Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole
I don’t know where to start with this post. I’m at a loss. There are just SO many delicious and amazing things happening with this chicken and corn enchilada casserole! I’m simultaneously torn between figuring out what to write about first, and wondering if I should go to the grocery store in the middle of this snow storm to get the ingredients to make it again RIGHT NOW. At 7 in the morning. Because we ate all of it, and this makes me sad.
It’s just so, so, amazingly tasty and comforting. And it’s SO easy, it’s freezable, and it makes for great leftovers. It’s perfection!
Even though I am sad that our enchilada casserole is no more, I am VERY happy about a few things. First of all, Zach and I are hunkering down all day today because of the snow. Which means making banana pancakes and bacon for breakfast, experimental cooking and working on the blog, and playing with my NEW CAMERA LENS!
I foresee many more photographs of Oscar happening today…
Isn’t he handsome?
As an early birthday present (I’m turning the big 3-0 in February!), I got a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens to go with my Canon EOS Rebel and I am so happy with it. Finally, I can take those fancy food photographs with a shallow depth of field (you know, those ones that are super close up and blurry in the background)! For all you bloggers/amateur food photographers out there who aren’t ready to spend thousands of dollars on a super fancy camera, I highly recommend these. They’re moderately priced and take excellent photos. Now, if only the winter would end so I could actually shoot photographs with natural light…
OK, enough blabbering about non-casserole related things. I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided that I’ll start with how easy this is to make. First of all, it uses only six ingredients: enchilada sauce (I make my own and freeze it in bulk), corn tortillas, frozen corn, green onions, chicken (I used my smoky Mexican pulled chicken, my go-to for Mexican chicken recipes, but you can use leftovers from roast chicken or any other kind you want), and cheese. That’s it! And, as if chicken enchiladas weren’t easy enough, an enchilada casserole requires no tortilla rolling, which can take some finesse. This casserole is layered much like a lasagna, but instead of cooked noodles, you use corn tortillas! Easy peasy.
Just start with sauce, then tortillas, then corn and scallions, then chicken, sauce, and cheese. Repeat and bake. Done. The hardest part about this is waiting until it is finished baking to eat it.
The texture and flavor of this casserole is simple but delicious. The corn tortillas don’t hold up to the baking- they kind of dissolve into the casserole, which is a good thing! They form these layers of delicious, creamy corn flavor that you get with every bite (kind of like a tamale), in addition to the whole corn kernels. The green onions add a subtle savoriness to the casserole, and the chicken stays moist and delicious, soaking in the flavors of the sauce and onions and corn. With melty cheese on every bite, there really is nothing better. It’s comfort food at it’s finest.
If you are vegetarian, I recommend substituting seasoned black beans and sweet potatoes for the chicken, like in my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas. YUM.
You may also like this comforting classic tuna casserole from scratch.
Recipe below. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! And for everyone else that is snowbound today, I hope you enjoy hunkering today as well :-)
Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole
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Ingredients
- 3 cups enchilada sauce store-bought or homemade
- 12 corn tortillas cut into quarters
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 bunch scallions sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken such as rotisserie (I used smoky Mexican pulled chicken)
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a casserole dish, spread 1/3 of the enchilada sauce.
- Top with 1/2 of the corn tortillas evenly.
- Add 1/2 of the frozen corn, topped with 1/3 of the scallions, then 1/2 of the chicken, another 1/3 of the enchilada sauce, and 1/2 of the cheese.
- Repeat layers starting with the remaining tortillas, and ending with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and beginning to brown on top.
- Top with remaining scallions before serving.
Notes
- Vegetarian? I recommend substituting black beans and diced, steamed sweet potatoes for the chicken.
- Make ahead- assemble ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 3 days until you are ready to bake. Freeze assembled casserole for up to 6 months in an airtight baking dish. Defrost in refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Recipe does not give proper instruction on what to do with the 2/3 enchilada sauce.
Thanks so much for catching this! I fixed the recipe so it should all be good to go now. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.
Have you tried this recipe with flour tortillas? Don’t have corn tortillas on hand but I was worried flour wouldn’t have the same texture and be too mushy.
I haven’t tried it but I actually think it might be better than corn tortillas! I’ve started using flour tortillas for enchiladas instead of corn and they’re a thousand times better. If you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out!
Just wondering how you would prep the sweet potato for the veg option. Would you dive and cook them first?
Great question! I’d just dice the sweet potatoes small and then steam them. You might be able to find a bag of frozen diced sweet potatoes to save you some time. Alternatively, you could slice them thin and steam or roast them. Hope that helps! Also, you might want to check these smoky sweet potato and black bean enchiladas out: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/smoky-sweet-potato-and-black-bean-enchiladas/
Is there a good substitution for the cheese, my husband is off dairy?
I wouldn’t omit it as an ingredient, since it’s what binds everything together, but you can definitely buy or make a vegan cheese, which would be dairy free, that gets the same “melty” affect as regular cheese! (here’s a recipe that calls for vegan cheddar and monterey jack cheese… you can almost definitely find them at whole foods: http://thechocolateloaf.com/vegan-cheese-enchiladas/)
Thank you, you are so helpful and quick to respond!
This sound so good, thanks for sharing this delicious looking recipe.
Simon
This is delicious! I have now made it twice with Elizabeth’s enchilada sauce and smoky Mexican pulled chicken. Soooo yummy!
Thanks so much! I ALWAYS make this in double, so I usually have one in my freezer. It’s one of my faves!
This sounds sooooooo good !!!!