Easy Enchilada Casserole for Two — Cheesy, Saucy & Ready Fast

 

If you’re craving all the flavor of classic enchiladas without the rolling, fussing, or extra dishes, this Easy Enchilada Casserole is the perfect solution. It’s a simple, comforting, small‑batch Tex‑Mex bake made with layers of soft tortillas, tender chicken, rich green salsa, a homemade sour cream sauce, and plenty of melted cheese. Everything goes into one dish, bakes up bubbly and golden, and delivers that cozy, saucy, weeknight‑friendly goodness we all love.

This casserole is quick to assemble, uses everyday ingredients, and tastes like something you’d get from your favorite Mexican restaurant — only easier, fresher, and perfectly portioned for two.

All you need is a salad on the side, or maybe some steamed rice for those with heartier appetites. My daughter enjoyed hers with guacamole on the side as well.

 

Every once in a while I get to craving Mexican flavors.  I have only ever once lived where there was a Mexican restaurant, so usually I have to make my own Mexican food. I don't know how authentic it is, but I do know that it is delicious so I don't really care about the authenticity of it.

When my children were growing up I used to make turkey enchiladas after Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. My husband loved them as did the children.  It was a simple recipe that I had gotten from a Sunset Magazine, which only used tinned tomatoes, onions, green chilies and cooked turkey, which were rolled up in tortillas and baked with plenty of cheese on top.  You couldn't even buy tortillas back then, so I used to make my own from scratch.

This enchilada casserole recipe comes from an old cookbook of mine entitled,  Cooking from a Country Farmhouse by Susan Wyler. It is filled with lots of simple and delicious recipes. Not a dud in the bunch. No photographs, it was published back in 1993.

It is an easy way to enjoy enchiladas with no having to create a filling to wrap up in tortillas. Everything is simply layered in a dish and baked. It uses some store cupboard ingredients, poached chicken, cheese and a lush sour cream sauce. Simple ingredients put together in the easiest and most delicious way. It doesn't get much tastier than this!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

EASY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Except for the green salsa, there is nothing too out of the ordinary here.

• 1/2 pound (227g) skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 lime
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 6 corn tortillas
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (129g-194g) green salsa or taco sauce
• 1 cup (160g) frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces/114g) cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup (180g) dairy sour cream
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
• chopped green onions, black olives or peppers to garnish

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS 

• I used some chicken breast meat that I had purchased at Peltons. Peltons is a chicken and egg farm up in Torbrook. Their chicken is free range and delicious.  I have noticed in recent years that supermarket chicken has no flavor and is tough. I would rather pay more for a better tasting product and eat it less often.
• On this occasion I did not have any corn tortillas. I used corn chips in their place. Not quite the same thing, but crisp and very delicious. I just crushed them a bit in my hands, adding three thin layers as per the recipe instructions.
• You can use well drained canned corn instead of the frozen if you wish.
• I used Cholula Salsa Verde.
• I used full fat sour cream and milk.
• My cheddar was an extra strong/sharp white cheddar cheese. You want one with a nice flavor and you want to grate it yourself.

HOW TO MAKE

EASY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Just  a simple matter of poaching some chicken and layering it in a casserole dish with a few other tasty ingredients. Simple.

1. Place the chicken in a saucepan of lightly salted cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 12 minutes. (It should be just white in the center, but still juicy. You don't want it to be pink at all.)
2. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken to stand in the hot liquid for a further 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and leave to cool. (The chicken will cook further as it sits in the hot water, but the water will keep it nice and moist.)
3. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. Butter a gratin dish large enough to hold everything. (My dish was about four by six inches in size, and two inches deep.)
4. Shred the chicken into a bowl. Add the lime juice and chopped onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (You may need more lime juice. It all depends on your own taste,)
5. Whisk the sour cream and milk together until smooth. (The mixture will be thick, but pourable.)
6. Arrange 2 of the corn tortillas in the bottom of the gratin dish, overlapping as necessary to cover the bottom of the dish.
7. Top with 1/2 of the shredded chicken. Drizzle with half of the salsa. Sprinkle half of the corn over top and then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Drizzle 1/3 of the sour cream over top.
8. Cover with two more tortillas and repeat. Top with the last two tortillas. Drizzle with the remaining sour cream mixture and sprinkle with the chopped onions/olives or peppers.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until steaming hot throughout.
10. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

We enjoyed this with a Mexican Street Corn Salad, more sour cream and an extra drizzle of the green salsa. It was amazing.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Follow my hints and tips to make a really delicious casserole.

