Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Lots of ways to save time with this one! I used supermarket rotisserie chicken--always on sale on the weekend, and I'm forever looking for new ways to use it up. Instead of cooking tortillas, I used unflavored supermarket tortilla chips. They aren't flat at the beginning, but as they soak up the sauce they flatten wonderfully. If not as flat as the photos, just think about the way they let the cheese settle and brown--I probably used some extra. I think my total prep time was under 15 minutes. I did use more cilantro. Another tip--whenever I cook chicken--grilled, baked, roasted or poached--I cook about twice what I need for a particular meal and use the leftovers, or made-overs, in a couple of days, or pop them into the freezer where they won't last more than a couple of weeks. I will say that the flavor of corn tortillas is perfectly matched to the other ingredients in this casserole.

My kids liked it, but given the amount of time it took to prepare and how uninterested they were in the leftovers, I won't make again. 

This turned out great.  I am so glad that I read someone's review about using "raw corn tortillas" it was essential. I feel like it made the dish. This dish tends to be on the spicy side, I left out the jalapenos and only did half of the red pepper. I am a vegetarian, and my husband isnt. This was an easy dish to turn into a vegetarian dish. I just used veggie chicken and vegetable broth. I also used about half of the amount of garlic that the recipe called for. Be prepared, it takes MUCH longer to prepare than the recipe indicates. This would be a good dish to prepare the meat ahead of time and freeze it to reduce prep time. If my rating was based solely on the recipe provided and the instructions given, it would be closer to a 3. Since I read the other reviews, its taste was a 4. 

This turned out to be delicious! I'm so glad I found it. Something different for the table. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it takes way more than the hour & 5 mins it states in the recipe.

This recipe is very good if you like spicy food. You can cut the heat down by using less red pepper. Some people have said their casserole turned out too soupy...I think this could be due to the type of tortilla they used. You absolutely must use raw corn tortillas for this recipe! When you cook them, I bake mine on a cookie sheet in the oven, they become very dry like tortilla chips and soak up the liquid while baking so it isn't soupy at all. If you've never used them, I buy mine at the local Kroger in the refrigerated section near the dairy. These tortillas are raw so must be refrigerated.

Like others, I thought the effort that went into this wasn't worth it. I even shredded a rotisserie chicken to make the process shorter, but the end result (for me) wasn't worth it. It was also very soupy, so something might have done wrong somewhere along the way for me. The taste was pretty good, but the look was kind of iffy

This was pretty good. Like other reviewers, it seemed like too much effort for what you wind up with. Probably wont make again.

I thought this was a good recipe, my husband thought it was OK. Nice lunch leftovers for me. I used rotisserie chicken and skipped the first step. I used canned corn, rinsed, and 4 oz lite cream cheese to finish off what I had. I used dried cilantro, and used my French Corning Ware pan to bake it, fearing it wouldn't fit in my 8x8. The chicken mix needed more seasoning, and it was a little time consuming and used a few pans... But the thought it had one of the more authentic Mexican flavors of many of the recipes I have tried.

This turned out to be very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. The recipe is very time consuming to make. I am not sure that I will make this again.

I did a few things differently to save time and I don't think the results suffered. Used the legs and thighs of a rotisserie chicken, with bones, skin and fat removed. To that added about 1/2 cup frozen roasted corn (Trader Joes), 1/4 c diced sweet onion, cilantro and chives and some adobo seasoning. For half version of the recipe, into my mini chopper/blender I put 1/2 c. sweet onion, 1 fresh seeded jalapeño, 2 cloves garlic, 1/3 c whipped cream cheese, 1/2 jar of Herdez salsa verde, 1/3 c chicken broth, some cumin and no other spices. Blended it all into a liquid. Then used Pam to soften 5 corn tortillas in a skillet, cut them into strips, and layered everything as directed into an oval Corningware casserole, pouring the sauce over the top. I had a bag of shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese and sprinkled a small handful on each layer and on top. Baked at 420 for 30 minutes. It was just right for hubby's heat tolerance and I had my Tabasco handy on the table. Pretty good!

