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Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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I finally converted one of our favorite dinners into an Instant Pot recipe. This Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole is the perfect way to enjoy this easy dinner during warm weather since you won’t heat up the house running the oven.

Because it’s so easy and has just 5 ingredients, this is one of my most popular Instant Pot chicken recipes. If you enjoy Mexican food and like easy recipes, this one’s for you!

a collage of chicken enchilada on a white plate with title text reading Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Casserole is one of my easiest dinners to start with so you might be wondering why I wanted to convert it for the Instant Pot. Great question! By the way, if you wan to try this recipe in the slow cooker, try this Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

The recipe couldn’t get easier, but clean up could! I love instant pot recipes because they really are one-pot meals. When I make this casserole the traditional way, I have to cook the chicken in a separate pan or pot and transfer it to a baking dish. In the Instant Pot, I keep everything in one pot.

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How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

With just a few ingredients, this dinner is super easy to prepare and it’s ready in under 30 minutes. Here’s the breakdown with step-by-step photos.

Step 1 – Cook the Chicken

First, we need to cook the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the Instant Pot and pour the enchilada sauce over them.

raw chicken breasts and enchilada sauce in an instant pot

Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes and quick release the pressure.

chicken and enchilada sauce in an instant pot

Step 2 – Shred the Chicken

The chicken should pull apart easily. Use two forks to shred the chicken right inside the pot. No need to remove the chicken to dirty another dish.

shredded chicken and enchilada sauce in an instant pot

Want to save time? You can use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken instead.

Step 3 – Add Remaining Ingredients

Next, you’ll add shredded cheese, black olives, and tortillas to the pot. I use flour tortillas but you can use corn tortillas if you prefer!

shredded chicken and enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, olives, tortillas in an instant pot

Stir it all up so everything is mixed together.

shredded chicken and enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, olives, tortillas in an instant pot

Then top with more cheese and black olives.

shredded chicken and enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, olives, tortillas in an instant pot

If you want, you can also add black beans, green chiles and/or corn. This is your dinner, add the things you like! It’s a comfort food dish so add the ingredients you love.

Step 4 – Cook Again

We need to melt the cheese so we pressure cook for an additional 3 minutes and use a natural release.

shredded chicken and enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, olives, tortillas in an instant pot

Dinner’s ready! Just spoon a generous serving onto each plate and top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

chicken enchilada on a white plate

Here’s a printable version of the recipe.

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📋 Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Corinne Schmitt
Greal meal for the whole family!
4.17 from 288 votes
Cook Time 15 minutes
5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4
Calories 798 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 2 cups red enchilada sauce
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 1/2 cups black olives sliced
  • 10 corn tortillas cut into strips
  • Sour cream optional garnish
  • Cilantro optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and pour the red enchilada sauce overtop.
  • Place the cover on and seal. Set IP to Meat for 10 minutes. Quick release.
  • Use two forks to shred the chicken.
  • Add in half of the cheese, 1 cup of the black olives and all of the sliced tortillas. Stir to incorporate.
  • Top with remaining cheese and olives.
  • Cover and cook on the same settings for 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Natural release.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

Video

Notes

Weight Watchers Freestyle = 3 Points per serving with 4 servings, using low/zero point cheese and sour cream

Nutrition

Calories: 798kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 63gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 2580mgPotassium: 852mgFiber: 8gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1899IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 698mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

No Instant Pot? No Problem!

I’ve been making this chicken enchilada casserole for years, long before I had an Instant Pot. Follow these instructions to make it in a slow cooker.

To bake it in the oven, put the chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil and then simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes (until chicken is no longer pink). Shred the chicken. Then layer the ingredients in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish in this order:

  • 1/2 the chicken
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce
  • 1/2 the tortilla strips
  • 2 cups cheese
  • 1 cup black olives
  • remaining chicken
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce
  • remaining tortilla strips
  • 1 cup cheese
  • 1/2 cup black olives

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Let cook for 10 minutes before serving.

chicken enchilada on a white plate on a blue cloth with title text reading Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I hope your family loves this Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole as much as we do! If they did, you should try Instant Pot Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole or The Best Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe.

More Instant Pot Resources

Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.

20 thoughts on “Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole”

  1. I followed the instructions for the instant pot EXACTLY and it burned at the point when you cook for 3 more minutes. I think that instead of cooking back at high pressure it would be better to just put it on warm to melt the cheese.

  2. What could I substitute for the tortillas if I wanted to keep it very low carb? Would chicharones work? Any other ideas?

    • I haven’t tried chicharones so I don’t know if they’d work or not. I think you’d be okay to just omit the tortillas entirely. If you try with chicharones though, please come back and let me know how it turns out.

    • Hi Nancy, at my local grocery store, corn tortillas only come in one size so I didn’t think to specify. Sorry about that. I don’t know the measurement, but they are similar in size to the fajita-style flour tortillas (not the big, burrito-style ones).

  3. 4 stars
    I made this tonight for the first time. It was a big hit with my family, including kids aged 1 and 3! I did have the same problem as another poster, as it burned on the bottom a little. Next time I may just put the lid on and let it sit a while to see if the cheese melts on it’s own or try putting it on low pressure?? Not sure how to remedy this, but we will definitely be making this again. I used green sauce instead of red. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    • Hi Haley, thanks so much for the feedback. I’m going to play around with this over the next couple of weeks and see if I can find a remedy that allows for more consistent results for everyone. Maybe low pressure will work. I’ll update the recipe once I come up with a solution. Thanks again for your input!

      • I love the recipe but had the same problem. The chicken cooked perfectly but when I added the cheese, tortillas, black olives (and green chilies because I like some heat) it never got to pressure and gave me a burn notice. Sure enough, there was a thin layer of burned food at the bottom but the rest was awesome!

  4. Love this recipe! My kids love it too, I’ve made it 3 times in the last 2 months. I follow the instructions exactly and have had no problems.

  5. 5 stars
    I made this recipe but slow cooked chicken and sauce in my IP for 4 hours. So easy and delicious!! My chicken is frozen today so I will try the pressure cook instructions. I will update tonight on how it came out.

    • Awesome! Thanks so much for the positive review and I look forward to hearing your pressure cook results!

      • I set the pot after I shredded the chicken for 3 min and went to watch Sunday Night Football. Sorry! Went into the kitchen and Instant Pot said “Ouce”, I think it meant ouch. I shut it off immediately and it was just started to ” brown” on the bottom. So…I love this “go-to” recipe so much that I’m going to try it again as written and let you know without TV. Sorry I think 3 min with a QR will still be ok. I used Costco Chicken. Even with the “Ouce” it came out delicious! To be continued…

  6. I followed the recipe perfectly and it burned during the 3 min cook time to melt cheese etc. Many IP friends are telling me it needed more liquid at this time and that’s why it burnt and didn’t pressurize the second time.

  7. Hi! How many does this serve? I am making it tomorrow for 4 and want to make sure there is plenty for everyone! Thanks!

    • I double it for my family if 6 which includes 3 teenagers. And we always have enough leftover for me and my husband’s lunch the next day.

  8. Hello! Great recipe. Question for you – if the chicken breasts are frozen, how long would you cook them in the IP?

    • When I make this with frozen chicken breasts, I actually leave the cook time the same but instead of a quick release, I do a natural pressure release for 2-3 minutes.

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