If you love Chicken Enchiladas like we do, this casserole version is a time saver without sacrificing one ounce of flavor.

This week’s College Cooking recipe is a great weeknight meal. It comes together pretty quickly and it’s just as good leftover the next day.

If you’re looking to feed a game-day crowd, this casserole style is perfect for that too!

The Enchiladas Ingredients

• Enchiladas Sauce – Homemade is always better, but you can sub your favorite jar variety.
• Tortillas – I used 7″ flour tortillas, but you can use any size you like.
• Chicken – Rotisserie chicken is a nice shortcut. You can count on it being moist and super flavorful! However, you can cook chicken breasts in a crockpot or instant pot as well.
• Beans – I used refried beans in this casserole but you can use black beans or pinto beans.
• Peppers – To give this dish it’s classic Mexican taste, add mild diced chiles, jalapeno, or poblano peppers. Or use them all for great bold flavor.
• Corn – I love using fire roasted corn, but frozen or even canned works fine in this recipe.
• Cheese – Don’t skimp on the shredded cheese. Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Pepperjack all work great in enchiladas.
• Extras – I had salsa on hand and fresh cilantro so I included both. I served the casserole with extra cheese, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro and sour cream.

Recipe Tips

• Here’s a link to our Homemade Enchiladas Sauce Recipe with step-by-step instructions.
• When removing the chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken, it’s much easier to do while it’s still warm.
• Fire roasted corn & poblanos is easy to do with either a gas stove or on a grill. Check out this recipe for tips on removing the blackened skins from the poblanos.
• If using refried beans, microwave them for a minute to soften them before mixing with remaining ingredients.
• Feel free to add more or less of your favorite ingredients. This recipe allows for substitutions and don’t forget the toppings!

The Casserole Assembly

• Prepare your enchiladas sauce
• Dice your cooked chicken and combine with remaining ingredients
• Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish
• Top with a layer of flour tortillas, then a layer of the chicken mixture, then a layer of sauce
• Repeat two more times (3-layers total)
• Finish with a layer of shredded cheese
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until casserole begins to bubble around edges.
• Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

There’s a reason the word ‘casserole’ is in the title of this recipe. Because casseroles equal comfort food and this one definitely qualifies!

If you make this recipe, please drop me a comment below! I’d love to see pictures too! Tag me on social media @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook! Use the hashtag #collegecooking .

All my best,
xo Libby

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Loaded Easy Chicken Enchiladas Casserole

Loaded Easy Chicken Enchiladas Casserole has all of your favorite ingredients layered into a delicious crowd-pleasing comfort food dish.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the Enchiladas Sauce

• 3 Tablespoons canola or avocado oil
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 10 ounces tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Casserole

• 16 7" Flour Tortillas
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken diced 1 – 4 lb. rotisserie chicken
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Cheddar and/or Pepperjack)
• 2 ears corn on the cob, roasted kernels removed or 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 15 ounce can refried beans
• 1 4 ounce can mild green chiles
• 2 poblano peppers, roasted skins removed diced
• 1/2 cup enchiladas sauce see above
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup salsa optional

For the Toppings

• sour cream
• sliced avocado or guacamole
• fresh cilantro
• shredded cheese

Instructions

For the Enchiladas Sauce

• In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Cook for 1 minute, then add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Whisk to combine.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the Casserole

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• In a large bowl, combine cooked diced chicken, 2 cups of shredded cheese, and remaining casserole ingredients.
• Spread a thin layer of prepared enchiladas sauce in bottom of 9×13 casserole dish. Top with layer of tortillas, 1/3 of chicken mixture, a thin layer of enchiladas sauce. Repeat two more times. Then finish with final layer of tortillas, thin layer of sauce and top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until edges begin to bubble. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with optional toppings above.

The post Loaded Easy Chicken Enchiladas Casserole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Imagine you are behind the counter at Chipotle building the burrito bowl of your dreams with all your favorite toppings.

That’s what we’re doing, but in your kitchen, no shoes or shirts required.

The Loaded Burrito Bowl Ingredients

• Our Chicken Burrito Bowl has a base of lettuce
• Topped with grilled chicken (rotisserie chicken works great too)
• Shredded cheese
• Sliced avocado
• Fire Roasted Corn & Poblano Salsa
• Black Beans
• Pico de Gallo
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• We then give it a generous drizzle of Southwest Ranch Dressing

Recipe links above.

