Last Updated on October 20, 2023
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!
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.
Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes and quick release the pressure.
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.
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!
Stir it all up so everything is mixed together.
Then top with more cheese and black olives.
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.
Dinner’s ready! Just spoon a generous serving onto each plate and top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Hereโs a printable version of the recipe.
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๐ Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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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
Nutrition
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.
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.
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.
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.
Just quick question, what size tortillas did u use?
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).
Would using flour tortillas make a difference?
No, it doesn’t matter. Other readers have told me they use flour instead and I’ve substituted them in as well when I didn’t have corn tortillas on hand.
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!
Love this recipe! My kids love it too, Iโve made it 3 times in the last 2 months. I follow the instructions exactly and have had no problems.
I’m glad you like it! It’s one of our favorites.
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…
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 thatโs why it burnt and didnโt pressurize the second time.
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.
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.