Easy Green Chile Chicken Casserole

In need of some cheesy, warm comfort food? Learn how to make green chile chicken casserole. The recipe is truly easy, and the ingredients are simple. It’s tasty and quick to put together when you’re in a hurry.

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The Green Chile Chicken Casserole Backstory

The first year I was out of college and cooking on my own, my mom did a very nice thing. She put together a collection of easy family recipe favorites in a recipe notebook.

I still have it and use it to this day. One of the recipes in there was handed down by a dear aunt who is no longer living. I think of her every time I make this delicious green chile chicken casserole.

Equipment for Green Chile Chicken Casserole

The equipment needed for this casserole is pretty basic. A knife and cutting board are needed for chopping the onions. You will need a can opener to open the cans of green chiles, milk, and maybe the soup. The main item you will need is a large (9 by 13-inch is the size I usually use) casserole dish. This one with a lid is similar to what I have, and is very handy if you are taking this casserole to a potluck.

Ingredients for Green Chile Chicken Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 small cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles

1 small can (5 ounces) milk (You can also use 5 ounces of cream or half and half.)

2 cups sour cream

1 medium onion

1 12.5 ounce can of chicken or shredded or chopped cooked chicken (pulled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken would be fabulous)

1 pound grated cheddar cheese

1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 dozen corn tortillas cut into quarters

Directions for Green Chile Chicken Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Mix all ingredients together except the cheese and tortillas. Layer tortillas in the bottom of the casserole dish and cover with half of the mix. Sprinkle on half of the cheese (both kinds). Repeat the layers. Bake, uncovered, in the oven for one hour. When the time is up, remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Dig in and enjoy! Makes eight servings.

Easy Green Chile Chicken Casserole Crock Pot Variation

When I made this recipe for the photoshoot, I was in a hurry. I had just gotten home from work and needed to get it in the oven to be ready for dinner. I didn’t have time to let it cook in the crock pot. If I had been more organized, I could have made the casserole in the crock pot. For the crock pot variation of green chile chicken casserole, just grease a slow cooker (mine is 6 quarts in size). Follow the directions given in the recipe above, layering the ingredients. Cook the casserole on the low setting for four hours for a cheesy comfort food feast.

Vegetarian Variation

The original recipe shared by my aunt did not call for any meat. I added the chicken because meatless meals are not always very popular in my household. To create a vegetarian version of this recipe, just substitute one can of cream of asparagus soup or cream of celery soup for the cream of chicken soup. You can easily omit the can of chicken since the original recipe didn’t call for it anyway.

Additional Toppings for Green Chile Chicken Casserole

Chopped olives make an excellent topping for this casserole, as well as chopped cilantro. To make this meal even more filling, the casserole may be topped with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole. Homemade salsa may also be used as a topping.

How Can You Make this Green Chile Chicken Casserole Less Spicy?

If you are not a fan of green chiles, you can always substitute chopped green, yellow, or red bell peppers. Although the green chiles aren’t extremely spicy, some people may prefer to tone down the green chile flavor a bit. Additional sour cream may be used to further reduce the spice factor.

How Can You Make this Green Chile Chicken Casserole Spicier?

To make the casserole spicier, you could add in a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper. You could also add a bit of chopped spicy pepper, such as a jalapeno or habanero pepper. If you are very brave, you could try adding a little bit of chopped Carolina Reaper pepper, reputed to be the hottest pepper in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

Quick Green Chile Chicken Casserole Shortcuts

This recipe is already full of shortcuts because so many of the ingredients come in a can. If you want to save even more time, use pre-shredded cheese. If you have leftover rotisserie chicken from another meal, that makes an excellent, quick meat option.

What Goes Well with Green Chile Chicken Casserole?

If you choose not to use lettuce and tomatoes for topping the casserole servings, then a nice berry mandarin tossed salad would go well with this recipe. For dessert, a nice dish of easy apple crisp might be the perfect finishing touch. If you opted to increase the spiciness level, some cool, creamy berry gelato would be a delight.

Which Kind of Tortilla is Best?

Although corn tortillas are called for in this recipe, flour tortillas may be used. The flour tortillas are thinner, so may get a bit soggy. If you only have flour tortillas on hand, then try them out and see what you think.

Can I Make this Casserole Ahead and Freeze It?

As with many casseroles, this casserole may be made ahead of time. It may be stored overnight in the refrigerator for baking the next day. It may be assembled ahead of time in the crock pot, if you are choosing that option, and refrigerated overnight. The casserole may also be frozen. The night before baking, take the casserole out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator. A few extra minutes of baking time (10-15) may be needed.

Are You Excited to Make Green Chile Chicken Casserole?

This delicious recipe is calling my name. If you decide to try this casserole, take a picture and tag me on Instagram. I’ll feature the photo in my Instagram story. Looking for other easy chicken recipes? Try making 4-ingredient Coca-Cola chicken, or whip up a batch of simple lemon chicken orzo soup.

More Food Inspiration

It’s always nice to have a plan when it comes to meals. If you’re looking for a way to get more organized with your meal planning efforts, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.

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Would you like some more easy, delicious recipe ideas? Consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest. Have a fabulous day, and enjoy making easy green chile casserole with chicken!