Easy Green Chile Chicken Casserole 2 Ways

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.

Easy green chile chicken casserole Pinterest image

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Here’s the 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.

green chile chicken casserole ingredients

Ingredients

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

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.

green chile chicken casserole slice

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.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8
Calories 272 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 4 ounce cans diced green chiles
  • 1 5 ounce can 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 chicken You may also use chopped, cooked chicken.
  • 1 pound grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
  • 12 corn tortillas cut into quarters

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish.
  • In a large bowl, 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 before serving.

Notes

This recipe may also me be made in a crock pot. 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
Keyword casserole, dinner, easy recipes

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

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

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14 thoughts on “Easy Green Chile Chicken Casserole 2 Ways”

  1. This green chile chicken casserole looks fantastic. I don’t think I have ever cooked anything with green chiles before, but my family lives for chicken, so it’s always nice to have new dishes to try. Going to add this to our meal plan and see how we like it.

    Reply
    • Great! I need to find a good recipe for making canned green chiles so I can make my own. They aren’t too spicy and add a nice flavor to this casserole.

      Reply
  2. This looks delicious!!!
    I love having good casserole recipes on hand. It’s a rainy week and this sounds like an excellent rainy night meal. And I’m a big fan of green chilis so green chili chicken casserole is right up my alley!

    Reply
    • Nice! Yes, I think this would make a fabulous rainy night meal. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Green Chile Casserole sounds quite tasty. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. 5 stars
    This chile chicken casserole sounds delicious! While I would love it spicy, my kids might not so much, so I appreciate your substitution recommendations. I also like how you modified it to add chicken. I’ll add this to the list to make in the next few weeks. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Oh, awesome! I hope you find the perfect version that everyone in your family will enjoy.

      Reply
  5. Green chili chicken casserole sounds like a great idea I just need to get some Hatch chilies.

    Reply
    • I’m glad you like the idea of green chile chicken casserole!

      Reply
  6. Green chiles are my absolute favorite when I travel to the southwest. I order every meal with them! Will be putting this in my Pinterest file for casseroles for a rainy cold day in the future.

    Reply
    • Terrific! I need to find a good recipe for making canned green chiles since a lot of people seem to like them.

      Reply
  7. I am a big fan of cheese. This green chile chicken casserole looks amazing. Thanks for sharing two ways to make it.

    Reply
    • Of course! I hope you get the chance to try it out for yourself.

      Reply

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