Description
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole delivers all the bold red sauce, melty cheese, and tender seasoned chicken of a classic enchilada dinner in a completely effortless slow cooker format.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce
- 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels, frozen or canned and drained
- 6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed, optional
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Sour cream, sliced avocado, lime wedges for serving
Instructions
1. Spray the slow cooker insert lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the enchilada sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and diced green chiles over the top. Sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over everything and stir the sauce gently without moving the chicken.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 5 to 6 hours until chicken reaches 165°F and pulls apart effortlessly. The sauce will look thin at this stage — that is normal.
3. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred thoroughly with two forks. Return all the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more taco seasoning, cumin, or hot sauce for more depth.
4. Stir in the drained black beans, corn, corn tortilla strips, half the shredded cheese, and the cubed cream cheese if using. Stir everything together gently. The tortilla strips will immediately begin absorbing the sauce and thickening the casserole.
5. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese melts completely. For a crisped top, transfer the insert to the oven under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Scatter fresh cilantro across the top. Serve directly from the slow cooker with sour cream, avocado, and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Add tortilla strips only in the last 30 minutes — strips added at the start dissolve completely and disappear into the sauce rather than creating satisfying saucy ribbons throughout.
Drain and rinse beans very thoroughly — extra starchy bean liquid thins the sauce and dilutes the bold enchilada flavor built all day.
Stir a tablespoon of sour cream into each individual serving bowl rather than the whole pot — it creates richness per bowl without making leftovers watery overnight.
Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to shred the cooked chicken in 30 seconds — a genuine weeknight game-changer.
For green chile verde version: replace red enchilada sauce with green tomatillo enchilada sauce for a completely different, equally delicious result.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner, Casserole
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex, Mexican-Inspired