When you’re looking for a great freezer meal to bring to a friend or to have on hand for those nights you don’t feel like cooking, this chicken enchilada casserole is exactly the recipe for you.
This recipe is amazing for literally taking out of the freezer and putting it into the oven. Freezer to oven meals are where it’s at! And for friends or new moms who you want to bring a meal to, this is perfect (it’s super family friendly).
I am trying so hard to be better at meal prep and freezer meals in the New Year and it’s going well so far. I have two other favorite freezer meals that I’m sharing the links to below to hopefully encourage you to keep up with your meal prep journey! It’s not always easy to plan all those meals at once, but it is always worth it!
A post that I also wanted to share is this guide to meal prep. If you haven’t started your meal prep journey yet or are dabbling with the idea, read this post as a good place to start! I find that sometimes it’s not just about the prep, it’s about having something in the freezer all ready to go. I’m coming up with a bunch more recipes I’m sharing this year of just that – freezer to oven or freezer to slow cooker meals!
Ok, back to our casserole! Casseroles are such a warm and comforting dish that every one loves (this is picky eater approved! A few simple steps make this meal a perfect one to throw together and stick in the freezer for a rainy (or super snowy) day!
But just how easy is this chicken enchilada casserole?! See the super simple steps below.
- Cook and shred chicken or – even easier – use a store-bought rotisserie chicken
- Cook rice (I like using brown rice, but white rice or quinoa or a combination of grains works well)
- Combine black beans, diced tomatoes, sour cream and enchilada sauce and a few seasonings (salt, pepper and cumin)
- Place each layer in a baking dish – Rice, then the chicken, black bean/tomato/enchilada sauce mixture and sprinkle with cheese
- Bake and/or throw in the freezer for future use (or gift the casserole to someone and make their day!)
In case you didn’t miss it above, I have a secret cheat tip for you too: if you don’t feel like cooking up chicken, or if you’re extra short on time, grab a pre-made rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. What I also like to do is to make slow cooker salsa chicken for this dish. If I know I’m going to be making a double batch for friends/family/freezing, before going to bed I’ll throw chicken breasts and pour a jar of salsa into a slow cooker on low (for 8 hrs) and then shred the chicken to make this casserole with!
I think we can all agree that getting an amazing freezer meal is such a treat (or having a meal ready to go in the freezer is great after a long day) so do yourself a favor and make a double batch of this amazing freezer meal – chicken enchilada casserole!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Enchiladas with Cheese Sauce
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole
- 5 Ingredient Shrimp and Black Bean Enchiladas
Freezer Meal - Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry brown rice cooked according to package instructions
- 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 2 cans 15 oz each black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can green enchilada sauce (heat level of your liking, I usual do mild or medium)
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon cumin optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Dash of pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Spray a dish (1- 9x13 inch baking dish or 2- 8x8 inch baking dishes or disposable pan(s)) with cooking spray.
- Cook rice and chicken and shred chicken (see note for cooking chicken)*
- Drain black beans
- In a bowl combine shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, black beans, sour cream, and seasonings
- Put rice at the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spoon chicken mixture on top of rice. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Freeze or bake, cooking instructions below.
- For baking from frozen, remove from freezer and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until cheese is melted and center of the dish is warm.
- For baking right after prepared - bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Kelli says
Hello! I am wondering what the cooking instructions would be if this is divided into two 8×8 pans. I am not a very good in The kitchen without pretty specific instructions 😩. Super excited to try and make this for a friend who just had a baby!
Sweetphi says
So sorry I’m only now seeing this. It depends on how they’re cooking it (from frozen or not). If thawed or from fresh I’d recommend 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Melinda says
When do you put in the black beans?? 😊
Sweetphi says
With the chicken mixture, or you could layer then separate. Thank you for pointing that out though, I’ll make sure it’s more clear in the recipe!
Goose says
I made this exactly as the recipe said. I made the salsa chicken in the crockpot, but it wasn’t really shreddable. I just did a small dice. It is so good!! We all loved it.
Sweetphi says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!! That note about you making salsa in the crockpot and it not being shredable…I’ve found that if I cook the chicken on low, it’s much easier to ‘shred’ than when I cook it on high, maybe that might work in the future.
Cindy says
I’ve made this a few times and we always love it! Every time it’s just a little different. I added diced kohlrabi from our crop share once, and the extra crunch and veggies were a nice variation. To thicken, add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce for a firmer consistency. Thanks very much for this and all your recipes.
Sweetphi says
Oh I love all these modifications, thank you for the feedback and so glad you like this recipe!
Terry says
Can u freeze in individual containers?
