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This Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is layered with your favorite chicken enchilada fillings, and baked up with the most delicious homemade green enchilada sauce.
So many of you have made and loved my traditional (red) chicken enchilada casserole that I thought it would be fun to try out a verde (green) version this fall. Similar to the original recipe, I layered it up with lots of corn tortillas, chicken, cheese, beans, and a huge skillet full of veggies. But this time, I added in lots of poblano peppers and fresh spinach to make it extra verde. Plus if you look closely, there’s an entire batch of green chile enchilada sauce layered in there as well. And sure enough, just as I had hoped…
…it was verdelicious.;)
This recipe also makes a very big batch, which makes this casserole perfect for feeding a crowd, or portioning out for meal planning for the week ahead, or even wrapping up to take to a friend in need — whatever your week may call for. Enchiladas always have a way of hitting the spot. So let’s get to it.
As I shared last Friday, it’s my go-to recipe and a million times better than the stuff in the can. Plus, it’s easy to make in about 15 minutes. It’s naturally nice and mild (although it’s easy to make it spicier if you’d like). It’s made with a canned green chile base (not tomatillos). And it’s super delicious in this recipe.
That said, I also tried making this recipe with tomatillo salsa verde, which was delicious as well. So if you’re in a hurry — or if you just really love tomatillos — feel free to opt for homemade or store-bought salsa verde instead.
Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole Ingredients:
The joy of enchilada casseroles is that they are super customizable when it comes to ingredients. So feel free to sub/add in any of your favorite fillings here. I like to use:
Cooked chicken: Either from baked chicken breasts recipe, or I often just shred a rotisserie chicken.
Veggies: The recipe below uses a quick blend of onion, poblano (or green bell) pepper, corn and fresh spinach. But feel free to add any other favorite veggies to the sauté.
Beans: Two cans of your faves. I used pinto beans for this version.
Corn tortillas: We’ll cut them in half, in order to help them layer a bit more evenly.
Shredded cheese: Any kind of Mexican blend, Monterrey Jack or Pepperjack will do.
Toppings: Chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly-sliced green onion, diced avocado, sour cream, extra cheese…whatever sounds good to you.
How To Make A Chicken Enchilada Casserole:
To make this chicken enchilada casserole, simply:
Cook your filling: Sauté the onion and pepper until soft. Then stir in the beans, corn, chicken and part of the green enchilada sauce until combined. This will be your main filling.
Stack your layers: In this order: enchilada sauce, tortillas, chicken filling, cheese, tortillas, chicken filling, cheese, tortillas, chicken, enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake: Covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 until the cheese is melted.
Garnish: Sprinkle on any of your desired toppings. (I vote the more, the merrier for sure.)
Serve warm: Or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (The leftovers are fantastic!)
Ways To Customize Your Casserole:
Looking to mix things up? Feel free to:
use a different protein: cooked beef, pork, or shrimp would all be delicious in this recipe (or you could scratch adding meat and make this vegetarian)
add more veggies: as mentioned above, extra veggies/greens would be delicious in this recipe, either sautéed or roasted
nix the cheese: I’ve made this recipe dairy-free multiple times in the past, and didn’t even miss the cheese with all of the other great flavors/textures happening here
Mexican Side Dish Ideas:
Let’s make this a meal! Some classic Mexican recipes to go with this chicken enchilada bake could include:
This Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is layered with your favorite chicken enchilada fillings, and baked up with the most delicious homemade green enchilada sauce. See suggestions above for how to customize your recipe to taste.
3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese
toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly-sliced green onion and/or diced avocado
Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F. Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper and sauté for 6-7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the beans, corn, spinach, chicken, and 2 cups enchilada sauce, and stir until evenly combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is evenly coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves, so that the entire dish is covered. Top evenly with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Followed by a final layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, and cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes.
Remove pan and remove aluminum foil. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
Remove from the oven and serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.
Notes
*To make this recipe gluten-free, double check the labels of all ingredients to ensure that they are certified gluten-free.
This casserole sounds great. I am a devotee of salsa verde – love the tomatillos – but will try this one with your enchilada sauce. That way it won’t taste like the casserole I make occasionally that uses salsa verde. I love seeing poblano peppers in this. They are much better tasting (to me) than bell peppers.
