Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole has the flavors you love in green chile chicken enchiladas, minus quite a few of the carbs! And in this mock enchiladas recipe, whole roasted green chiles replace the tortillas to make a recipe with about 11 net carbs per serving!
PIN the Mock Enchilada Casserole to make it later!
Mexican food is usually not low in carbs, but this creative recipe for Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole is a tasty lower-carb dish with all the flavors people love in enchilada casseroles. And in my extended family this has been a favorite for years, so I thought I’d update this post and remind you about it for my Friday Favorites pick this week.
When Jake and I came up with this idea of using roasted green chiles to replace the tortillas in a green chile and chicken mock enchilada casserole, I could tell from the beginning that the recipe was going to be a winner. I replaced the tortillas with layers of mild roasted green chiles from a can, and also used Hatch Gluten Free Green Chile Enchilada sauce, a new product I found at my store.
When I first tested the recipe with Jake, we loved the flavors, and I shared some with my sister Pam and everyone in her family loved it too. Hope you’ll try it if you like Mexican flavors like this.
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Where Can You Buy the Roasted Green Chiles?
If you don’t live in the west, the hardest thing about this recipe might be finding the big cans of roasted green chiles. If you have a Mexican market near you, that’s the best place to get a good price on the big 27 oz. cans of whole green chiles that I love to use in recipes. But if that’s not an option you can get whole green chiles in a can at Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Is Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole low in carbs?
This casserole has about 11 net carbs in a serving with the enchilada sauce I used, so if you’re looking for extremely low-carb or Keto recipes, you’ll have to decide if that will work for you. But if you stick to the recommended serving size, for many people this can be a nice carb-conscious dinner to enjoy when you’re craving Mexican food!
Want a slightly easier version of chicken with green chiles?
If you’d like a simpler version of this recipe that’s also lower in carbs, this Chicken with Green Chiles and Cheese has a lot of the same flavors!
How to make Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise. Put the chicken breasts in a pan, cover with water, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. As soon as the chicken is done, drain it in a colander and remove to a cutting board to cool.
- When it’s cool enough to handle, shred the chicken apart into bite-sized pieces.
- Simmer the green chile enchilada sauce until it’s thickened and reduced to 2 cups. (Look for the lowest sugar green chile enchilada sauce you can find. I used Gluten Free Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link).
- When the enchilada sauce has reduced to 2 cups, turn off the heat and then whisk in the cream cheese and sour cream.
- Put the colander back into the sink and drain the 27 oz. can of whole roasted green chiles (affiliate link). Then use your fingers to split each green chile and remove the seeds, making them into two equal piles so you can make two layers of chiles in the casserole.
- Spray a crockery or glass baking dish with non-stick spray and make a layer of green chiles.
- Make a layer of shredded chicken over the green chiles.
- Spread half the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle half the cheese over the sauce.
- Make another layer each of whole roasted green chiles, chicken, sauce, and cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 375F/190C until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese on top is getting browned.
- Let cool about 5 minutes, then cut and eat while it’s hot.
- This will keep in the fridge for several days and can be reheated in the microwave, and it also freezes well.
More Tasty Dishes with Green Chiles:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise into two pieces
- 2 15 oz. cans mild or medium green chile enchilada sauce (see notes)
- 1 27 oz. can whole roasted green chiles, (see notes)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups grated mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190 C. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. (I recommend using a glass or crockery casserole dish; any size that is close to that will work.)
- Trim visible fat and other undesirable parts from chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise. Put chicken into a small shallow pan, cover with water, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is done, about 15 minutes.
- Drain chicken into a colander in the sink (you can rinse if there’s a lot of scum.) Remove to cutting board to cool.
- Put the enchilada sauce into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 2 cups, about 20 minutes. (I’m not that good at eyeballing it, so I put it in a measuring cup to measure when I think it’s getting close.)
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and sour cream
- After you remove the chicken, drain the can of whole green chiles into the colander and let them drain for a few minutes. Then one at a time, use your fingers to split the chiles open and remove the seeds, piling them into two piles so you can make two equal layers in the casserole. (If chiles still seem wet, you can blot them with a paper towel, but I didn’t need to do that.)
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred apart into bite-sized pieces.
- Layer half the green chiles into the bottom of the casserole dish, arranging them so the whole surface is covered as much as you can.
- Over that make a layer of half the chicken, 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, and 1 cup of the grated cheese.
- Make another layer each of green chiles, chicken, sauce, and cheese.
- Bake uncovered until the casserole is bubbling and cheese is melted and browning on top, about 40 minutes.
- Let sit about 5 minutes before cutting. Serve hot.
- This will keep in the fridge for several days and can be reheated in the microwave, and also freezes well.
Notes
If you need gluten-free enchilada sauce, look for Hatch Gluten Free or La Victoria brand. I found Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link)at Amazon.com if you have a hard time finding it. I also found the 27 oz. can of whole roasted green chiles (affiliate link) at Amazon.com, but they are more expensive that way.
If you look for Green Chile Enchilada Sauce that’s low in carbs this can be more low-carb than what’s shown in the nutritional information.
This recipe created by Kalyn and Jake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 309Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8.7gUnsaturated Fat: 5.8gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 344mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1.8gSugar: 7.7gProtein: 28g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Eliminating the tortillas and adding low-glycemic roasted green chiles makes this Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole a perfect dish for most low-carb eating plans or any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Most brands of green chile enchilada sauce do have a small amount of cornstarch as a thickener, so this isn’t suitable for people who are strictly following Keto or South Beach Diet Phase One, but the amount of carbs is still much lower than traditional enchiladas.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan.
You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole was first posted in 2014 and right away it became a hit in my extended family and on the blog. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
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