Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole (Printable)
Zesty Tex-Mex bake of shredded chicken, salsa verde, black beans, corn and melted Monterey Jack.
# What You'll Need:
→ Protein and Dairy
01 - 3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
02 - 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
03 - 1 cup sour cream
→ Vegetables and 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 if necessary
07 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Starches
09 - 10 small corn tortillas, cut into strips
→ Seasonings
10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - ½ teaspoon chili powder
12 - ½ teaspoon salt
13 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
→ Optional Toppings
14 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
15 - 1 avocado, sliced
16 - Lime wedges
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, black beans, corn, red onion, garlic, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the salsa verde and sour cream until smooth and fully blended.
04 - Spread a thin, even layer of the salsa verde sauce across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Arrange half of the corn tortilla strips over the sauce, then spread half of the chicken mixture on top. Drizzle with additional salsa verde sauce.
05 - Repeat the layering with the remaining tortilla strips, the rest of the chicken mixture, and the remaining salsa verde sauce, spreading each layer evenly.
06 - Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese over the top layer. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
07 - Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden on top.
08 - 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 -
- Salsa verde does all the heavy lifting for flavor, so you barely need to season anything else and it still tastes like you spent hours.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, making it the rare casserole that actually improves overnight.
02 -
- Do not skip the five minute rest because cutting into it too early means the layers slide apart and you end up with a delicious but messy pile instead of neat squares.
- Cutting the tortillas into strips rather than leaving them whole makes serving so much easier and helps them soak up sauce more evenly throughout.
03 -
- Shred your own cheese from a block rather than buying pre shredded because the anti caking additives on bagged cheese prevent it from melting into those gorgeous stretchy pools.
- Taste your salsa verde before mixing it with sour cream, since jar brands vary wildly in heat and acidity, and adjust your seasoning accordingly.