Compassion Fatigue Casserole–an easy layered chicken enchilada casserole with only 4 main ingredients. Perfect for a weary dinner-maker.
Compassion Fatigue Casserole
Lately, I’ve been hearing Greg use the phrase “compassion fatigue” a lot, meaning he’s feeling emotionally drained from constantly supporting others in distress. I don’t know the long answer to help out this problem but I do know that this dinner has only 4 main ingredients and doesn’t involve a lot of prep (food solves a lot of problems ;). When you’re having a rough day and are fatigued you don’t want to make an involved dinner…Basically you just want to do the minimum and get to resting and recharging try out today’s recipe. It’s basically a super easy way of making chicken enchiladas. But even though it’s simple it tastes so gooey and yummy and comforting.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–frozen or fresh. You can also use chicken breasts.
- Red enchilada sauce–I used mild
- Cornstarch
- Corn tortillas–I like white corn tortillas
- Sharp cheddar cheese–shred off the block instead of using pre-shredded if possible
Steps
Pour water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add in the chicken thighs and then pour enchilada sauce over the chicken.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Heat oven to 350° F.
Move chicken to cutting board and shred or chop the chicken.
In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting and stir the cornstarch slurry into the pot to thicken the diluted sauce. Once thickened turn off Instant Pot.
In the bottom of a 9×9 inch square baking dish pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce. Then layer the following 3 times: 1/3 of the tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 cup of sauce, 1/3 of the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some shredded lettuce, tomatoes and black beans.
- If you have rotisserie chicken then you can make this casserole without the first step of cooking the chicken in the Instant Pot/slow cooker. Makes for a fast and easy dinner!
- This recipe is easy to double and bake in a 9×13 inch dish.
- This recipe can be gluten free…just make sure to use corn tortillas and gluten free enchilada sauce.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with corn tortillas are Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Beef Enchiladas Casserole and Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Compassion Fatigue Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
An easy layered chicken enchilada casserole with only 4 main ingredients. Perfect for a weary dinner-maker.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs (frozen or fresh)
- 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 6 medium corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add in the chicken thighs and then pour enchilada sauce over the chicken.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Move chicken to cutting board and shred or chop the chicken.
- In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting and stir the cornstarch slurry into the pot to thicken the diluted sauce. Once thickened turn off Instant Pot.
- In the bottom of a 9×9 inch square baking dish pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce. Then layer the following 3 times: 1/3 of the tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 cup of sauce, 1/3 of the cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add chicken into slow cooker and pour the enchilada sauce over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Place chicken on a cutting board and shred or chop.
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- In the bottom of a 9×9 inch square baking dish pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce. Then layer the following 3 times: 1/3 of the tortillas, 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 cup of sauce, 1/3 of the cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
If you have rotisserie chicken then you can make this casserole without the first step of cooking the chicken in the Instant Pot/slow cooker. Makes for a fast and easy dinner!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker and the oven
More enchilada inspired recipes…
Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas Casserole
An easy and flavorful way to make chicken enchiladas. Dig in to layers of cheese, tortillas, enchilada sauce and seasoned chicken.
Grandma Kay’s Enchiladas (Instant Pot, Crockpot or Oven)
Grandma Kay’s Enchiladas can be made in the Instant Pot, Crockpot or Oven. They are filled with chicken and green chiles and then smothered in a creamy and cheesy green chile enchilada sauce.
Instant Pot Loaded Beef Enchiladas Soup
A fast and easy soup recipe with ground beef, beans, corn, enchilada sauce, tomatoes and green chiles. It’s topped with tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and cilantro for a beef enchilada in a bowl meal.
Joanna Gaines’ Chicken Enchiladas
Joanna Gaines’ Chicken Enchiladas can be made in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot. Chicken, cheese and green chiles are rolled up in flour tortillas and then topped with a creamy green enchilada sauce. Finally the enchiladas are topped with mozzarella cheese. These enchiladas don’t look the prettiest but they taste AMAZING. Comfort food to the max.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Can I use no carb flour tortillas instead of corn?
Yes you can!
Could I use ground beef instead of chicken in this recipe? Also how about only cheese for cheese enchiladas?
yes you could totally do that!