This was a HUGE hit with our family! I used precooked grilled chicken breast instead of the thighs. It was too spicy for our 6 year old but the 9 year old twins loved it! I may have added a few more jalapenos than the recipe called for though. Great, great flavors with the salsa verde and cilantro!

This is such an amazing idea for a casserole. Not too heavy on the tortillas (which my wife usually complains about with chicken enchiladas). My wife and son both loved it. I just need to double up on all the ingredients next time. This stuff was gone in no time. And it didn't take any longer than most of my recipes do. (Which is actually quite some time since I'm really slow in the kitchen)

tried this for dinner for my family of 4, one of whom is a picky eater. Everybody asked for seconds. It is a bit time consuming in preparing the recipe but it turned out great.

i am not a casserole person at all, they are usually plain to me but I needed one for convenience and dinner the following night. First, not convenient. Multi step, took forever. But yum, not your average bland casserole. I would spice it up a bit more next time. This gives casseroles a good name in my book.

Made using thighs from Christmas turkey. Other than that, followed directions. Family thought it was really good. Will make again, but probably on a weekend night.

Kind of soggy. Tastes good while you're cooking it, but not so great when it done. Cook/prep time? Oh my God, it takes forever! Won't make again.

Terrific! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I made a recipe for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic using chicken thighs. Then I used those thighs in the casserole. Two meals in the time it took to make one! Delicious casserole and relatively low cal. I added more chicken than called for to boost the protein vs. carb ratio.

My wife and I spent hours looking for the perfect healthy recipe that fit our needs at that moment. I was about to give up until this popped up. Sceptical, we made it and it turned out amazing. A worthy 8 out of 10 scale and I will make it so many more times. Thanks.

Family rating 9.5 out of 10. Used less cilantro-kept some on the side to add to taste at dinner table. Used 50% of the sauce. Good with chopped avocado or guacamole and/or chopped tomatoes on the side ~ Made homemade tortilla chips with meal~ added one additional cup of corn. Prep time lengthy, but worth it. Kids can help.

This recipe literally fell flat. I found it too soggy; my boyfriend commented that the tortillas would be better left off and wrapped around the contents for burritos, and I agree. We both thought the recipe called for way too much cilantro, but I guess that depends on your taste.

I made this for dinner tonight and was not impressed. The tortillas came out a soggy, gross mess. We will not be making again. There are much better enchilada casseroles.

I made this casserole to eat the next day. The tortillas were very soggy that it was mush the next day. It's a good recipe, but I would recommend you eat it that same day!

I used shredded turkey breast instead of the chicken thighs. Great way to use turkey leftovers! My husband told me that we are "definitely making this again".

My husband loved this recipe when I made it! I made the chicken do double duty during the week; I bought a family pack of thighs and cooked all one night (eating some just seasoned and baked). I reserved leftover thighs for this recipe so that time was reduced some on prep. Also, it didn't take the full 15 minutes for my salsa combination to reduce, so time was also saved there. Finally, I used 1 fresh serrano in lieu of the pickled jalapeno and summer sweet canned corn in lieu of frozen, but otherwise made this one as directed. Overall, this is a very filling meal and I wouldn't hesitate to make again - you can certainly feed a crowd with this one and it's excellent leftover. I wouldn't hestitate to make this recipe into 2 "half" sizes; making one the same day and freezing another. I still enjoy C.L.'s Poblano Chile Casserole (very similar to this one) a bit more, but its best when you can grill, so in the winter, this one is easy to make and a keeper - enjoy!

Loved this recipe. I did also brown the cheese on top and it gave it a great flavor. I also used the red enchilada sauce instead of salsa verde because I am not a fan of the green sauces. VERY good! Will make this again.

True this recipe is alot of work, but we were looking for healthy comfort food. This was outstanding. Even the kids loved it. Makes a large pan, enough for leftovers (if it lasts that long).

Yes - lots of work, but lots of reward! Absolutely great flavor. I left out the jalapenos and cut the ground red pepper in half to 1/4 tsp and it still had some warmth (I used medium green salsa.) We all loved it, including my 18-month old! Serve with light sour cream if it's a bit too spicy for some, or leave out the red pepper?

My family found this recipe delicious!! I made my own salsa verde, so that added a considerable amount of time but was also extra delicious. I also added black beans in the layers for healthy protein. Yum!

