Slow Cooker Chicken, Salsa and Cream Cheese Enchilada Casserole
40 Comments Dec 28, 2015
Updated Mar 31, 2021
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Enchilada casserole made in the slow cooker with salsa, chicken and cream cheese!
If you are looking for my standard chicken enchilada recipe you can find it here: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Or my beef version here: Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Casserole.
Table of Contents
I’m back in the kitchen making this fun Chicken, Salsa and Cream Cheese Enchilada Casserole. Enchilada casseroles are very easy to make in the slow cooker. I changed things up this time and did not use enchilada sauce. I used salsa and cream cheese for the sauce. I made this twice in the last few weeks, it was that good! It may not win a beauty contest, though most slow cooker recipes don’t.
First, the chicken cooks all day with the salsa, nothing else gets added. I did not get a photo of that step, too early in the morning and I forgot. Below is after the chicken cooked all day and the cream cheese was added.
Then I add tortilla strips, a little cheese and a half a jar of olives, mixed that together.
Then I added more cheese and the rest of the can of olives.
Cover the slow cooker again, and cook for 45 minutes more to melt the cheese and get the casserole hot and bubbly.
This casserole makes a TON! It will serve about 8 hungry people.
More enchilada style recipes to make in the slow cooker:
- Slow Cooker Classic Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
This Chicken, Salsa and Cream Cheese Enchilada Casserole was a hit at my house, I hope you enjoy it too. Have a great week!
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Chicken, Salsa and Cream Cheese Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
This gets cooked all day
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 24 oz. jar pace picante mild salsa, this is the huge jar
These things get added after 6-8 hours:
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
- 16 oz. pkg. yellow corn tortillas, (cut these into strips) it is 4 cups total after cut if you can't find the one-pound package.
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 3.8 oz. can black olives , drained and divided
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour over the salsa. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Plop the cream cheese on top of the chicken. Cover for about 10 minutes to let it get soft. Meanwhile I take this time to shred the cheese and cut up the tortillas.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks right in the slow cooker. Stir the chicken, salsa and cream cheese together.
- Add the tortilla strips, 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 of the can of olives, stir. Flatten out this mixture. And wipe down the messy sides of the slow cooker with a paper towel. Top with remaining cheese and olives.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 45 more minutes or until the casserole is very hot in the center.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
So delicious!!! and easy to make
Can you cook the chicken on high to speed up the cooking time? If so, how long do you think it would need to cook?
I would cook on high for 3.5 – 4 hours.
I have a round, 5 qt slow cooker/instant pot. Can I use that as my slow cooker for this?
Thank you!
Yes! That will work fine.
Use a mixer to shred the chicken, takes 30 seconds
chicken has been cooking in the salsa for 6 hours so far but it is really watery. Do I drain the water out before I add the cheese and tortillas? Or do I just leave it the way it is?
I think the cream cheese and the salsa will make a nice sauce. You could drain a bit out and save it and see how the cream cheese mixes in.
Can you use the hard tortilla chips and merely break them or do you need the soft tortillas that can be cut into strips? It looks like you are using hard but not sure how you cut those into strips?
I used soft corn tortillas and cut them into stips. I’ve heard of people using corn chips before, but unsure how much.
Do you happen to have the nutrition facts for this recipe?
I’m wondering if ground beef would work. I’m not a huge chicken fan.
I bet it would be good!
Do the tortilla strips get soggy in leftovers?
They are just the same as the day that it is cooked. I think they still have a good consistency.
Ummmmm, this was absolutely ridiculously delicious! And Destiny, FYI, I put frozen chicken in due to our schedules (needed the extra time), and yeah, like I said, I died and went to heaven. I put a lil extra salsa just cuz I love it (that may help anyone who said theirs ended up a lil on the dry side… Reducing tortillas would be another option, but they just melted in so nicely), and my advice? Go heavy on the cheddar cheese and olives if you like them… And add that dollop of sour cream to your serving. Yum-O! One of my new favorite dishes for sure! Thank you soooo much for this!! 🙂 Especially in the fall!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
So happy to hear Debbie!