Chicken enchilada casserole is a family favorite meal that is so easy to make. Chicken, enchilada sauce and cheese are baked until it’s all golden brown and delicious.
1 ½cupsenchilada saucestore bought or from scratch
1cupfinely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
1can(4 oz) green chiles (chopped)
½cupminced fresh cilantro
olive oil sprayor you can use olive oil in a little bowl with a brush
2cupsshredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper
lime wedgesoptional
sour creamoptional
Meat Options (pick one)
1poundboneless chicken breastsskinless, trimmed, and pounded if necessary
1poundground beefor leftover roast beef
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan & simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat. Then flip the chicken over, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken reaches 160-165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
Remove chicken from pan and shred into bite-sized pieces. Combine shredded chicken, the enchilada sauce, queso fresco, chiles and cilantro in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired.
Spray a square casserole dish with olive oil (or use a brush) and coat the entire bottom and sides.
Evenly spread 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken mixture, then add the other cup of cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve with optional lime wedges and optional sour cream.
Recipe Notes
Prepare aheadIf you're busy in the evenings and want to just pop a delicious recipe in the oven when you don't have time to prepare a meal, you could easily prepare this 1 day in advance and store it covered in the fridge, ready for baking.Use block cheeseFor better texture, buy the block of cheddar cheese rather than pre-shredded cheese. Packet shredded cheese from the grocery store comes with a coating that doesn't melt the same as freshly grated cheese, nor does it have the same smooth consistency.