Not worth the trouble in my opinion

Yummy and delicious

We made this the other night. Fun to do together and we loved it. Moist, flavorful, great on a cold winter night in MN. Leftovers heat up great too.

Made this for me (Hispanic) in laws and they loved it. Very easy to make and tastes great!

Definitely not a good choice for a week night, but definitely a good solid recipe. I doubled it and used a 9x11 dish so we'd have left overs. I seasoned the chicken with chili powder, salt, and pepper. I made the filling up in the morning and popped it in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the dish. I also used whole wheat tortillas because that was all I had on hand. The family loved it. If you want another great CL dish like this but with a lot less time and effort, search for Chicken Chilaquiles from July of 2007. Or Enchilada Casserole from January of 2012.

I agree with "happyeatin." I was disappointed in this recipe & found it to be too dry. It requires a lot of prep for a fairly simple dish

This casserole is delicious. I made it exactly as instructed and it came out perfectly. For a family with little ones, I'd suggest using less pickled jalapeno and adding a dollop of sour cream to cut the heat. Otherwise, it's fantastic. You can read my full review at; http://bit.ly/TuCgz6

The casserole was filling but the flavors competed and didn't meld well. Spent a lot of time preparing this for not enough reward. Recipe needs to be reworked.

This was pretty easy and quick. I poached the chicken instead of baking it. I might have added too much red pepper because it was spiiicy, but I just served it with some sour cream. Very good flavor!

Thought this was delicious! I doubled the chicken (for a 9x13) and boiled it instead of sauteeing & baking. I used canned corn, increased the spices. I didn't double all the ingredients though. I will definitely make this again!

This took a long time and I even used rotisserie chicken as some people suggested. I don't think I would do all of the steps if I made it again or I would make it on a weekend. That being said, the flavors were very good - the chicken mixture was delicious alone - could eat that as dip.

Honestly, I have not made this yet, but I can tell it is going to be great. Many thought that this recipe was labor intensive, but I'd never make it this way. This is definitely a recipe that is most suitable as a use for leftover chicken. There is a new sauce sold at Costco called Bolani Cilantro Pesto. It is very low fat. I'd use that instead of the cilantro. I'd use mild, canned diced green chilies instead of or in addition to the jalapenos, or I would use fresh peppers from the garden and saute them with the onions. When I make this, I am going to use the bottled minced garlic and canned corn, drained. I probably won't run the sauce through the blender, but I might zap it with the immersion blender a couple of times. Or not. Finally, I have had great luck with crisping tortillas in the oven. Just lay them out on a cookie sheet and spray the with a little olive oil spray or other oil spray. Bake for a few minutes, turn and repeat. I probably won't bother to cut them up either.

This is a fantastic recipe, just as it is. It is time consuming, however, so I suggest cooking your chicken ahead of time, or planning to start this a bit early on a day you don't work. I am disgusted by the people on here, and other cooking websites, who completely change the recipe and then rate their own mediocre concoction. If you want to rate the recipe, cook it as is. Otherwise, submit your own. Quit reducing the ratings for good recipes because your ideas aren't up to par. "Oh, yeah, I changed this, this, this, and that. It wasn't great! Three stars!" Yeah, you don't know how to cook.

Quick, easy and full of flavor...added 1 cup rinsed, no-salt black beans, diced red bell pepper...substituted 1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn, frozen for creamed corn. I also braised the chicken tenders and seasoned with chili powder and dried onion flakes I baked it until nice and krispy on the bottom. All 10 guests enjoyed.

Amazing, worth the effort

I saw potential in this recipe although there is no way I would go through these ridiculously labor intensive steps. That being said, it was very good (I decreased the heat, added more cheese and black beans). This is what I did: Sauté chicken, onion and garlic; drain and place in medium bowl. In same skillet add cream cheese, corn, black beans, red pepper, cumin, salt and black pepper; stir until cream cheese is evenly distributed. Add cream cheese mixture to chicken mixture, stirring to combine. Combine broth, salsa and water; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Cut tortillas into quarters. (or rip tortillas w/o cooking) Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 9 or 10-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle on about ½ cup cheese. Repeat layers and bake.

