This Green Chili Chicken (or Turkey) Enchilada casserole is easy to make and packed with flavor! It's perfect for using leftover chicken or turkey. We always make this the day after Thanksgiving and several other times of the year!
Green Chili Chicken or Turkey Enchilada
One of the main reasons we love this casserole is because of the wide array of flavors and spices it offers. The Tortilla Chips provide a satisfying crunch, while the creamy and gooey cheese, together with the zippy Tomatillo sauce, offer a delightful taste to the palate. The green chilies, along with the addition of Serrano and roasted Anaheim peppers, provide a pleasant spice to the dish. The Serrano Peppers add a wonderful zing to the green chili chicken enchilada, while the Anaheim peppers give it a fresh and roasted flavor. We also used leftover chicken or turkey to make the dish more flavorful.
We have to mention that cold beer is one of the main reasons why we love Mexican cuisine so much! I mean, how do you eat any Mexican food dish without beer or a Margarita??????
Homemade Tortilla Chips and Leftover Chicken
So, to save calories, we make homemade Tortilla Chips. If we are in a hurry, we do use store-bought tortilla chips. Either way, this green chili chicken enchilada casserole is so delicious!!! This is so simple to do and really cuts out the calories of using Fried Tortilla Chips. If you don't want to wait to bake the chips (it takes about 8 minutes!), you can always use store-bought tortilla chips, and they taste amazing. We love the corn flavor of the homemade chips.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love a bag of tortilla chips, but we really only have them on a "cheat day," and they are delicious!!!! We make several dishes with homemade tortilla chips and leftover chicken, for example, Nachos, Tostadas, Tortilla Soup, and just good crunchy Homemade corn chips and Salsa!!!
Making the Casserole
This dish is perfect for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The Green Chili Chicken (Turkey) Enchilada casserole would have been even better if we had fresh tomatillos, but we used a delicious roasted tomatillo salsa from Frontera that has become our new favorite for this recipe. We added cumin and garlic powder to the salsa to enhance the flavors. Last summer, we made tomatillo salsa by grilling the tomatillos, and it was amazing with its smoked flavor.
The first steps to making this Green Chili Chicken Enchilada casserole are to chop the turkey or chicken, mix the cumin and garlic powder with the tomatillo salsa, chop the onion (optional), and mix the cheddar cheese and cream cheese together.
The Casserole is so simple to make. It's a matter of layering the dish. First, add the Tomatillo salsa, chips, cooked chicken or turkey, chopped onions, green chilies, and cheese, then start over with the salsa. Repeat all layers until the dish is full or you run out of ingredients! Bake for 45 minutes, and you have a mouth-watering meal.
Enjoy!!!!!
Please let us know if you try this.
Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion Optional
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken or Turkey About one chicken breast
- 8 Ounces Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Cream cheese
- 28 Ounces Tomatillo Salsa (We like Frontera) If you can't find Tomatillo Salsa, Green Enchilada Sauce or Salsa Verde will work. See Notes Below
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 4 Ounces Green Chilies Diced
- 8 Ounces Corn Tortilla Chips Your favorite brand
- Sour Cream Optional
- Cilantro Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degreesChop Green Chilies and Onions1 Medium Onion
Layer the Casserole
- Mix together the tomatillo salsa, garlic, and cumin.28 Ounces Tomatillo Salsa (We like Frontera), ½ teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin
- Mix together the cheddar cheese and cream cheese8 Ounces Cheddar Cheese, 2 Tablespoons Cream cheese
- Spread ⅓ cup of the tomatillo salsa on the bottom of a 2 Qt. casserole dish. or enough to lightly cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Add a layer of chicken or turkey2 Cups Cooked Chicken or Turkey
- Add a layer of lightly crushed chips onto the tomatillo salsa, about ⅓ of the chips.8 Ounces Corn Tortilla Chips
- Pour about ½ a cup of Tomatillo Salsa onto the chips
- Add ½ of the chopped cooked chicken or turkey and ⅓ of the onions.
- Add ½ of the chopped green chilies (about 2 Tbs)4 Ounces Green Chilies
- Add a ⅓ of the shredded cheese
- Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. The final layer is the rest of the chips, enchilada sauce, and cheese.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 10 additional minutes to get a crunchy layer on top of the casserole
- Enjoy! Serve with a spoon of Sour Cream and some chopped cilantro (optional)Sour Cream, Cilantro
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