Sweetphi says
Great idea, yes, you could, everything is fully cooked in this dish 🙂
Josh says
My wife thinks this will turn out too dry if baking from frozen for 1.5 hours, especially if more than about 5 minutes is uncovered. She told me she thought 50-55 minutes would do it. Does the relatively low 350 temp help with that? Recommendation if we want it pretty moist? All the ingredients are pre-cooked, so it doesn’t seem like a good safety issue as much as just getting it warmed through.
Josh says
*food* safety
Sweetphi says
Hi there – usually when things are frozen and then baked, they let off a little liquid, so I’d worry about it being too wet vs. too try if that makes sense. I’ve never had this be a dry dish. Every oven is a little different, and it also depends on what type of dish you use…if 50-55 minutes from frozen works in your oven usually, then I’d totally go with that 🙂 You can always check it and add a little extra time at that point 🙂
Stephanie says
My husband asked if I could please make this recipe again. I added chopped zucchini and green pepper to the mix and use a rice mix of brown rice, wild rice, and quinoa. Thanks for great recipes.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for sharing this, so glad your husband enjoyed this recipe (and I love the additions you made!)
Beverly says
My husband found this recipe on the net somehow and emailed it to me because he thought it looked good. I only used one can of beans because he thinks he doesn’t like black beans and I used picante sauce because he won’t eat “green” sauce. (I know! You are wondering why he sent it to me. He didn’t read the ingredients, he just thought it looked good.) Anyway, it was still delicious. At least I thought so. (He thought maybe I should have used white beans.}
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for commenting. I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe. I could see this recipe being good with white beans too!
Jenny says
Hi! Could you make this without chicken? Any vegan substitutes you would recommend?
Sweetphi says
Great question! You could totally make this without chicken or meat- i would add extra beans or I’d add a meat substitute like the “ground beef” that morning star farms makes!
Alison says
Just wanted to confirm the black beans get added into the chicken mixture? Thanks- can’t wait to try this recipe out!!
Sweetphi says
Yes, correct! Or you could layer it- both are great, hope you enjoy this casserole
Brittany Brant says
Excited to make this for a friend that just had a sweet little girl. How does it taste in comparison to a traditional enchilada recipe that has tortilla wraps? I’m curious if I should send corn tortilla wraps or chips with the meal.
Sweetphi says
Hi – that’s so sweet you’re making this for a friend, I bet she’ll really appreciate it (I literally just made this for my freezer two days ago-I had twins in June so freezer meals are a lifesaver!) This is definitely a filling meal on its own, but I think chips on the side would be a nice accompaniment! When someone dropped off a freezer meal for me once, they brought the main dish, a side, and a box of store bought cookies. I had never thought to bring chips or cookies with – in the future I’m totally going to do that for my friends because it was such a nice touch-just thought I’d share that too 🙂
Nuala says
Made this and absolutely loved it! Did the chicken first in the slow cooker with a jar of salsa and a smoky mexican stock pot – that would have made delicious wraps in itself. I halved the amount of tinned tomatoes because of the salsa to keep it from being too watery when baked. Also I defrosted it before cooking. Definitely will make it again and have two more already in the freezer made up from the same batch of ingredients.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for commenting! I love this recipe so much that I actually am in the middle of making some as I type (the chicken is in the slow cooker with some salsa right now!) In the summertime I’ll add some fresh tomatoes and jalapenos from my garden to the slow cooker too! So glad you enjoy this freezer meal!
Tara Gonzalez says
HEYYY !! I’m in Milwaukee too! 😎 we made this tonight and it was Ah-mazing! THANK YOU!!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed this casserole!!
Kelly says
How many does this feed?
Sweetphi says
Serves 6-8, depending on what size appetites people have 🙂
Jenny says
I haven’t made this yet but wanted to point out your instructions are different in the step by step directions (u state to layer chicken separately) compared to the in recipe instructions (u state to drain beans and then they are never mentioned again and u say to add chicken to the enchilada sauce,
Tomatoes, etc). Obviously a reader could probably wok their way through this but thought u might want to fix this over sight. Btw, sounds delicious and easy!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for pointing this out, I will go and edit it right away, it’s a delicious recipe 🙂
Brand says
Do you bake with foil on top or uncovered?
Sweetphi says
You could do either. If baking from frozen is suggest baking 1/2 way with the foil on and then uncovered
Chris says
This was delicious! I didn’t have any green enchilada sauce, so I used salsa verde instead and it worked out great. It was a bit runny because the consistency of the salsa, so next time I’ll try the enchilada sauce. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks!
Sweetphi says
I like that you tried salsa verde in place of enchilada sauce, so glad you enjoyed this recipe!! You could also try draining the tomatoes, that usually helps keep it less runny too 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!