Delicious! This dish was a snap to prepare, and it was loved by the whole family (including 3 kids)! I followed the recipe exactly, just used Trader Joe’s Fresh Tomatillo Sauce instead of homemade. I also used your “Baked Chicken Breasts” recipe for the delicious chicken recipe. This yummy recipe is now added to my favs, thanks!!!
Yum! A definite 5 out of 5. This popped up on my news feed yesterday and I decided to make it today with some chicken breasts that were defrosting in the fridge. I added more spinach, fresh corn, no beans, whole poblano and used a jar of tomatillo salsa with shredded taco cheese mix. I forgot to add the foil to bake but it came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
As I scrolled through this recipe, realizing I had EVERYTHING I needed to make it without doing additional shopping, it felt sort of how I imagine lottery winners feel as they’re checking numbers… I used your red enchilada sauce recipe because I’d just made it for something else (a huge batch, because why would you ever not want enchilada sauce), and I added a jalapeno to the bell peppers I put in.
This. Was. Outstanding. My husband kept stopping mid-chew to tell me it was fantastic and I said “THAT’S BECAUSE ALI NEVER LETS US DOWN!!” I love that I can make it with things I already usually have in the kitchen, without needed a ton of time to put it together. Next time I’ll try it with the verde sauce instead!
My only question is how you think it’d hold up if I made an extra casserole the next time and froze it. Thoughts?
This was delicious! I lightened it up a bit by reducing the amount of oil, enchilada sauce, and cheese, and it still turned out really good. I was nervous about the lack of seasoning but the enchilada sauce was perfect. So comforting and filling. Will definitely make this again
My whole family loved this casserole! I popped frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, shredded it, then added it to the recipe. Also, used Herdez jarred salsa verde due to time constraints. Turned out great! Def will be adding to the rotation!
Do you have any reason to think this wouldn’t freeze well? Seems like something I could assemble then just thaw and bake until hot all the way through. Maybe I’m wrong?
Another winner! I made this for tonight’s dinner and it was delicious. I used shredded chicken, black and pinto beans, Hatch green enchilada sauce and since my nutcase husband doesn’t like corn tortillas, organic flour tortillas.. and threw in some sliced black olives and a little zucchini (sauteed with the poblano and onion) for good measure. I was afraid “12 servings” would be too much for two people … but I think not! I love these recipes that can be mixed up with endless combinations. Next time I’ll try making the homemade green enchilada sauce, but in a pinch, the Hatch was fine. YUM**2!!!
Can you freeze this recipe either before it goes in the oven or after it is baked?
Theresa Ellen Greaves —
I make it and freeze it before I bake it and take it camping. Try to thaw in fridge before baking. Takes at least an hour to bake when cold. Would take longer if cooking from frozen.
We loved this casserole¡ It was a quick, easy, and a delicious weeknight meal. We will definitely be adding this to the line-up! The only thing I did differently, was to toast/roast the corn tortillas in a very hot skillet beforehand. I don’t enjoy soggy corn tortillas in a casserole. I do believe this helped.
Has anyone tried to roast the poblano before tossing it in?
Holy cow …. the green enchilada sauce is the best. So much better than a tomatillo-based sauce. I will never make salsa verde for any green enchilada dish again. Can’t wait to make the rest of the casserole.
I made this last night and it was delicious. I skipped the poblano pepper (because sometimes even mild salsa burns my mouth) and used store bought green enchilada sauce (to save time) and black beans. I thought the tortillas might get soggy, but they were perfect. I definitely will be making this again and will definitely add the garnishes next time. Thanks for the great recipe. My family loves when I make chicken enchiladas, but it takes so long! This is a nice occasional substitute!
Thank you Ali,
I’m retired and need help now and then with recipes that are not for the smoker or grill.
A little crema on top and it was fantastic.
Kudos from Oconee county GA
Like all your recipes, this is a keeper. I made as directed but can see endless opportunities to use whatever is on hand to customize. Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
We really enjoyed the flavor and it was a relatively healthy meal. However, as soon as we scooped out the first helping, it was mush. The tortillas had turned to mush. Guess I should have grilled the corn tortillas first? Didn’t see anything about preparing the corn tortillas other than halving them.
