Truth be told, I despised enchilada night as a child. After many years of avoiding the dish, my mom made salsa verde enchiladas and I was immediately obsessed! And thus, my homemade salsa verde chicken enchilada casserole was born, and we can’t get enough of it!
I think my childhood enchilada trauma was caused by the jar of the red pre-made sauce. It gives me chills to think about. Now imagine a fresh zesty sauce full of lime juice, cilantro, hearty salsa, sour cream, and fresh queso. Suddenly, enchiladas are sounding pretty dang good.
Since I am anything but a pro, my enchilada rolling skills are poor at best. I use white corn tortillas, but they kept breaking every time I tried to roll them. Solution? Layer it up like a lasagna. I figure we’re just going to scoop out a portion and devour it anyway, so I’m ok to skip the aesthetic of a perfectly rolled enchilada.
This salsa verde chicken enchilada casserole recipe is easily one of my favorite meals to prep up for the week and take to work. I can easily find all my ingredients at Aldi and I am a big fan of how quick and easy this recipe is. For other quick and easy healthy meal prep, check out my Italian veggie stew or chicken tortilla soup.
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Equipment
- 9×9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lb chicken breast cut into strips or cubes
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- pinch salt
- 1 lime- juice
- 1/2 c minced onion
- 10 oz can of tomatoes and chilies Rotel or something similar
- 16 oz salsa verde
- 1 c shredded Colby jack or Mexican blend cheese
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 1/2 c queso fresco block
- 1/4 c fresh minced cilantro
- 8-12 6" corn tortillas
Instructions
- Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, cumin, and paprika. Add to a large skillet or medium heat with olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, and chopped onion. Once the chicken has cooked halfway and is ready to be flipped for the first time, add an undrained can of tomatoes and chilies
- Once the chicken is fully cooked and the tomatoes and onions are cooked down, turn the heat to low and remove the chicken, moving it to a large bowl. Shred the chicken with two forks
- Preheat the oven to 400
- In the skillet with the tomatoes and onions, stir in the jar of salsa verde, chopped cilantro, sour cream, queso fresco, and half of the Colby jack. Stir until everything is melted and well combined
- In a 9×9 baking dish, scoop out enough sauce to just cover the bottom of the dish. Make your first layer of tortillas, covering the dish evenly
- Add the chicken back into your sauce on the stove and mix well. Add a layer of enchilada filling on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle with extra cheese if desired. Repeat the layering of tortillas, filling, and cheese until the filling is gone- there should be enough to make 3 layers of filling
- On top of the last layer of chicken filling, add one last layer of tortillas and cover with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes
- Once removed from the oven, top the enchiladas with fresh cilantro. Serve with avocado, sour cream, salsa, or topping of choice
Enjoy!
