Chicken Enchilada Casserole: An Easy Weeknight Dinner

One of the things my mother taught me about meal prep is to work smarter, not harder.  Today, I’m going to share with you one of her simple recipes for an easy weeknight dinner: chicken enchilada casserole.

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I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make.  Rather than rolling the individual enchiladas, you layer the ingredients as you would a lasagna or a casserole.  This significantly reduces the prep time and the labor involved with making this meal.

It’s also highly adaptable.  This particular recipe is chicken enchiladas with green sauce (salsa verde) and flour tortillas.  However, it can be adapted to beef enchiladas with red sauce and corn tortillas.  If you raise your own small livestock, like rabbits or quail, you could use their meat instead.  In other words, you can adapt the recipe with the meat, the salsa, the tortillas, and/or the cheese you have on hand. 

Some of the ingredients you can make yourself.  For example, if you have the time or energy to make your own tortillas, the taste is worth the effort.  Additionally, a lot of suburban homesteaders in my area grow their own tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños, and cilantro.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I haven’t mastered tomatoes and peppers yet, but I do grow my own herbs.  But for those that do grow their own salsa ingredients, they’re able to make their own salsa.  If you’re the kind of homesteader who can do this, awesome!  You can use your delicious homemade salsa in these enchiladas.  If you’re like me, you still have to buy salsa from the store or from another homesteader, at least for now. 

The recipe itself is super simple.  When my mom makes enchilada casserole, she uses chicken thigh meat, which she cooks with light seasoning, and she reserves the broth that cooks off the chicken; she then dices the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.  She starts the casserole itself by laying out flour tortillas in a large dish, tearing some in half to line the rectangular edges.  She mixes a blend of salsa verde, chicken broth (including the reserved broth from the chicken thighs) and sour cream to form the sauce.  She then layers, chicken, Monterrey jack cheese, sauce, and tortillas until the casserole dish is nearly full.  She tops it with another layer of cheese and some chopped green onions.  And that’s it!  Into the oven it goes at 350°F, where it will bake until the sauce is bubbling, about an hour or so. 

Now, I know this recipe doesn’t include exact measurements.  It can be measured by feel.  My mom will eyeball the recipe, and again, it can be adapted to taste and to ingredient availability. 

Chicken Enchilada Casserole: Recipe

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs, cooked and diced

• Flour tortillas

• Salsa verde

• Chicken broth

• Sour cream

• Monterrey jack cheese

• Green onions, chopped

Directions:

• Mix a sauce from the salsa verde, chicken broth, and sour cream.

• In a greased casserole dish, layer tortillas, chicken meat, cheese, and sauce. 

• Top with additional cheese and chopped green onion.

• Bake at 350°F until the sauce is bubbling, about an hour or so.

What do you think of this recipe?  How would you adjust it for your own family?  Let me know in the comments!