This easy, cheesy salsa verde chicken casserole makes it simple to serve a filling dinner for a crowd on even the busiest of weeknights.
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“Love this recipe! It’s become a regular in our rotation of meals over the years, and when my older kids come home they request it. Thank you!” -Kenna, FoodieCrush reader
This post is in partnership with Kroger.
A Few Store-Bought Shortcuts Make Quick Work of This Casserole!
This recipe has seen many incarnations in my kitchen. It’s easy that way, totally adaptable to your cravings.
But an even better part of this casserole is that I can pick up just about everything already cooked and peeled and diced from Smith’s Marketplace. All that’s left is heading home to assemble and bake.
The sauce for this dish is a mix of Kroger’s salsa verde and low-fat sour cream that smothers the tortillas, cheese, butternut squash, chicken and black beans.
Unlike regular green chicken enchiladas, this recipe is a layered casserole of Mexican flavors. It makes it easy to serve because you don’t have to follow the tortilla lines once everything has melted together and portion sizes can be rationed easily.
Enjoy!
The Main Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cooked and shredded chicken — I picked up pre-shredded rotisserie chicken from the deli, but you can roast a chicken and pick it apart yourself too.
- Salsa verde — I love my homemade Hatch Chile Salsa Verde, but it gets eaten fast and isn’t around for long! Our favorite substitute is Kroger’s Tomatillo Salsa Verde. It makes it’s way onto my husband’s over easy eggs and sour cream tortilla breakfast pretty much each and every morning. (If you love salsa verde as much as we do, use your jar to make these salsa verde pork tacos next!)
- Sour cream — I used low-fat, but regular works too. Or sub in plain Greek yogurt for extra protein.
- Butternut squash — Pre-cut butternut squash is one of my favorite shortcuts because I am not always up to being a butternut squash wrangler.
- Flour tortillas — I’ve made this recipe with yellow corn, white corn and flour tortillas and I have to say, my favorite is flour tortillas. Because these tortillas aren’t fried beforehand and are baked for a longer amount of time, they can get a little too soft for my liking. So I go for flour. But by all means, make your own selection for your cravings.
- Black beans — Can be swapped for pinto beans or omitted if you’re not a bean lover.
- Shredded cheese — Use what you’ve got! I’ve made this layered chicken enchilada casserole with Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, and even low-moisture mozzarella once and all have worked great!
How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole
- Whisk together the salsa verde and sour cream. We’re skipping the enchilada sauce here and using store-bought salsa verde instead.
- Layer your casserole. That’s right! There’s nothing to chop or really even measure since we bought everything prepped and ready to go. Spread some of the salsa mixture into the bottom of you casserole dish, then cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of tortillas. Follow that up with more sauce, then ⅓ each of the chicken, beans, cheese, and squash. Repeat twice more to use up all of the ingredients.
- Bake at 400ºF until bubbling. I like to spray the foil with non-stick spray before sealing up the casserole (this prevents the cheese from clinging to it).
- Garnish and serve. Like most dishes, it’s all about the condiments for me. Fresh cilantro is always a favorite, and my husband always requests black olives in just about every Mexican dish. And I wouldn’t dare forget the sour cream!
Love the Tex-Mex flavors of this casserole? Make my Frito pie recipe next! It’s packed with layers of seasoned ground beef chili, crispy Fritos, and lots of cheese. Serve it as a family-friendly main dish or a game day appetizer.
Swaps and Substitutions
- Shred up some leftover roast turkey breast and use that instead of chicken
- Replace the salsa verde with a restaurant-style salsa
- Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a protein boost
- Swap the flour tortillas for corn tortillas (they’ll just be softer)
- Use refried beans or pinto beans in place of the black beans
- Add a sprinkle of cotija cheese on top just before serving
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 ounces Kroger Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Mild) , about 4 cups
- 1 cup Kroger low-fat sour cream
- 18 small Kroger flour tortillas (corn tortillas may also be used)
- ½ pound shredded deli chicken meat
- 2 cups Kroger pre-diced butternut squash
- 16 ounces canned Simply Organic black beans , rinsed and drained
- 4 cups shredded cheese (such as a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses)
- 3 ounces Kroger sliced olives , drained
Optional Toppings
- 3 green onions , chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- sour cream
- sliced avocado
- pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 9×11-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Layer the casserole. In a large bowl, mix the tomatillo salsa verde with the sour cream. Spread 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer 6 of the small tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Spoon 1 ¼ cups of the sauce over the tortillas then layer ⅓ of the chicken, ⅓ of the butternut squash and ⅓ of the black beans. Top with ⅓ of the cheese and repeat the process 2 more times, but set aside the last layer of cheese.
