Gluten-free Chicken Enchilada Casserole is a cheesy and satisfying dinner that delivers all the flavor of classic chicken enchiladas with none of the hard work. Easy, make-ahead, and perfect for busy weeknights!
“This is my husband’s favorite meal! I’ve made it countless times, and it’s delicious every time.”
Raise your hand if you don’t feel like cooking dinner tonight?
That makes two of us!
If you can spare a little energy and a few minutes of active cooking time, my lazy girl’s Chicken Enchilada Casserole is going to make your night.
Forget the tedious rolling required for classic chicken enchiladas. Instead, mix all the ingredients together, then bake in the oven. The result is a cheesy, satisfying casserole that your entire family will devour!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Quick. We’re talking 20 minutes of prep time before sending the casserole into the oven to bake hands-off.
- Easy. Get all the craveable flavor of homemade chicken enchiladas with none of the hard work required.
- Reheats well. Microwave leftovers for hot and satisfying lunches.
- Make-ahead. Assemble the casserole a few hours ahead of time, then bake when you’re ready to eat.
Main Ingredients Needed
- Chicken breasts: chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Corn tortillas: chopped into squares.
- Red Enchilada Sauce: you simply must use my homemade enchilada sauce recipe for this dish. Nothing from the store compares!
- Jarred salsa: I like Clint’s or Tostitos Restaurant-Style Salsa.
- Canned black beans: or pinto beans.
- Frozen corn: no need to thaw first.
- Sour cream
- Chopped green chiles: mild or hot, it’s up to you.
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend: for ooey-gooey cheesy goodness.
- Toppings: minced onions, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado, sliced olives, pickled jalapenos, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole make excellent chicken enchilada casserole toppers.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHelpful Tips
This easy casserole recipe is blissfully simple. Stir > pour > bake. That said, here are a few things to keep in mind before cooking:
- Prepare enchilada sauce. Prepare the homemade red enchilada sauce up to 5 days ahead of time so the casserole comes together quickly.
- Corn tortilla count. Depending on the brand, corn tortillas are typically sold in packs of 10 or 12 (or more). As written, this recipe can be made with 10 or up to 12 tortillas, so you don’t have a couple random leftover corn tortillas to deal with.
- Thick-cut cheese. I like using a thick-cut Mexican cheese blend for this recipe so each bite of casserole tastes extra-cheesy. It really makes a difference!
Serve with Restaurant-Style Salsa
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Saute the chicken.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then spritz with extra virgin olive oil or nonstick spray. Add chicken breasts that have been cut into bite-sized pieces then season with salt and pepper and saute until the chicken is cooked through.
Turn the heat off then set the chicken aside to cool slightly.
Step 2: Stir the remaining ingredients together.
While the chicken is cooling, add canned black or pinto beans that have been drained and rinsed, frozen corn, sour cream, red enchilada sauce, jarred salsa, and chopped green chiles to a very large mixing bowl then stir to combine.
Like I said, there is nothing better than my homemade enchilada sauce. Every so often I’ll try a new small-batch option from the grocery store, and I’m always disappointed!
Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce
Next add the cooked chicken, white corn tortillas that have been chopped into bite-sized squares, plus shredded Mexican cheese blend, then stir to combine.
Step 3: Bake the casserole.
Scoop the mixture into a nonstick-sprayed 9×13″ baking pan then sprinkle the top with more shredded cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.
Scoop onto plates then serve with the toppings of your choice. This part is fun and lets everyone customize their own dinner to their liking.
How to Store and Reheat
Store Chicken Enchilada Casserole leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days then reheat individual scoops in the microwave until hot.
How to Make Ahead of Time
Assemble the casserole up to a few hours ahead of time then cover with foil and store in the refrigerator. Bake covered for the first 15 minutes then remove the foil and continue to bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
I hope you love every bite of this simple and satisfying Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe. Enjoy!
More Easy Tex-Mex Recipes
- Beef and Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Chicken Burrito Skillet
- Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper
- Restaurant-Style Ground Beef
- Cheese Enchiladas
- Large Batch Taco Seasoning
- Best Ever Chicken Fajitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 15 oz can black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup (8oz) sour cream
- 1 cup gluten-free red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup jarred salsa
- 4 oz can chopped green chiles
- 10-12 gluten-free white corn tortillas, cut into squares, see notes
- 8 oz shredded Mexican Cheese Blend, divided
- Toppings: minced onions, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado, sliced olives, pickled jalapenos, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, guacamole
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then spray a 9×13” casserole dish with nonstick spray and set it aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then spray with nonstick spray or mist with extra virgin olive oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the chicken is cooked through. Turn off the heat then set the chicken aside to cool slightly.
