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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Let’s talk casseroles, shall we?  It seems like people either love ’em or hate ’em…and I for one love them.

You see, I’m sort of a one-pot dinner kind of gal, especially now that we’re back to school and busier than ever.  And any dinner that I can get on the table quickly – while still maintaining lots of flavor – is tops in my book.  Plus, I can usually sneak in some veggies that Doodle wouldn’t eat otherwise. 😉

This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole uses a quick and easy marinade that comes together in a snap, and makes dinnertime a breeze! #recipe #chicken #casserole #mexican

Also? Clearly Mexican-inspired {with lots of cheese!} casseroles are my favorite, like this Cheesy Chicken Doritos Casserole, and Easy as Tamale Pie.  And now: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Yum.

We love enchiladas at my house, but I’m not a huge fan of rolling them up.  This casserole is merely a simple, faster version of enchiladas – perfect for busy nights.

I love using a quick chicken marinade for many of our Mexican-themed dinners.  You can make this ahead and have your chicken precooked and ready to go if you wish.

The marinade is simply this: the juice of two or three limes, some minced garlic, and a splash of red wine vinegar.  That’s it!   When you’re ready to cook your chicken, rub some homemade taco seasoning into it first.  You’ll be surprised at the flavors in this chicken with just a few easy ingredients and not a lot of work.

For this recipe, I marinaded, precooked, and shredded my chicken ahead of time so I’d have my ingredients ready to go when I was ready to assemble the casserole.  When I cook seasoned chicken like this, I typically sauté it in just a bit (1 or 2 tablespoons) Country Crock spread, cubing my chicken into 1-inch chucks so it cooks quickly.

County Crock spread has 70% less fat than butter per serving and 30% fewer calories.  You know what that means?

I can add more cheese. 😉

This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole uses a quick and easy marinade that comes together in a snap, and makes dinnertime a breeze! #recipe #chicken #casserole #mexican

 The great thing about casseroles is that you can easily adjust them to your family’s tastes.  We love refried black beans, so that’s what I used here.  Want to up the veggie count?  Add in some corn or peas or other veggie of your choosing.  For casseroles, I often use a Mexican quesadilla cheese because it melts nicely – but any cheese will do: just pick your favorite!

This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole uses a quick and easy marinade that comes together in a snap, and makes dinnertime a breeze! #recipe #chicken #casserole #mexican

Assembly is quick and easy: just layer tortillas, refried beans, cooked chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce. Pop your dish in the oven for 30 minutes and voilà- dinner is served!

What’s your favorite casserole dish?

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
 
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Ingredients
  • juice of 2-3 limes
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • splash of red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
  • 1 pound boneless chicken (breasts or thighs)
  • 8 small (soft taco size) flour tortillas
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (I used quesadilla)
  • 2 (10 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
Method
  1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and place in a large ziploc bag or a tupperware container with a lid. Squeeze the juice of the limes over the chicken, and add minced garlic and red wine vinegar. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
  2. When you're ready to cook your chicken, melt 2 tablespoons County Crock spread in a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Rub taco seasoning over chicken pieces and place chicken in pan. Cook chicken until browned, about 7-10 minutes. Remove chicken and shred.
  3. Preheat oven to 375. Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of enchilada sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Place 2 tortillas in the bottom of the dish, layering to cover the surface. Spread about ⅓ of the beans over the tortillas; sprinkle with ⅓ of the chicken, ½ cup cheese and ½ cups enchilada sauce. I repeated my layers 3 times, using the remaining enchilada sauce and ½ cup cheese on top.
  4. Cover dish with foil (I always spray mine with non-stick cooking spray) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.
  5. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired: black olives, cilantro, green onions, sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, etc.

Make sure to check out Country Crock on Facebook and Pinterest!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

26 Comments

    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:18 pm

      Thanks, Liz! I’m wishing fall would show up here soon – we’re still in the high 90’s! THUMBS-DOWN to that.

      Reply
      • Kristen
        Kristen on September 18, 2013 at 10:17 pm

        Amen Ashley!!! We are hitting all sorts of heat records here in AZ! Please fall… Hurry up!

        Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:19 pm

      Exactly! We’re actually huge leftovers eaters at my house (makes busy nights so much easier), so you could easily double this to have extra. I love the no-rolling, too. 🙂

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:20 pm

      LOL, thanks Dorothy!

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:20 pm

      You can’t go wrong with melty cheese. 😉

      Reply
  5. Loretta
    Loretta on September 5, 2013 at 9:06 am

    I adore casseroles (although we called them hot dish growing up). I think that’s a Midwest thing…you can’t put too much cheese on recipes like this!
    Loretta recently posted..Raw Kale SaladMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:21 pm

      WORD. More cheese = even better.

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:21 pm

      Ugh. We’re still in the 90’s here too, Nicole. What’s up with that???

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:22 pm

      Me too. I could eat Mexican every day!

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks, Jessica!

      Reply
  9. Aimee @ ShugarySweets
    Aimee @ ShugarySweets on September 5, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Oh my word Ashley, I want to stuff my face with this casserole. All the flavors I love!!
    Aimee @ ShugarySweets recently posted..Pumpkin Pie DipMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 5, 2013 at 6:23 pm

      I actually did stuff my face with this. 🙂 I love a good, cheesy casserole.

      Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on September 6, 2013 at 7:51 pm

      I hope you like it, Pamela. Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  14. Erin
    Erin on September 10, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    Hi there! Stopping by from Wake Up Wednesdays, and had to check out your enchilada casserole. I’m always looking for new dinner ideas, and I think my family will love this! thanks so much!
    Erin recently posted..Slow Cooker September: Loaded Slow Cooker ChiliMy Profile

    Reply

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