casserole, enchiladas, homemade chicken enchiladas
Servings: 6
Calories: 478kcal
Author: Jessica Fisher

Equipment

  • one 9x13-inch pan or six gratin dishes

Ingredients

  • 2 cup Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup can use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup instead
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (2 cups) can also use Jack cheese
  • 1/2 onion (1/2 cup chopped)
  • 1 4-ounce can green chiles (chopped)
  • 1 4-ounce can jalapenos (chopped) can also use fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 12 corn tortillas cut or torn into bite size pieces
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Prepare your ingredients. Cook and chop the chicken. Shred the cheese. Prepare the "Cream of" soup, if you're using homemade. Tear or cut the tortillas. Measure out the other things.
  • Whisk together the soup and sour cream in a large mixing bowl. Then add the chicken, 1 cup cheese, onion, chiles, jalapeños, and tortillas. Stir well to combine.
  • Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish or single-serve gratin dishes.
  • Bake 1 hour at 350° until hot and bubbly. Adjust baking time for gratin dishes. Check after 30 minutes.

Notes

Note: To freeze, wrap, label, and freeze the casserole prior to baking. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and proceed with the baking instructions.

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1291mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 739IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 405mg | Iron: 2mg

gratin dishes with enchilada casserole

Filed Under: Chicken, Recipe, Turkey Tagged With: casserole, cooked chicken, packable

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie @ goodLife {eats} says

    March 19, 2009 at

    I realized I still haven’t posted my favorite green chile chicken enchiladas. I’ll have to make those soon because I’ve never photographed them before.

    I posted a salsa recipe I made last year when tomatoes were on sale. Hope I can get enough garden tomatoes this year. You can add as much or little spice as you want. Mine can out a little warmer than mild. Next time I’d do it slightly hotter.

    Reply
    • Tina L. says

      August 30, 2019 at

      5 stars
      So Jessica’s recipe is your favorite? It does sound good! I’m going to try making it this weekend for my husband and a vegetarian version for me. Thanks Jessica!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher says

        September 18, 2019 at

        Hope you enjoyed it, Tina!

        Reply
  2. Kate @ A Simple Walk says

    March 19, 2009 at

    That sounds so good. That would be a nice twist on our usual. I’ll have to try it sometime.

    Reply
  3. HappyHermit says

    March 19, 2009 at

    My little boy loves spicy food.

    Reply
  4. Phoebe says

    March 19, 2009 at

    Mmm. That sounds really good!

    My kiddos are slowly eating hotter and hotter foods. Especially our 8 year old. Wonder if that has anything to do with him and his father having hot sauce drinking contests?!

    Reply
  5. Snow White says

    March 19, 2009 at

    That sounds delicious. I love that it doesn’t use canned enchilada sauce! You can get much better flavor that way!

    Reply
  6. Jenna says

    March 19, 2009 at

    a commenter on my blog said recently, “in the end, most kids eat what their parents eat.” there’s a lot of truth in that. if you offer spicy food, most will learn to appreciate it. eventually. and it helps to start slow. let them experiment with milder spicy foods, and work them up to the heat level of your preference. i posted about spicy popcorn. with this wholesome snack you can gradually increase the amount of spice over time.

    great topic for URS!

    Reply
  7. Alexis says

    October 30, 2013 at

    How would you adapt this recipe to become freezer friendly? I made it for the first time the other night and it was such a hit with my family that I’d like to use it for my MOMS Club freezer meal swap next month. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      October 30, 2013 at

      I wrap and freeze it prior to baking.

      Reply
  8. Sandy Cooper says

    May 12, 2020 at

    5 stars
    Hi, I tried this tonight with just a few minor tweaks, and it was GREAT! I used tortilla chips, and also put a layer of them crunched up on the top before adding the cheese, because I do love a crunch! I also shredded two jalapeño peppers into the main mixture, because hubby and I both like some spice! The main mixture would also be excellent as a hot dip! Thank you for this easy, yummy recipe!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      May 12, 2020 at

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. I love your adaptations.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI! I’M JESSICA.

Jessica preparing food in a kitchen

I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget. Click here to learn more.

SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

2021 Grocery Savings Challenges

Ralphs receipt with groceries in a flatlay

How to Audit Your Grocery Spending

flatlay of groceries cookbook and money with coins and bills

Save Money on Groceries Right Now with These Simple Tricks

good cheap eats grocery bag on lounge chair in maui

The System I Used to Save Money on Groceries & Pay Off Debt

flatlay of groceries on table

How to Create Your Own Grocery Staples Checklist

LET’S CONNECT

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

big pot of marinara sauce on red striped cloth
white sauce in pot with whisk
woman holding carton of talent in store

Footer

Disclaimer/Disclosure

Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent Jessica Fisher’s views and opinions.

Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

To better serve my readers, I have implemented Google Analytics cookies in order to better know visitor demographics. For opt outs, go here.

For more specific details on my disclaimers/disclosures, go here.

Head here to view our complete privacy policy.

Tags

30-minute meals appliances baking basics buttermilk Cakes casserole cheddar chocolate christmas cooked chicken cooking for one or two dairy-free DIY Convenience easy meals efficient kitchen enchiladas Food processor GCE basics gluten-free grains granola grilled grocery savings challenges holiday Holiday Food instant pot leftovers meal planning 101 mother's day no cook packable pantry pantry staples pressure cooker product quick dinner ideas real food products save money on groceries shop thanksgiving time-saving tips updated Veggies Most whole 30

Copyright © 2021 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in