Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole (Printable View)
Layered chicken, salsa verde, corn, beans and melted cheese baked with corn tortillas for a zesty weeknight main.
# What You Need:
→ Protein & Dairy
01 - 3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
02 - 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
03 - 1 cup sour cream
→ Vegetables & Condiments
04 - 1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde
05 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
06 - 1 ½ cups frozen or canned corn kernels, drained
07 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Starches
09 - 10 small corn tortillas, cut into strips
→ Seasonings
10 - 1 tsp ground cumin
11 - ½ tsp chili powder
12 - ½ tsp salt
13 - ¼ tsp black pepper
→ Optional Toppings
14 - ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
15 - 1 avocado, sliced
16 - Lime wedges
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, stir together the shredded chicken, black beans, corn, chopped red onion, garlic, half of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the salsa verde and sour cream until smooth and well blended.
04 - Spread a thin, even layer of the salsa verde sauce across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
05 - Arrange half of the corn tortilla strips evenly over the sauce in the dish.
06 - Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortilla strips, then drizzle generously with additional salsa verde sauce.
07 - Repeat the layering process with the remaining tortilla strips, the rest of the chicken mixture, and the remaining salsa verde sauce.
08 - Sprinkle the remaining shredded Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.
09 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden on top.
10 - Remove from the oven and let the casserole stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and lime wedges if desired. Serve warm.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It transforms basic pantry staples into something that tastes like you spent all day cooking, even though your hands on time is barely twenty minutes.
- The layers of tangy salsa verde, creamy sour cream, and gooey melted cheese create the kind of comfort food that makes everyone at the table go quiet.
02 -
- Do not skip the five minute rest after baking, because the casserole needs that time to set or it will fall apart into a soupy mess on your serving spoon.
- Cutting the tortillas into strips instead of leaving them whole changes everything, since they absorb the sauce more evenly and create a creamier, more cohesive texture throughout.
03 -
- Shred your own cheese from a block instead of buying pre shredded, because the anti caking agents on bagged cheese prevent it from melting into that smooth, gorgeous blanket you want.
- Taste your salsa verde before mixing it with the sour cream, since jarred brands vary wildly in acidity and heat, and adjusting at that stage saves you from a bland or overpowering casserole.