• Read through the recipe thoroughly before beginning so that you can familiarize yourself with any ingredients or equipment needed.
• Assemble everything you are going to need to make the recipe before you begin. That way you are less likely to leave something out.
• Follow the instructions succinctly. I cannot be held responsible for poor results from your not following the recipe as written.
• Use the best and freshest ingredients that you can afford to buy.
• Grate your own cheese if possible. They add fillers to pre-grated cheese to help it flow better.
• Use the right size dish.
• Do not overbake.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I USE LEFTOVER COOKED CHICKEN IN THESE INSTEAD OF POACHING CHICKEN FROM SCRATCH?

Absolutely. You will need about 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken.

CAN THIS RECIPE BE DOUBLED?

Yes, you can successfully double or even triple this recipe, which makes it perfect to bring to pot luck suppers.

DO I NEED TO USE CORN TORTILLAS?

Absolutely not. You can use wheat tortillas or even use crushed corn chips as I have done on this occasion. I appreciate that corn tortillas are not available everywhere.

WHAT IS GREEN SALSA?

Green salsa, also known as salsa verde, is a vibrant and flavorful sauce primarily made from tomatillos. Its bright, tangy flavor comes from the tomatillos, which are a small, green, tomato-like fruits encased in a papery husk. The texture ranges from smooth to chunky, depending on how it's prepared. Look for it in the Tex Mex aisle of the grocery store.

CAN I USE CANNED CORN INSTEAD OF FROZEN CORN?

Absolutely. The original recipe used canned corn. I just prefer the flavor of frozen corn over that of canned corn.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

I have never had the opportunity to freeze this myself, so I cannot say for sure. There is a possibility that the sour cream sauce will split on freezing.

   

 

A FEW MORE 

ENCHILADA RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

We love enchiladas  and Tex Mex flavors in my family. I always made turkey enchiladas with the leftovers after our holiday feasts. I think we enjoyed them almost as much as the holiday dinner. Here are a few other enchilada recipes that you might enjoy!

SHREDDED BEEF ENCHILADAS - A cozy, flavor‑packed meal that turns leftover roast beef into something truly irresistible. With just six simple ingredients, they deliver all the Tex‑Mex comfort you crave — tender beef, warm spices, melty cheese, and a bubbling red enchilada sauce that ties everything together. The filling is a gorgeous mix of shredded roast beef, sweet corn, and roasted green chilies, all lightly bound with sauce so every bite is juicy and flavorful. Rolled into soft flour tortillas, smothered in more sauce, and topped with a generous handful of cheese, they bake into a golden, bubbling dish that smells as good as it tastes.

ENCHILADAS CALABAZA - Creamy, comforting and packed with roasted butternut squash. A gorgeous, comforting twist on classic enchiladas — completely vegetarian, deeply flavorful, and wonderfully satisfying. The magic starts with roasted butternut squash, cooked until meltingly tender and then mashed with cream cheese and warm spices. The result is a silky, lightly spiced filling that’s so delicious you could eat it straight from the bowl. Finely sliced spring onions add freshness and a gentle bite, while soft corn (or corn‑wheat) tortillas wrap everything up into cozy little bundles. A generous pour of tomato salsa and a blanket of sharp cheddar turn the whole dish into a bubbling, golden pan of comfort.

  

Pin this recipe to your Dinner, Cooking for Two, Chicken or Casserole Recipe boards and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram! 

That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. 

Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Easy Enchilada Casserole

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Simple and delicious. You can't as for much more than that.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (227g) skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 lime
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 6 corn tortillas
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (129g-194g) green salsa or taco sauce
• 1 cup (160g) frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces/114g) cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup (180g) dairy sour cream
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
• chopped green onions, black olives or peppers to garnish

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a saucepan of lightly salted cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 12 minutes. (It should be just white in the center, but still juicy.)
2. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken to stand in the hot liquid for a further 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and leave to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. Butter a gratin dish large enough to hold everything.
4. Shred the chicken into a bowl. Add the lime juice and chopped onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Whisk the sour cream and milk together until smooth.
6. Arrange 2 of the corn tortillas in the bottom of the gratin dish, overlapping as necessary to cover the bottom of the dish.
7. Top with 1/2 of the shredded chicken. Drizzle with half of the salsa. Sprinkle half of the corn over top and then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Drizzle 1/3 of the sour cream over top.
8. Cover with two more tortillas and repeat. Top with the last two tortillas. Drizzle with the remaining sour cream mixture and sprinkle with the chopped onions/olives or peppers.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until steaming hot throughout.
10. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

Notes

I did not have any corn tortillas to use so I used crushed corn chips in their place. This worked very well.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.

 

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.