Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken, corn, black beans, cheese and flour tortillas in a spicy enchilada sauce, healthy has never felt so indulgent as this Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Loads of shredded chicken, corn kernels, black beans, grated cheese and flour tortillas drenched in a spicy enchilada sauce; let me tell you, healthy eating has never tasted so good, or felt as indulgent, as this Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Even my picky tummy thinks so…

And while this dish may look like it’s a tad on the labor intensive side, it isn’t really all that complicated to make, you’ll see.

It does require that you plan a little bit ahead of time, though. For starters, you’ll need to have access to a generous amount of leftover cooked chicken, as well as some chicken broth. With that in mind, I strongly suggest that you do like I did and, the previous day or a couple of days prior to making this casserole, whip up one of my famous Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken, pick the meat out and then make some chicken broth with the cleaned carcass.

Also, if you’re going to be using frozen corn, you might want to put it in the fridge to thaw the night before, so it’ll be good and ready to use the next day!

Then, it’s only a matter of making the enchilada sauce — which is crazy stupid easy to make by the way and I’ve no doubt that you’ll be wanting to save the recipe to use in numerous other Mexican dishes — prepping your ingredients (which you can do while the sauce is simmering away) and arranging them in layers.

I’m telling you, this casserole is so easy to make and so crazy delicious, you (and your family members) will find yourself craving it all the time!

And you’ll feel good knowing that you can give in to that craving without having to feel the tiniest bit guilty about it…

Start by making the enchilada sauce: combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover loosely and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

While your sauce is slowly simmering, prep the rest of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 375°F.

Once ready, pour about ⅓ of the enchilada sauce at the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ lasagna baking dish and spread it to cover the bottom of the dish.

Top with about half the shredded chicken, half the corn kernels and half the black beans…

…followed by half the tortillas…

and about ¼ of the grated Monterey Jack Cheese.

Repeat with a second layer but this time, go with another third of the sauce, the remainder of the chicken, the rest of the corn and black beans, another 1/4 of the cheese and half the sliced jalapeno peppers.

Finish with the rest of the tortillas and enchilada sauce…

…and finally, what’s left of the cheese and jalapeno peppers.

Place that in the preheated oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes.

While that’s happening, take the opportunity to clean the kitchen and prep your garnishes…

As soon as your casserole comes out of the oven, garnish its top with a handful of chopped cilantro, a few pieces of diced avocado, diced tomato and sliced green onions.

Serve without delay with a generous dollop of sour cream and top with some of the remaining garnishes.

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Chicken, corn, black beans, cheese and flour tortillas in a spicy enchilada sauce, healthy has never felt so indulgent as this Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

For the sauce

• 1 large 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder

For the casserole

• 8 small flour tortillas, cut into triangles
• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely sliced
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 4 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

To serve / garnish

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely sliced
• 1/2 ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover loosely and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients and preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Pour about 1/3 of the sauce at the bottom of a 9" x 13" lasagna baking dish and spread to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/2 the corn, 1/2 the black beans, 1/2 the tortillas and 1/4 of the grated cheese.
• Repeat with a second layer but this time, do 1/3 the sauce, the rest of the chicken, the rest of the corn, the rest of the black beans, 1/4 of the cheese and 1/2 the jalapeno peppers.
• Finish with the rest of the tortillas, the rest of the sauce, the rest of the cheese and the rest of the jalapeno peppers.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove and garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced tomato and sliced green onions.
• Serve with sour cream and remaining garnishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 778kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 48g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 23g, Cholesterol: 171mg, Sodium: 1872mg, Potassium: 1150mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 2505IU, Vitamin C: 30.4mg, Calcium: 730mg, Iron: 6.2mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!

You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!