This recipe turned out to be incredibly delicious! It took awhile, but well worth the time and effort. The corn tortillas made it even better. My partner went absolutely wild over it.
I made an 11 spice blend to cook the boneless and skinless chicken thighs in the instant pot, hand blender to shred with the same water from the instant pot, then let marinade for an hour.
Thanks for creating this recipe. We will be baking this more often! So versatile!
I usually love your recipes, but this one was disappointing. It was bland even though I topped it with red onion, cilantro and chopped jalapenos. I even made your recipe for verde sauce.
My sister in law and doubled it, so 2 9x13s, we did it together so we’d both have plenty plus give some to other family….. Tastes fantastic!! We added cubed Avocado chunks from 2 jumbo avocados to the mixture and loved it!! Also used fresh Hatch green Chile’s to it that were Roasted. Highly recommend it!! green chilies
It can’t be understated how foolproof and rewarding this recipe is. Simplify it significantly with a large can of Verde enchilada sauce, a rotisserie chicken, and random spare veggies.
Made this recipe for Father’s Day 2022. It was ok. I used the green enchilada sauce recipe, which was, again, ok. The only thing I didn’t use was spinach (it seemed unnecessary) and I used black beans instead of pinto. I like how the corn tortillas soak up the moisture from the sauce so it stays together when served.
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This casserole sounds great. I am a devotee of salsa verde – love the tomatillos – but will try this one with your enchilada sauce. That way it won’t taste like the casserole I make occasionally that uses salsa verde. I love seeing poblano peppers in this. They are much better tasting (to me) than bell peppers.
Delicious! This dish was a snap to prepare, and it was loved by the whole family (including 3 kids)! I followed the recipe exactly, just used Trader Joe’s Fresh Tomatillo Sauce instead of homemade. I also used your “Baked Chicken Breasts” recipe for the delicious chicken recipe. This yummy recipe is now added to my favs, thanks!!!
What is the nutrition info on this recipe?
Yum! A definite 5 out of 5. This popped up on my news feed yesterday and I decided to make it today with some chicken breasts that were defrosting in the fridge. I added more spinach, fresh corn, no beans, whole poblano and used a jar of tomatillo salsa with shredded taco cheese mix. I forgot to add the foil to bake but it came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Love how this makes a big pan for leftovers! I’ve been all about eating more beans lately, so this is perfect! :)
As I scrolled through this recipe, realizing I had EVERYTHING I needed to make it without doing additional shopping, it felt sort of how I imagine lottery winners feel as they’re checking numbers… I used your red enchilada sauce recipe because I’d just made it for something else (a huge batch, because why would you ever not want enchilada sauce), and I added a jalapeno to the bell peppers I put in.
This. Was. Outstanding. My husband kept stopping mid-chew to tell me it was fantastic and I said “THAT’S BECAUSE ALI NEVER LETS US DOWN!!” I love that I can make it with things I already usually have in the kitchen, without needed a ton of time to put it together. Next time I’ll try it with the verde sauce instead!
My only question is how you think it’d hold up if I made an extra casserole the next time and froze it. Thoughts?
Has anyone tried this with ground chicken or turkey?
This was delicious! I lightened it up a bit by reducing the amount of oil, enchilada sauce, and cheese, and it still turned out really good. I was nervous about the lack of seasoning but the enchilada sauce was perfect. So comforting and filling. Will definitely make this again
My whole family loved this casserole! I popped frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, shredded it, then added it to the recipe. Also, used Herdez jarred salsa verde due to time constraints. Turned out great! Def will be adding to the rotation!
Made this last week and LOVED it! Great flavor and pretty simple to prepare. This recipe is going to be added to my rotation.
Can this be frozen? I want to take it to a friend who is having a baby but am not sure if it would freeze well.
Do you have any reason to think this wouldn’t freeze well? Seems like something I could assemble then just thaw and bake until hot all the way through. Maybe I’m wrong?
