Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole is a weeknight rockstar with Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Colby Jack Shredded Cheese, all the flavor of enchiladas, and none of the rolling!
It’s officially BACK TO SCHOOL season! The school supplies have been bought, the lunches are packed, the after-school programs are beginning…it’s time! And it’s craziness. This Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole is my way of saying, “Hey. I got your back.”
Here’s a delicious and easy dish that every single person in your house will love. BONUS: the best leftovers EVER! It’s a weeknight staple around here and just might be Zach’s new favorite. I knew immediately he would love it because he’s all about any kind of “mush” in a bowl. He always requests Mexican Lasagna or Turkey & Veggie Brown Rice Bowls. See? Mush. Classic and delicious mush.
Rolled Enchiladas vs. Enchilada Casserole
Why do the casserole instead of rolling enchiladas? I was originally going to do a traditional rolled chicken enchilada until I thought about it like this: rolling individually is just an extra step. Let’s layer it up and save you some time while keeping all the delicious flavors the same!
Enchilada Fillings
Okay so the best thing about this recipe is that you can add any of your favorite enchilada fillings! Totally adaptable to your family’s faves. Layer away, add cheese, and bake. I like to make a big batch of Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken to keep on hand and use it in this recipe.
Try it with:
- Diced tomatoes
- Black olives
- Shredded beef
- Corn
- Rice
- Jalapeno
- Cilantro
When you combine enchiladas and a casserole, you know the cheese has got to be on point. Right?! It’s all about how that melty goodness gets into every single bite. If you love cheese like I do you’re mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’m obviously talking about my hands down favorite cheese of all time:Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Colby Jack Shredded Cheese. Truly the best shredded cheese in all the land. It’s cut WAY thicker than the shredded cheese we grew up on, so it’s perfect for eating straight out of the bag (which I do often!). It just melts into my favorite recipes like you wouldn’t believe and makes those photo-worthy cheese pulls. You know the ones.
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Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven baked
Description
Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole is a weeknight rockstar with Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Colby Jack Shredded Cheese, all the flavor of enchiladas, and none of the rolling!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (12 ounce) jar enchilada sauce
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 medium corn tortillas
- 1 bag Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Colby Jack Shredded Cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 lime
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Shred the chicken in the Instant Pot or on the stove. (See stove instructions below). Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Pour over 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and stir to make sure all sides of the chicken are covered.
- Seal the valve and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes then release pressure. Remove chicken and shred, then place back in the Instant Pot with the remaining sauce.
- Add the rinsed and drained black beans to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour a small amount of the enchilada sauce into an 8×10 baking dish. Begin to layer with 2 tortillas, chicken and bean mixture and shredded cheese. Continue layering (about 3 layers), finishing with cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Remove and top with chopped chives, a squeeze of lime juice and some diced avocado if you like.
Notes
Shredded Chicken on the Stove Top:
You can also use precooked rotisserie chicken and shred it yourself, then just mix with enchilada sauce.
-
Cut each chicken breast in about 3 pieces, so that it cooks faster and put it in a small pot. Pour Enchilada sauce over it and cook covered on low to medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. No water is needed, the chicken will cook in the Enchilada sauce. Make sure you stir occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
-
Remove chicken from the pot and shred with two forks.
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I want to make this so badly! I love all the ingredients but after the holidays are over I’m going to do my best to follow a more ketogenic eating habit….wish I could figure out how to adjust this recipe to that! LOL, maybe I should just do Paleo
Regular weeknight meal in our house. I make a batch with just chicken and another batch with just beans to accommodate dietary needs in our house. So yummy!
I gotta try this will all beans!
I have made this recipe several times, and it is always delicious! So easy to throw together and adjust how much you want to make. I will just do 2 layers if it’s me and my son for dinner. You have helped me let go of that rigid recipe following and let me adjust to cook for smaller servings sizes.
Oh that’s a great idea! And I’m so happy to be able to help you break free of the rigid recipe rules!
My family loves when I make this dish. It’s easy to make and super tasty. I usually add in some baby spinach in the lower layer to get some veggies into the dish. One time I forgot the 2nd layer of tortillas and nobody noticed it missing. Very flexible recipe. Easy to prep in advance and then pop it into the oven 20minutes before dinner.
Love a quick and easy meal! Thanks for the review!
All the flavors bring it together. Next time I might try stove top for the chicken. Overall a yes for me!
Thanks Jen!
Easy and good!
Made this enchilada casserole for the first time and it was a hit with the whole family! Multiple helpings were served and the kids demanded it be added to our regular rotation. Oh and it was so easy to make! Thank you!🙏
Love when it’s a hit with the whole family!!
Love this meal. Easy to make. We will have this on repeat.
Thank you Susan!
I have a small family, can this recipe be frozen?
Yes absolutely!
My family loved this!!! So quick and easy to make with such great flavor. This will definitely be on a regular rotation around here. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
Excellente! My family loved it! Thank you for another A+ recipe to add to my repertoire.
Yay!!!
Made this and loved it! Super easy and will be part of our regular rotation! Thanks for another winner dinner for even the picky eaters in our house
I used a green enchilada sauce and olives and it is a family favorite!
Finally made this tonight and it was delicious!!! My 13 year old kept saying “this is good”. Another great one to add to the rotation!!! Thanks Laney!!
Hooray!
Hi Laney,
Great recipe as usual but wanted to see if you have advice for using the Siete gluten free shells? I know they can be a little different but would like to use them!!
Thanks,
Carren
Not sure I would use a hard shell for this recipe. But you could try!
Just made this today! It was so GOOD!!!! Thank you for this recipe! It will now be in our dinner rotations!
My husband, daughter and son in law LOVED this. I could not find a 12 oz jar of sauce so I had to use a canned sauce. Recommendations where to get the jar.
Hmm, I’ve found them at Trader Joes, ralphs, gelsons and whole foods!
Hello!
This makes my mouth water just looking at it. Question – my son and husband HATE black beans. If I omit them, will the recipe still work – or do I need to add any liquid to replace what it would get from the beans?
You can leave them out!