Hatch Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
This Hatch green chile chicken enchilada casserole is full of delicious Hatch chile flavor, loaded with cheese, sour cream, and tender, slow-cooked shredded chicken.
When I think of comfort foods, I always think of casseroles. This chicken enchilada casserole combines all the sensibilities of a casserole with the zesty Mexican flavors of enchiladas. It’s so good and so easy!
Pair it with other tasty Mexican food options like chunky avocado salsa, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, and Spanish rice for the ultimate party or Taco Tuesday!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This recipe only requires a few simple ingredients.
- Easy: Just slow-cook the chicken, layer the ingredients, and bake. It’s that easy!
- Classic Flavor: This recipe packs a ton of authentic chicken enchiladas flavor into a classic, comfort food package.
- Versatile: This is a great weeknight dinner or potluck dish.
Key Ingredients
While the key ingredients are listed here, you can find a full list along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Chicken Breasts: Chicken breasts are meaty and mild, pairing well with the other ingredients in the casserole.
- Hatch Chiles: Roasted Hatch chiles add a deep, smoky, earthy, rich flavor that’s not overly spicy.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Green enchilada sauce adds a tangy, slightly spicy flavor with bright citrus notes and a tartness not found in red sauce.
- Corn Tortillas: Corn tortillas are the gold standard for the casserole because they hold their shape well after being layered and baked.
Flavor Variations
- Use Different Proteins: Layer the ingredients in my crock pot beef enchiladas, pulled pork enchiladas, or sour cream turkey enchiladas rather than rolling them to make different casseroles. You could even use shrimp for a seafood version.
- Extra Spicy: Choose hotter Hatch chile varieties or add diced jalapenos to the chicken for even more heat.
- Mild: Choose mild Hatch chile varieties for less heat. Hatch chiles come in a variety of heat levels.
- A Sweeter Flavor: Use red enchilada sauce for a sweeter, less tangy flavor.
- Cheese: I use Monterey Jack cheese, but any melty cheese will work. Try Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Mexican blend, or taco blend.
How to Make Hatch Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
I’ve included a brief overview of the recipe here, but you’ll find the exact instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Roast the hatch chiles in the oven until soft. Then, place in a large baggie to steam. Finally, peel them, remove the seeds, and chop.
- Add the chicken, chiles, green enchilada sauce, and seasonings to the crock pot and cook until the chicken is tender. Then, shred the chicken.
- Add some enchilada sauce to the bottom of a prepared baking dish.
- Layer tortillas, sour cream, chicken, cheese, and olives in the dish. Repeat, ending with cheese and black olives.
- Cover with foil and bake until melty. Then, remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is golden. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Shred your chicken while it’s as hot as possible. It’s easier to shred hot or warm meat than cool meat. Just be careful!
- Always wash your hands and never touch your face after handling hot peppers.
- Chiles are perfectly roasted when the skin is bubbly and blistered.
- It’s important to steam the peppers for about 10 minutes to loosen the skin and make peeling easy.
- For a layered casserole like this, corn tortillas are the way to go. Flour tortillas will disintegrate.
- Spray the underside of your foil with nonstick spray to keep the cheese from sticking to it.
Hatch Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole FAQs
Hatch green chile chicken enchilada casserole is a casserole version of the classic Tex-Mex dish. It features a unique, smoky, tangy flavor, thanks to the Hatch green chiles.
Enchilada casserole should be covered initially to allow everything to cook without drying out. Then, it should be uncovered, so the cheese can brown a bit.
These chiles are grown only in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. The location gives the chiles a unique flavor profile, thanks to the fertile soil and the region’s specific climate.
More Delicious Casserole Recipes
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Hatch Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 lg onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 large New Mexico Hatch chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, chopped
- 10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper
- 28 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
- 16 oz sour cream
- 6 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 2 3.8 oz cans black olives, sliced
- 24+ corn tortillas
Instructions
- Spray a 6 quart crock pot with a non stick spray.
- Add onions, garlic, chicken breasts, *roasted Hatch chiles to crock pot and pour a 15 oz can of green enchilada sauce over chicken, sprinkle with cumin and pepper.
- Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Once done, shred chicken and leave in crock pot until ready to assemble the enchiladas, then scoop out shredded chicken with a slotted spoon to remove the excess liquid when adding to baking dish.
To Assemble The Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Spray a large baking dish with a non stick spray and pour about a cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom (I used a 14 x 11 ½ x 2 ¼ baking dish).
- In a medium saucepan, pour the 28 oz can of green enchilada sauce into the pan. Turn on medium and once heated, dip each corn tortilla into the sauce.
- Add a layer of tortillas to the bottom of dish which will overlay on each other.
- Spoon about 4 -5 heaping tablespoons of sour cream onto the tortillas and spread out covering as much of the tortillas as possible.
- Add a layer of shredded chicken, cheese, olives and then repeat the layering again ending with a layer of tortillas, cheese and black olives.
- Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes, remove foil and place back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve with beans and rice.
- *How to roast chiles: Place chiles on a foil lined baking sheet. Place in 500° oven on the top shelf and roast for about 7-8 minutes on each side. Carefully remove from baking sheet and place in a large baggie. Seal and let steam for about 10 minutes. Remove one at a time and peel the skin from each chile. Cut off stem and remove seeds. Chop, add to crock pot on top of chicken.
Notes
- Shred your chicken while it’s as hot as possible. It’s easier to shred hot or warm meat than cool meat. Just be careful!
- Always wash your hands and never touch your face after handling hot peppers.
- Chiles are perfectly roasted when the skin is bubbly and blistered.
- It’s important to steam the peppers for about 10 minutes to loosen the skin and make peeling easy.
- For a layered casserole like this, corn tortillas are the way to go. Flour tortillas will disintegrate.
- Spray the underside of your foil with nonstick spray to keep the cheese from sticking to it.
Nutrition
Have Pinterest?
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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You may want to suggest wearing gloves when you pill the Chile’s. If the Chile’s are hot they can burn your skin. The other thing is the seeds are hot. When you clean the Chile’s wash the seeds out of the Chile’s. Enjoy
Great idea and tips Penny! Thanks for sharing! :)
I was wondering if this recipe can be prepared a day ahead, then take it out of the refrigerator for awhile before baking it?
Hi Patty, yes it sure can. I hope you enjoy this recipe! :)
What temp do you bake at?
Hi Ann, thank you for catching that. 350° is the temperature. :)
Can I just use canned green chilies or canned green chilies and tomatoes instead? I am not a fan of hot or spicy food and cannot eat hot peppers.
Yes Laura, you sure can. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do. :)
Can flour tortillas be used instead of corn?
Hi Tami, yes you sure can use flour. We hope you enjoy this recipe. :)
Love to receive your recipes
Thank you Doris! I’m so glad you love them. :)