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!
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.
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.
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.
- 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, sour cream, and milk 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 9×13-inch baking dish or single-serve gratin dishes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake immediately or cover and refrigerate or freeze.
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
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!
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Equipment
- one 9×13-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
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, sour cream, and milk 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 9×13-inch baking dish or single-serve gratin dishes. Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake 1 hour at 350° until hot and bubbly. Adjust baking time for gratin dishes. Check after 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