- To a very large mixing bowl add the beans, corn, sour cream, enchilada sauce, salsa, and green chiles then stir to combine. Add the slightly cooled chicken, tortillas, and half the cheese then stir to combine.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish then top with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly. Scoop onto plates then serve with optional toppings.
Notes
- White corn tortillas are typically sold in packages of 10-12. This recipe works with 10 or up to 12 tortillas.
- To make ahead: Assemble the casserole up to a few hours ahead of time then cover with foil and store in the refrigerator. Bake covered for the first 15 minutes then remove the foil and continue to bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
- This recipe has been modified from the original in the following ways: 1 cup salsa instead of 3/4 cup. 8oz cheese instead of 4oz. Added a can of beans.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
What a deal for the Chobani! This casserole looks great. What do you think about subbing black beans for the corn and or flour tortillas for the corn tortillas?
I think the black bean swap would work great, but not sure about flour tortillas. Thinking they might get a bit soggy, but maybe not?!
haha my fiance and i are doing the whole registry thing and i am afraid to even look at what we registered for…such a hodge podge. we left bloomingdales the other day so loopy and SO OVER IT! ah well. quick question-have you been running throughout the pregnancy? can’t wait until you introduce us to the little babe :)
I have, although I’ve dialed the intensity and time way down. Here’s my daily workout log! https://iowagirleats.com/workouts/workout-log/
Recommendations on registering are so helpful. I almost cried the first time I went in to Babies R Us and stared at the car seat section bewildered. The book Baby Bargains was a sanity saver for me!
I watched This is 40 this weekend too and LOVED it. Only I really don’t want to be 40 now. :)
I am seriously impressed with your ability to keep up a food blog while pregnant! I boycotted the kitchen during my 9 month stint. Food aversions are no joke. P.S. This literally make my tummy rumble.
I know, I was so lucky not to have any food aversions. I don’t know WHAT I would have done!
Guaranteed you won’t use half of what you registered for. I don’t remember if you said if you were having a boy or girl, but if you are having a boy you will probably actually get stuff off your registry at your baby shower, and if you’re having a girl you probably won’t. Just be aware. I am currently 27 weeks pregnant and while that casserole looks delish I probably won’t be able to indulge. Anything with a little kick gives me indigestion. I made rosemary and lemon potatoes and chicken for dinner the other night and it hurt all day.
Your niece is just TOO cute!!
I made a vegetarian version of your Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole last week and it was phenomenal! I ate the leftovers for lunch today and they were just as good :).
I watched that movie with two of my sisters and their husbands this weekend. It was hilarious!!
I will NEVER forget registering for my oldest. I had NO clue what an undertaking it would be and while my husband was excited for the baby, not so much the baby stuff, so I went completely by myself. About two hours in I dragged myself and my big belly over to the rocking chairs, plopped down and cried. I thought it would be fun. And it was for the first 20 minutes or so. Then it was just overwhelming lol Kudos to you for being so organized about it and bringing in back up! Luckily for me some poor employee took sympathy on me and reminded me that I didn’t have to register all in one day and could come back to finish another time. So embarrassing!
This recipe looks amazing! I love chicken enchiladas but always want something just a tad bit easier for weeknights. Good luck with the baby registering – you and Ben must be pros now ;)
Umm 2 for $1 Chobani? I am stoked when I find them on sale 10 for $10! Lucky you!
And I love casseroles like this. My mom has always been the casserole queen, so they are the ultimate comfort food dishes!
I can’t believe you found Chobani for that cheap! I wish! This dish looks so yummy! I am adding this to the weeknight list.
Chobani 2/$1, I just stocked up at HyVee when they were $0.99 or $1 and at another store that had them for $0.88. Were they close date or were they all 2/$1? I was just at HyVee yesterday and did some major grocery shopping but I may have to go back tomorrow to check, maybe I will call first. My kids love “Mexican casserole” so we have it frequently, never really following an exact recipe, but my basic “recipe” is very similar to yours! I also add some black beans and sometimes roasted veggies and then we serve lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, salsa (we like HyVee’s mango salsa, avocado, guac, roasted sweet potatoes/veggies. My 6 and 7 year old love to assemble their own dishes and gobble it up! Aren’t you excited for your little guy to eat dishes like this? I’ve been wondering about this is 40, thanks for the review. We feel asleep during Jeff, Who Lives at Home the other night and I made it through Lost in Translation, we have a hard time finding movies that we think are worth staying awake to watch! Glad to hear that baby registration was successful, I know how overwhelming it can be! You think you need it all and then you don’t know until after the baby is born what is a necessity and what is a total waste of money. Things like the wipes warmer and bottle warmer we did use for awhile with the first but I don’t think we even used them for the second a year later. Glad your pregnancy is going well, thanks for sharing with us!