- Bake. Spray one side of a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan then bake for 60-70 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble. Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese and bake until melted, about 10 more minutes.
- Top and serve. Remove from the oven and top with sliced olives, green onions, and cilantro. Garnish with sour cream, avocado slices and pickled jalapeños. Optionally sprinkle Cotija cheese on top for a tart cheese burst of flavor.
Nutrition
More Easy Enchilada Recipes
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This post is in partnership with Kroger. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
Kenna
Love this recipe! It’s become a regular in our rotation of meals over the years, and when my older kids come home they request it. Thank you!
Happy you all enjoy Kenna!
Dee
This recipe was amazing ! I was unsure about adding in the butternut squash but it was absolutely delicious in the recipe. The whole family loved it. It smelled heavenly while cooking, looked heavenly when placed on the table, and most importantly tasted heavenly. Thank you so much sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Joanne Gledhill
This is a great recipe! Thanks for posting. Negative comments are just plain rude. And your ingredients can be bought at a lot of places but thanks for pointing out that Kroger has some great products! My store Harris Teeter I believe carries them and I will check them out.
Sarah Cranston
Do you end the layers with tortillas on top or with the chicken/beans/squash layer?
Ashley Sorenson
That is totally up to you! I like to end with the chicken layer!
Frann Todd
I am assuming the long cooking time is for the squash? If so, I can par-cook the squash in the microwave and lower the cooking time. Everything else is cooked, so I see no need to cook 60 to 70 minutes. I am thinking 45 minutes or less for a good heat through and melt cheeses.
Ashley Sorenson
Yes, that is right!!
Robert Smith
Thanks for posting this useful content, Good to know about new things here,
Kelsie
This recipe was delicious! My husband was a huge fan and he is always hesitant to eat things like butternut squash. I did seem to run low on the sour cream/salsa mixture… I’m not sure if I misunderstood but I used it between each layer. I will be making it again!
kirsten
I made this last night, and it was sooooo good, thank-you for sharing this recipe! I could have made a double batch and it would’ve all been eaten I think. However, I was confused while cooking because the recipe called for 18 tortillas, but there were only 6 mentioned in the directions, unless I missed something. I ended up putting 6 on the bottom and 6 on the top before adding the last bit of sauce, and it turned out great. Was I supposed to add another layer in the middle?
Joanne Gledhill
She layered the recipe (like lasagna).
Ana
This is a very tasty enchilada casserole. I love the addition of butternut squash (wasn’t sure about it at first, but it just soaked up all of the flavors and was awesome) and black beans. Thanks for dinner for the work week!
Kate
Do u by chance have the nutrition info for this recipe?
Hi Kate, I don’t give nutritionals at this time but if you want to check them out yourself, you can plus the info into an app like My Fitness Pal. Thanks for asking!
emily
I made this last night. It was good! I do think next time I would fry the tortillas first; too mushy! -I used hatch green brand enchilada sauce – yummy! Thanks for the inspiration and beautiful photos.
Emily
I’m making this tonight and am excited… it looks so good!
Jacky
Hey ,
Keep continue sharing such favorite recipe with us regularly, Please .
Cheryl Williams
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. I didn’t make any changes, but the next time I won’t bake for 60 minutes as part of the first step in the baking process. The bottom was just a little too done. Otherwise, it was one I will use again and again. I’m also a Kroger fanatic so appreciate getting recipes that accentuate their fabulous products.
Karen McCarthy
Made this tonight, and it was delicious!! Never had the sweet jalapeños before and I loved them!! Do you have a rough calorie count for a serving?