As you may know, I live not only with my Southern husband, but also with my sweet daughter and son-in-law, and frequently their besties who are in and out – often right at dinnertime! (hmmm.)
And this is a complex group when it comes to things they like and don’t like. I let them know ahead of time what I am cooking up for supper, and they can either opt in or opt out.
I usually get one of them. Sometimes I get none. (More for me!)
And every once in a blue moon, I come up with something that every one signs up for. This Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole was one of those unicorn recipes!
What are enchiladas?
Your traditional enchilada is a corn tortilla filled with a variety of ingredients (beef, cheese, chicken, beans, etc), rolled up and baked to warm and wonderful perfection. There is usually some kind of savory sauce involved…it’s a classic.
This recipe takes the basic premise and adapts it to a little more non-traditional format. The corn tortillas are filled with shredded chicken, rolled up and put in a casserole that has been covered in a combo of taco sauce, sour cream and (trust me here) cream of chicken soup.
The whole thing is topped with a generous amount of cheese, baked into melty perfection, and then served up to your lucky diners.
Here’s how to make Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole!
Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray.
Mix a 16 ounce bottle of taco sauce, a 10 ounce can of cream of chicken soup and a cup of sour cream together until well combined.
Take a generous spoonful of the taco sauce mixture (about ½ cup) and spread it over the bottom of the casserole.
Lay 10 6 inch corn tortillas out on the counter and sprinkle with 3 cups of shredded taco blend or cheddar cheese, dividing it evenly between the tortillas. Divide 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken among the tortillas.
Roll up each tortilla as securely as you can and then place it in the casserole, seam side down, smooshing the tortilla rolls together so they all fit in one layer.
Ladle the rest of the creamy taco sauce mixture over the top, spreading it out so that everything is pretty much covered.
Pop the casserole in the oven and bake it up for 15 minutes. Take the casserole out, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, and bake it for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the casserole with a chopped tomato (you can also add chopped avocado and/or more sour cream on top if you are feeling fancy!).
More tips for making Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole!
You can – technically you will be making burritos instead of enchiladas, but it’s still going to taste like heaven!
It all depends on the spiciness of the taco sauce. I am a Spice Wimp, so I always pick mild, but if you like a little more heat, try Regular or Spicy taco sauce.
Yes, all the way up to the baking! You want to do that at the last minute for maximum cheese melty deliciousness!
This is a great way to use up chicken leftovers, but if you don’t have any of those, a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket is perfect! Or cook up some chicken on your stovetop – this is my favorite method.
Divide it among plates and serve with lime wedges (and I also recommend margaritas!)
(I actually recommend margaritas for pretty much any reason!)
This concludes my essay on this cheese-a-riffic casserole…now here’s the recipe!
OTHER ENCHILADA RECIPES WE LOVE!
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
This creamy chicken enchilada casserole recipe is perfect for a hungry crowd, and so easy to put together!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce bottle taco sauce
- 1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream, plus more for garnish
- 10 corn tortillas (6 inch size)
- 4 cups shredded taco mix cheese
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 large chopped tomato
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray.
- Mix the taco sauce, the chicken soup and the sour cream together until well combined.
- Take a generous spoonful of the taco sauce mixture (about ½ cup) and spread it over the bottom of the casserole.
- Lay the tortillas out on the counter and sprinkle with 3 cups of the shredded cheese, dividing it evenly between the tortillas. Divide the chicken among the tortillas.
- Roll up each tortilla as securely as you can and then place it in the casserole, seam side down, smooshing the tortilla rolls together so they all fit in one layer.
- Ladle the rest of the creamy taco mixture over the top, spreading it out so that everything is pretty much covered.
- Pop the casserole in the oven and bake it up for 15 minutes. Take the casserole out, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, and bake it for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the casserole with the chopped tomato (you can also add chopped avocado and/or more sour cream on top if you are feeling fancy!).
Divide it among plates and serve with lime wedges (and I also recommend margaritas!)
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Martha in KS says
This recipe reminds me of King Ranch Chicken Casserole that my Texas aunt used to make in huge pans for family gatherings. If you’ve never tried it, I recommend it. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/king-ranch-chicken-casserole/
Oooh, yum! Will definitely have to give this a try! :)