Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Healthy)

This easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe is a wonderful weeknight dinner, offering comfort food feels, ease of preparation, great nutrition, and delicious taste all in one! With minimal prep time, a relatively quick cook time, and a total time of right at one hour, it’s a yummy recipe the whole family will be excited to sink their forks into.

This post was created in partnership with siggi’s.

A Family Favorite Meal Made Easy

If there are enchiladas on the menu when dining out, we always order them. There’s just something about the layer of tortillas coated with green or red enchilada sauce and lots of cheese that always hits the spot. However, we’re not always as eager to make them at home. Until now, thanks to this so-easy chicken enchilada casserole recipe.

Inspired by our favorite healthy casserole recipes, we transformed classic enchiladas into a weeknight comfort food bake. Made in a casserole dish, this version doesn’t require any time-consuming tortilla rolling like traditional enchilada recipes. Instead all the ingredients are layered together and baked until warm and cheesy. As a result, it has become one of our go-to easy recipes. Whether you’re making a weeknight dinner, cooking for a crowd, or preparing your weekly meal prep, you can’t go wrong with this casserole or any other of our favorite 14 casserole recipes.

Ingredients To Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Here’s what to gather to get this chicken enchilada bake in the oven today:

• Boneless skinless chicken breast – may substitute 6 ounces (~1 heaping cup) of cooked, shredded chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
• Black beans – you’ll need a 15-ounce can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed; may sub pinto beans
• Yogurt – we recommend siggi’s plain whole milk skyr (which is a strained Greek-like yogurt) because it provides thick, creamy, and tangy results. We like siggi’s because it’s made from only a few ingredients and not a lot of sugar. You can use either 0% or 4% plain siggi’s skyr with great outcomes

• Seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin add a savory, Mexican-inspired taste to this casserole recipe
• Baby spinach – for color and more nutrition
• Fresh cilantro
• Green enchilada sauce – may use store-bought green enchilada sauce or homemade enchilada sauce
• Monterey Jack cheese – may substitute Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or a taco blend
• Yellow corn tortillas – use gluten-free homemade corn tortillas or store-bought. We prefer 365 Stone Ground Yellow Corn Tortillas from Whole Foods, but any sturdy corn tortilla will work

For the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium, and more per serving.

How To Make Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Here are the steps to make this green chicken enchilada casserole today:

1. Cook the chicken: Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray, and arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and bake uncovered until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pan, and allow it to cool slightly on a cutting board before shredding it with two forks. (Skip this step if using pre-cooked chicken.)
2. Combine: While the chicken cooks, add the black beans, yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, chopped spinach, and cilantro to a medium bowl, and stir to combine.
3. Fold: Spray the baking dish with cooking spray, and fold the shredded chicken into the yogurt-bean mixture.
4. Layer: Spread part of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and layer tortilla halves on top. Don’t worry, you don’t have to cover the sauce completely. Arrange one third of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and add a sprinkle of cheese.
5. Repeat: Drizzle another 3/4 cup enchilada sauce over the cheese, and repeat the process two more times similarly to how you would with lasagna, ending with the remaining sauce. Hold onto the remaining cheese to add later.
6. Bake: Cover the dish with foil, and place it in a preheated oven to bake until the liquid is bubbly and the center is hot.
7. Top with cheese: Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the casserole, and return it to the oven until the cheese is melty. Allow the dish to stand for 10 minutes, which helps it cool and thicken.
8. Garnish: Serve the chicken enchilada casserole topped with fresh cilantro, finely diced red onion, diced or sliced avocado, and lime wedges.

Special Ingredient: Siggi’s Skyr

In this enchilada casserole, we call for siggi’s skyr, which is Icelandic-style thick yogurt, similar to Greek yogurt. We love siggi’s because it’s made from few ingredients and doesn’t contain a lot of sugar. In this recipe, we use the 4% whole milk plain siggi’s, but you could also use siggi’s 0% plain yogurt.

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Serving Suggestions

If you’re feeding a hungry crowd, try pairing this chicken enchilada casserole with a side or two to make it even more filling. For example, tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole, refried beans, cooked pinto beans, and sautéed veggies like bell peppers, green chilies, and onions all work wonderfully and provide extra nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin C.

Recipe

Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Healthy)

Make any night a delicious one with this easy layered enchilada casserole. It features a creamy chicken-veggie filling stacked between layers of corn tortillas for a naturally gluten-free casserole you’ll love to serve again and again.

Prep: 15 minsCook: 35 mins (+ 10 mins cooling time)Total: 60 mins

Servings: 8 servings 1x

1x2x3x

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in the dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165℉ on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pan to a cutting board and allow to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.
2. While the chicken cooks, add black beans, yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chopped spinach, and cilantro to a medium bowl; stir to combine.
3. Mist the same baking dish with more cooking spray. Fold the cooked, shredded chicken into the yogurt mixture in the bowl.
4. To the bottom of the baking dish, add ¾ cup enchilada sauce. Layer 6 tortillas halves over the sauce (this will not cover the sauce completely).
5. Spread ⅓ of the chicken-bean mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Drizzle ¾ cup enchilada sauce over the top, then repeat the layers two more times, ending with the remaining enchilada sauce. Reserve the remaining ½ cup cheese for later.
6. Cover the dish with foil and place in the preheated oven.
7. Bake at 375℉ for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the center is hot.
8. Remove the foil from the dish. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining ½ cup cheese and return the dish to the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven when the cheese is melted. Allow the casserole to stand for 10 minutes to allow the casserole to thicken up before serving.
9. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, finely diced red onion, diced or sliced avocado, and/or lime wedges.

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Notes

We have tested this recipe with both siggi’s plain 0% skyr and 4% skyd (the only difference being the amount of fat in these yogurts) and both products create delicious results and a creamy, thick casserole. We like to use siggi’s because it’s made from only a few ingredients and doesn’t contain a lot of sugar.

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1/8 recipe (~1 cup)
• Calories: 390
• Fat: 16 g
• (Sat Fat: 7 g)
• Sodium: 758 mg
• Carbohydrate: 33 g
• (Fiber: 7 g
• Sugar: 5 g)
• Protein: 28 g
• Cholesterol: 54 mg

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

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