Another winner! I made this for tonight’s dinner and it was delicious. I used shredded chicken, black and pinto beans, Hatch green enchilada sauce and since my nutcase husband doesn’t like corn tortillas, organic flour tortillas.. and threw in some sliced black olives and a little zucchini (sauteed with the poblano and onion) for good measure. I was afraid “12 servings” would be too much for two people … but I think not! I love these recipes that can be mixed up with endless combinations. Next time I’ll try making the homemade green enchilada sauce, but in a pinch, the Hatch was fine. YUM**2!!!
Can you freeze this recipe either before it goes in the oven or after it is baked?
I make it and freeze it before I bake it and take it camping. Try to thaw in fridge before baking. Takes at least an hour to bake when cold. Would take longer if cooking from frozen.
We loved this casserole¡ It was a quick, easy, and a delicious weeknight meal. We will definitely be adding this to the line-up! The only thing I did differently, was to toast/roast the corn tortillas in a very hot skillet beforehand. I don’t enjoy soggy corn tortillas in a casserole. I do believe this helped.
Has anyone tried to roast the poblano before tossing it in?
Could you use flour tortillas in a pinch?
This looks delicious. Could you freeze leftovers? If so what is the best way to reheat? Thanks!
This is delicious! My hubby doesn’t really like casseroles and mexican is not his favorite but he loved this!!!
Overall good recipe. Couple changes: more chicken, less beans and corn, smaller deeper pan. Salsa verde works fine. Topping suggestions are great.
Holy cow …. the green enchilada sauce is the best. So much better than a tomatillo-based sauce. I will never make salsa verde for any green enchilada dish again. Can’t wait to make the rest of the casserole.
Can you assemble this the night before baking or will it make the corn tortillas soggy?
Absolutely delicious and pretty darn easy to make. Family is loving it!!!! Thank you, Ali.
This sounds delicious. I’m trying it today with some variations: ground turkey/soy rizo mix. Thank you
I made this last night and it was delicious. I skipped the poblano pepper (because sometimes even mild salsa burns my mouth) and used store bought green enchilada sauce (to save time) and black beans. I thought the tortillas might get soggy, but they were perfect. I definitely will be making this again and will definitely add the garnishes next time. Thanks for the great recipe. My family loves when I make chicken enchiladas, but it takes so long! This is a nice occasional substitute!
Thank you Ali,
I’m retired and need help now and then with recipes that are not for the smoker or grill.
A little crema on top and it was fantastic.
Kudos from Oconee county GA
Like all your recipes, this is a keeper. I made as directed but can see endless opportunities to use whatever is on hand to customize. Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
We really enjoyed the flavor and it was a relatively healthy meal. However, as soon as we scooped out the first helping, it was mush. The tortillas had turned to mush. Guess I should have grilled the corn tortillas first? Didn’t see anything about preparing the corn tortillas other than halving them.
This was so delicious! I made the sauce with canned roasted green chilis. I didn’t see the temp and used 350 degrees instead.
It still turned out. I’m going to makw this again, for sure…
This recipe turned out to be incredibly delicious! It took awhile, but well worth the time and effort. The corn tortillas made it even better. My partner went absolutely wild over it.
I made an 11 spice blend to cook the boneless and skinless chicken thighs in the instant pot, hand blender to shred with the same water from the instant pot, then let marinade for an hour.
Thanks for creating this recipe. We will be baking this more often! So versatile!
I usually love your recipes, but this one was disappointing. It was bland even though I topped it with red onion, cilantro and chopped jalapenos. I even made your recipe for verde sauce.
My sister in law and doubled it, so 2 9x13s, we did it together so we’d both have plenty plus give some to other family….. Tastes fantastic!! We added cubed Avocado chunks from 2 jumbo avocados to the mixture and loved it!! Also used fresh Hatch green Chile’s to it that were Roasted. Highly recommend it!! green chilies
It can’t be understated how foolproof and rewarding this recipe is. Simplify it significantly with a large can of Verde enchilada sauce, a rotisserie chicken, and random spare veggies.
Makes for 8 large meals.
Made this recipe for Father’s Day 2022. It was ok. I used the green enchilada sauce recipe, which was, again, ok. The only thing I didn’t use was spinach (it seemed unnecessary) and I used black beans instead of pinto. I like how the corn tortillas soak up the moisture from the sauce so it stays together when served.