As others have mentioned, this is a time consuming recipe. Next time I make it, I will likely use leftover roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken so it will come together more quickly. I used Herdez salsa verde and when it was done simmering with the other ingredients, I blended it using a hand blender. There is no way I'll pull out my blender for a weeknight meal, especially a casserole. I'm just too lazy and I don't enjoy washing dishes enough. I forgot to buy cilantro so I left that out. I served this with refried beans and feel the final result was very good and I would have rated it 4 stars but I highly doubt I would ever serve this to company or for a special occasion dinner unless specifically requested. My husband thought this was an amazing dish, my 2 year old took a few bites and the leftovers reheated really well, I thought it was a lot better the second day.

So delicious. I used a rotisserie chicken and didn't blend the salsa to save time and it was still awesome. You can add black beans too! So delicious!

Delicious recipe, but I took a few shortcuts. Shredded a pre-made rotisserie chicken and used 2 cups of the meat. Instead of making the red sauce, I sprung for a can of good ole' enchilada sauce. I also used Target's Archer Farms Southwest Frozen Veggies (corn, black beans, onion and bell pepper) instead of only frozen corn to add a little color. Lastly, if you don't like things super spicy, I would use only 1/4 tsp of the red pepper. Overall a delicious recipe that the family loved. Will definitely be making this again!

This is really good! My thighs needed a little longer to cook all the way through. I used the same pan for everything (just wiped it out when I did the tortillas) to save some dishes. I accidentally did the layering as tortillas, chicken, salsa so when I got to the end, I had nothing but the cheese to top my tortillas with. Sill turned out just fine though. This is pretty spicy, so if you want to cut down on the heat I would suggest only using 1/4 tsp of the ground red pepper. The recipe takes a long time - I chopped and cooked my onions/garlic while the chicken was in the oven. Shredded the chicken while the salsa simmered. I had a break to wait for the salsa to cool before pureeing though. Once everything is ready, putting the casserole together is really easy.

I made this pretty much as written...used a rotisserie chicken and increased the recipe by 50%. I thought it was great! Just perfectly spicy and really moist. I bet the leftovers will be even better. Crisping the tortillas in a skillet before using them in the casserole really made a big difference; I considered skipping that step but I'm glad I didn't. I also used Herdez salsa verde - I think you definitely want to pick a salsa you know you like since it's a dominant flavor in the dish.

I would agree with the previous review. This dish is very labor intensive, but well worth the hard work. Since I do not like spicy foods, I used a mild version of the salsa verde and no jalapeno peppers (I subbed 1/4 cup of green bell pepper instead). The dish is fabulous and very filling. Yum!

My husband and I really enjoyed this casserole. It was full of flavor, but I will say that it was VERY labor intensive and we used a ton of dishes, measuring devices, knives and food processor. I would agree with everyone that suggested using a rotisserie chicken instead. Cooking the chicken was the longest part. We thought all of the work paid off though. Delicious dinner! We served it with fat free sour cream to tone down the spicyness. PS: salsa verde freezes really well in a freezer bag for the next time you make it.

Fantastic and easy to make! I took a few shortcuts and made some substitutions since we are gluten-free and 1/2 dairy-free. I actually bought a store-bought roasted chicken and shredded that for the chicken. I used a dairy-free substitute for the cream cheese and it was delicious, could not tell a difference. This was great for left-overs the next day's lunch. Would definitely make it again!

As everyone said before, this recipe is a lot of work, but well worth it! I added mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and yellow squash and it is unbelievably good! I double it for leftovers since it is very labor intensive. DH loves it too. Thanks again CL!

The entire family loved this. I have made twice in the last month. I used chicken breasts but that is the only change.

Even without the jalapeños, the flavor was outstanding. I used some shredded chicken breasts that I had prepared for another meal and flour tortillas because my husband prefers them. With the modifications, (I didn't blend the salsa) it didn't take that long to make: ~30 minutes and only dirtied one pan and an 8x8.

Very good, followed the recipe exactly except I forgot to use the blender on the salsa. Still turned out great. If you love spicy this is for you, if not cut back on the peppers. Next time I will use short cuts and use rotisserie chicken.

