Roasted Poblano & Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Looking for a delicious, family-friendly recipe that will bring everyone together around the table? My roasted poblano and chicken enchilada casserole is just the thing! It’s packed with fresh veggies like poblano peppers, corn, zucchini and tomatoes along with tender chunks of chicken and layers of tortillas and cheese. This is a comforting one-dish dinner that brings the taste of the Southwest right to your table!

It’s A Party On Your Plate!

Southwest flavors are always a winner at our house! Can you relate?

There’s just something we all love about the contrast of smoky, earthy chillies and warm spices mingling with bright, vibrant flavors like lime and cilantro. And when they’re all tucked into several cozy layers of melty cheese and soft tortillas?

Cue the party music! It’s a tastebud happy dance 🙂

Let’s Talk Details

In it’s simplest version of this recipe you can buy cooked chicken, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, roasted chilis, and frozen corn.

If you enjoy kitchen therapy and have the time? You can cook the chicken, cut up fresh vegetables, make your own taco seasoning and enchilada sauce and roast poblano peppers in your oven.

You can find directions for both options in this post and in the recipe card notes.

However you choose to go about it? Enjoy yourself and feel good about the meal you’re preparing… everyone is going to love it ❤️

What’s In The Filling?

Did I mention this casserole is packed with fresh veggies? And all of them are in season RIGHT NOW (at least they are as I write this post). We’ve got onion and garlic, fresh corn, diced zucchini and roasted poblano peppers. As always please feel free to modify and make this yours. I could see bell peppers, cubed sweet potatoes, shredded carrots, mushrooms…all kinds of veggies getting in on this!

We love this with chicken (more on that below) but you could easily make this a vegetarian recipe and leave the chicken out. That’s just more room for veggies, right? And I include refried beans, I like the creamy feel they provide. If refried beans aren’t your thing you could also include layers of black beans instead or even leave the beans out.

Its all up to you!

Why Roast Poblanos?

Roasting peppers not only makes them softer and more pliable, it also enhances their flavors turning slightly bitter notes into more mellow, sweeter flavors. Roasting them is very easy and it doesn’t take long. If you don’t want to roast them yourself (although highly encouraged! Learning new things is fun!) you can buy roasted peppers at the grocery store.

Here’s How

Preheat the oven to 425°f and adjust the top rack so that it’s about 6″ from the heating element. Cut peppers in half so that they’ll lay flat and remove the stems and seeds. Rub lightly with olive oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet skin side up. Roast a total of 10-15 minutes, checking often, and removing when skin is blistered all over with brown spots. All ovens are different so use your judgement. The peppers should be soft and pliable when they’re done. If they aren’t, put them in for a few minutes longer until they are.

Place peppers in a bowl and cover so that they steam. This loosens the skin and makes them super easy to peel. Once they’re cool enough to handle, rub off the skin and dice the flesh (discard the skin).

Homemade Or Store Bought? It’s Up To You!

Yep, another choice! Buy enchilada sauce and taco seasoning or make your own. No judgement here whatever you decide.

When I have a lot going on in the kitchen and want to streamline my prep (and my dishes!) I sometimes buy enchilada sauce. But just as often I’ll make it myself. It’s really very easy and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.

What’s in enchilada sauce? Avocado oil, flour, chili powder, taco seasoning, chicken broth (use veggie broth if you don’t do meat). It takes 15 minutes, most of which is hands off. Instructions are in the recipe card notes.

I never buy taco seasoning anymore because it’s just so easy to make a batch myself. Plus, when you make your own you get to customize it to your preferences. Just make sure you write down any changes you make so that you can duplicate it when it’s all gone!

What’s in taco seasoning? Chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, smoked or regular paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder. Instructions for this are in the recipe notes, too!

Three Options To Cook The Chicken

I love flexibility in recipes and I struggle to settle on ONE RIGHT WAY to do things. Ultimately you’ll want 3-4 cups of cooked chicken for the casserole. I’m giving you three options for how to cook the chicken and why you might choose each method.

1- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook them on the stove top. Thighs have more flavor and stay juicier than breasts, and starting with boneless/skinless means they cook quickly and there’s no mess separating meat from bones. They take about 20 minutes and while they cook you can prep the rest of your ingredients. This is the method in the recipe card and the one I use when I don’t have all day to cook a whole chicken.

2- Cook a whole chicken in the crockpot. If you have time and you like the idea of having extra meat for future meals, this is an excellent way to go. And it couldn’t be simpler! Start with a whole chicken. Place half of an onion inside the cavity. Soften 3 Tablespoons of butter and mix with 1 teaspoon taco seasoning. Rub this all over the chicken and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Place chicken in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. When it’s done the internal temp needs to be 165°f and the chicken should literally pull apart. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then separate the meat from the skin and bones.

You’ll have more than you need for the enchilada casserole so portion the rest of it out and freeze for future meals. You can also keep some in the fridge for 3-4 days and make soup, chicken salad, sandwiches, etc.

3- The easiest option? Buy a rotisserie chicken! Sometimes we just need to take the path of least resistance and a good rotisserie chicken can be a real lifesaver 🙂

One last thing, if you’re opting for a whole chicken? Save the bones and make stock!

Make The Veggie Filling

To make the vegetable filling you’ll saute all of the vegetables in a little bit of avocado oil, just until the onion is soft. Next, add taco seasoning, salt and diced tomatoes. Let that simmer over low heat for a little while and then set aside to cool.

Assemble Your Enchilada Casserole

Choose your casserole dish and start layering. I used a 9 X 12 rectangular dish. I’ve also used a 10″ square dish. This is an area where you can play around. Whatever size and shape dish you choose just make sure it’s large enough to accomodate all of the ingredients in three layers.

Cut all of the tortillas in half. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the casserole.

Start Layering: 4 tortillas, 1/3 of the beans, 1/3 of the veggies, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/4 of the sauce, 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat these layers two more times. You’ll end with cheese and should still have some sauce and 4 tortillas left.

Coat the remaining tortillas with sauce and arrange on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top.

Ready To Bake

Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray (I use Chosen Foods avocado oil spray) and cover the casserole tightly. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. It should be nice and bubbly around the edges and your house should smell wonderful 🙂

While It Rests

It’s important to let your casserole rest before cutting it. Partly because it’s super hot and you’ll burn your mouth if you eat it right away! But also because allowing it to rest helps the layers set up so that the pieces don’t fall apart when you serve them. Give it a good 10 minutes before you dig in.

You’ve got stuff to do to occupy your time while you wait though…

Prep your toppings. I love toppings! They’re like the final accessories that compliment your enchilada outfit. Slice or dice avocado, spoon sour cream into a little bowl and top with cilantro (or lime zest???), cut up some lime wedges for squeezing over, chop fresh cilantro for sprinkling.

You know what else is nice? If you’ve got some good salsa get that out! last month when I made this I had some salsa from my friend Mel and her husband at Wolffiresmoke…they make small batches of smoked salsa and it is SO good!

What To Serve Alongside?

Ok, this is going to sound weird coming from me. Because I’m kind of the side dish queen.

But, honestly? I don’t serve anything else. I mean, it’s already got everything you need; protein, veggies, carbs and cheese 😉

So when I say this is a one dish meal, I mean it!

If you really feel that you must serve something else (I get it, really!) I think a simple tossed salad would be fantastic. And if you’re looking for a salad dressing for that salad how about this chipotle dressing?

Now, all that’s left to do?

Dig In & Enjoy!

 I hope you love this Roasted Poblano and Chicken Enchilada Casserole as much as we do!

And, as always, I love to hear how my recipes turn out for you (and I especially love to see your food photos)! So tag me at @breathingandcooking on facebook and Instagram with your creations!

And don’t forget to breath, trust yourself and enjoy the process ❤️