Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole (Printable)
Zesty Tex-Mex bake of shredded chicken, black beans, corn and melted Monterey Jack with tangy salsa verde.
# What You'll 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 fresh cilantro, chopped
15 - 1 avocado, sliced
16 - Lime wedges
# How to Prepare:
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, red onion, garlic, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk the salsa verde and sour cream together 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. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, then drizzle with additional salsa verde sauce.
06 - Repeat the layering with the remaining tortilla strips, the rest of the chicken mixture, and the remaining salsa verde sauce.
07 - Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.
08 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden on top.
10 - Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado slices, and lime wedges if desired. Serve warm.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The salsa verde does all the heavy lifting so you barely need to season anything else, which makes this feel almost like cheating in the best way.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, arguably tasting even better when the flavors have had time to mingle overnight.
- Everything layers into the dish in about fifteen minutes, leaving you free to clean up while the oven does the real work.
02 -
- Do not skip the foil for the first half of baking because the tortillas will dry out and turn leathery instead of becoming soft and custardy underneath the sauce.
- Letting the casserole rest those five minutes before cutting is the difference between a neat slice and a soupy mess sliding across the plate.
- Check the label on your corn tortillas if gluten is a concern because some brands add wheat flour as a binder.
03 -
- Warm the salsa verde jar slightly before mixing with sour cream so it blends without clumping into cold little blobs.
- Shred your own cheese from a block instead of buying pre-shredded bags because the anti-caking powder on bagged cheese prevents it from melting smoothly.