This recipe was fabulous. I made it into a vegetarian casserole by swapping kidney and black beans for the chicken and vegetable broth. I didn't have jalapeños on hand, but had hot cherry peppers which tasted great. I also used low fat cheddar cheese. I would definitely make this again. The leftovers were great too.

The recipe was really good, but the taste did not make up the labor and clean up involved. Would rather jog up to a mexican restaurant to cancel out the calories, then make this and clean up. I also have a 9 month old and 2 year old (the 2 year old wouldn't touch it.)

This dish had great flavor, but after a few bites the spiciness became almost too much for me to handle. I will probably make this again, but next time will cut down on the jalapenos. As other reviewers have noted, this dish is very time consuming for what you get.

Very flavorful. A bit time intensive for a weeknight recipe, but I would reorder things next time to make it faster. Once the chicken goes into the oven, then I would start the onions, salsa, broth mixture. Followed the recipe to a T and was very happy with the results.

This recipe was definitely a lot of work. Unfortunately, it was not worth the effort. I have two young children who did not appreciate how spicy it was. Definitely a disappointment since it was marked "kid friendly"

My family loved this recipe, even my picky brothers. I listen to other suggestions by adding, some of the sauce to the bottom of the pan before laying down the tortialls so they didn't dry up. I would also recommend 30 minutes instead of 35 on the bake time. I over cooked it a bit, which made leftovers a little dry the next day. I also added diced up jalapenos on top with the cheese to add a little spice! FANTASTIC! Everyone asked me to make this again :)

Not good. I did follow the recipe and the base was just too thin...almost soupy. The consistency just did not turn out for me.

It was our fault for not reading the recipe closer, but the amount of time & work this took caught us by surprise. The dish tasted really good, but it was too much work & didn't net enough leftovers for it to be worth it for us. Also, it was too spicy to be something we could share with our small children, although we like spicy food ourselves. Definitely tasty, but be prepared for a lot of work.

We gobbled this up in no time! It took awhile to make, so I would suggest some shortcuts. Definitely use rotisserie chicken. Also, the salsa the recipe has you blend isn't entirely necessary.

I loved this especially the browned cheese top that added a nice depth of flavor to the casserole. It is labor intensive but easily could be made ahead and tossed in the oven since I used a medium salsa Verde I left out the pickled jalapeno and I substitute a Mexican cheese blend since that is what I had on hand...DH even liked this one

This was good, but I like Light King Ranch Chicken Casserole, Tortilla Torta and Chicken Green Chile Enchilada Casserole better. I thought husband might hit me when I said that because he said this one was a PITA to make. Plus neither of us is big on using more than one pan if we are making a casserole. Mind you, it wasn't bad. The other ones were just better.

Like many others I used rotisserie chicken. This recipe was definitely worth the time and effort. It is labor intensive and uses many pans, etc. From start to putting it in the oven took a good hour - I could have used a sous chef:) I will not make this on a weeknight again - better for a day when you have more time, or prep the ingredients before hand. I used a hand blender for the sauce, and added fresh jalapeno rather than pickled. The sauce was great and had a kick but not the lingering kind. I used extra cilantro upping it to about 1/4 cup total. Great flavors and will make again for sure. I served it with a simple salad with a lemony vinaigrette.

This was a very good chicken enchilada casserole. Everyone in the family liked it, even my husband who doesn't particularly like chicken or casseroles. I used rotisserie chicken because I had one on hand and still found this to be labor intensive and it uses severals pans and the blender so there was a lot to clean up afterwards. It won't be something that I make every week but I will make it again

Used roast chicken and added a can of pinto beans. The sauce was good, but I thought it could use a little more spice next time. Added some salsa when serving and this helped. Kids liked it a lot too, so will make it again.

Yum! This recipe turned out wonderful! Just the right amount of spiciness and still full of flavor. I substituted with rotisserie chicken and fat-free cream cheese and it was still fantastic! Can't wait to make it again.

So delicious! Worth the time! Love the flavor of the salsa mixture!

The time spent was worth it. It's marked kid friendly, but the deep flavor of the sauce is definitely adult. I'll cook the chicken a day ahead next time.