A baked casserole topped with melted cheese, black beans, sour cream, and chopped cilantro, surrounded by bowls of lime, shredded cheese, and extra sour cream.

Best Ever Chicken Enchilada Casserole

May 4, 2026 adminsr

This is the best chicken enchilada casserole you will ever eat! Throw everything into a casserole dish, raw, and in just 60 minutes you’ll have a healthy chicken casserole ready to enjoy.

I like to call this easy chicken enchilada casserole the “everything but the tortilla chicken enchilada casserole.” I ditched the soggy tortilla and swapped it with rice to make an extraordinary casserole that the whole family will love.

PS: 1 serving of this deliciousness has over 30g protein and is packed with lean protein and vegetables. SCORE!

Everything Goes in Raw!

The number one thing I love about this casserole is that everything goes in raw. There is no additional sautéing or cooking involved other than chopping and mixing and baking.

Chicken

For this recipe, I am using chicken breasts, but boneless skinless chicken breasts also work! I chose to chop mine into bite-size pieces for even cooking, but you can always leave the breasts whole if desired.

Veggies

Bell peppers, onions, and beans help make this casserole packed with veggies and flavor. Get creative with your veggie choices and add whatever you have on hand. Here are some suggestions that would work really well:

Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Butternut squash
Kale

Enchilada Sauce

Your choice in enchilada sauce is what’s going to give you your saucy flavor. So? Make sure you know what the enchilada sauce tastes like before you use it. Some sauces are more bland than others, so just keep that in mind!

My favorite enchilada sauce is Frontera Red Chile Sauce, but any kind will work…even a homemade sauce!

Rice

Last but not least, I’ve ditched tortillas for RICE! Rice really makes this a “casserole” if you ask me. Keep scrolling to read a long-winded answer on what kind of rice you should use for this casserole because I’ve tested many kinds!

A rectangular white casserole dish filled with a chunky mixture of beans, tomatoes, rice, and vegetables in a red sauce on a textured surface.

Let’s Talk About Rice

Long-Grain White Rice: Long grain white rice is my go-to for many things, including casseroles. It cooks evenly without getting mushy, and is just so dang good.

Rice Substitutions

Long-Grain Brown Rice: If you choose to use classic long-grain brown rice, your cook time will need to increase by 30 minutes to an hour. This is because long-grain brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.

Quick-Cooking Rice: While I have not tried this, I am hopeful that quick-cooking brown/white rice will work. I use this product in another one of my similar casseroles (Southwest Chicken Casserole). The one thing that would need to change is the liquid amount. I would decrease the amount of enchilada sauce by 1 cup and broth to 1/2 cup.

How do you reheat chicken enchilada casserole?

To reheat chicken enchilada casserole, you have a few options.

Microwave: Place a serving of this chicken enchilada casserole recipe into a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
Oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the entire chicken enchilada casserole back into the oven (in its casserole dish) and reheat for around 20 minutes or until warm.
Stove-Top: Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Then, transfer the casserole to the skillet and sauté over medium/high heat for around 5 minutes or until warm.

Can you freeze chicken enchilada casserole?

Chicken enchilada casserole is the perfect recipe to freeze. We suggest making this casserole in a disposable casserole dish so that once it’s cooked you can pop it right into the freezer. We also recommend holding off on the cheese until reheating for best results.

Directions: let the casserole cool completely. Then, cover it with a piece of plastic wrap and press it down into the casserole, removing as much air as possible. Cover that with a piece of tin foil and write the best by date (3 months from when you made it) and the name of the casserole. Then, freeze for up to 3 months!

Reheat: to reheat, let thaw completely, then use any of the reheat methods above to reheat!

Storage

Store this casserole in a glass, airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I recommend portioning out this casserole into single servings for an easy grab-and-go meal prep option!

A baked casserole with melted cheese, rice, beans, and green peppers, topped with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro in a white dish.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Add all of the ingredients except for the shredded cheese to the casserole dish and stir until everything is combined.
Cover with aluminum foil (do not skip this part) and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove and stir. It will still be a little soupy, but don’t worry, this is how it’s supposed to be! Place back in the oven, covered, for 30 more minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese, then return to the oven for 3-5 minutes to fully melt the cheese.
Remove and let sit* for about 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with fresh cilantro, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.

This recipe was updated in May 2026. Find the original recipe HERE.
Option to substitute water or vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Make sure you let your casserole sit for at least 5-10 minutes to both cool and continue cooking. If your brown rice is still a little crunchy, letting it sit (covered) will help it continue to cook.

Calories: 335 kcal, Carbohydrates: 48 g, Protein: 22 g, Fat: 6 g, Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 7 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Photography by: The Wooden Skillet

Best Ever Chicken Enchilada Casserole