We ate on this great big burrito bowl for two days and it was delicious!

There’s nothing like a salad (or bowl) made ahead, waiting for hunger to strike.

Optional Burrito Ingredients

This Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl is meant for you to incorporate your favorite toppings.

Sub pinto beans for black beans, Spanish rice for cilantro lime rice, guacamole for sliced avocado.

You do you all day long.

I recently spent some time with my college senior and his buddies. If there’s one thing for certain, they love Chipotle. I witnessed a full on discussion of how superior that particular chain is over any others that were mentioned. Apparently they’re doing things right! Good for them!

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl

When I say Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl, I mean find your biggest serving bowl and prepare to make your family oh so happy.

Course Salad Entree

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 hearts of romaine lettuce chopped
• 3 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 2 cups Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Fire Roasted Corn & Poblano Salsa Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Pico de Gallo Recipe link in post
• 1 cup black beans or Black Bean Puree Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Southwest Ranch Dressing Recipe link in post
• lime wedges, fresh cilantro & tortilla chips optional garnishes

Instructions

• In a large family-style bowl, layer chopped lettuce with cubed chicken, sliced avocado, shredded cheese and remainging ingredients. Drizzle generously with Southwest Ranch Dressing. Garnish with lime wedges, fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

The post Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl is a Family Favorite appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

There are some recipes (curry, masalas, unstuffed cabbage rolls) that are a challenge to picture.  They don’t have the color pop to match their undeniable flavor explosion.  This Farmers Market Unstuffed Cabbage Recipe falls squarely into this category.

I didn’t take pictures of the step-by-step process.  I anticipated the awkward 6th grade photo-like results with crooked bangs, crooked teeth, and mom’s lipstick on my cheek (she knew deep down in her heart…we were ‘looks’ challenged…at this point in our life…we all were).  Thankfully Mom snapped many photos and offered all kinds of assurance that we were swans in a crow pond.  Below, might be a fifth grade pic, but it still fits the bill.

Back to this uber simple, overly delicious recipe.  Fresh ingredients are the first step to delivering a crowd pleasing recipe.  I brought a container of Farmers Market Unstuffed Cabbage Recipe to the office on Monday AND shared it with everyone I could.  My work-mates are the best taste-testers ever.  I made no apologies for this looks challenged, Healthy Choices recipe, as it delivered fresh full flavor.

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Farmers Market Unstuffed Cabbage Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 187kcal

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 cups large chopped cabbage
• 2 summer squash sliced
• 1 lb. ground sausage
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 jalapeno diced
• 3 cups salsa or favorite pasta sauce
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a pot fitted with a steamer basket over 2-inches of simmering water; steam cabbage and squash until crisp tender, 8-10 minutes. Reserve.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove and reserve. Pour off any fat. Sauté onion, carrot and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add in steamed cabbage and squash, cooked sausage, and salsa to pot. Heat through. Season with salt & pepper.

Notes

1 1/2 cup serving = 3 WW PTS+

The post Farmers Market Unstuffed Cabbage Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We, like most families, go through “What’s for Dinner” ruts from time to time.  Last week frankly was a bit of a challenge.  Thank goodness our Ahi Tuna Salad with the amazing Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette came through at the end.  And it’s funny because that salad never really knew where it was headed until the very last minute.  Besides the dressing, the other ingredient that stood out was the baked tortilla shell.  And so we decided that Taco Salads were in our near future.  To be exact, we agreed Roast Chicken {Mexican Style} on Tuesday and Chicken Taco Salads on Wednesday.  Looks like it’s going to be a good week!!

We have a basic never fail Roast Chicken recipe we follow that incorporates fresh herbs tucked under the chicken skin with some simples seasonings.  The beauty of having a base recipe of any kind is you can easily change up a few ingredients and create some wonderful new flavors.  We finely chopped fresh oregano, thyme, and cilantro and blended them with a little chili powder and butter.   Then we spread this mixture under the breast skin and seasoned the entire bird with an in-house spice blend of salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder.  Tonight we cooked our chicken in our Tumbleweed Pottery Bodacious Chicken Roaster.  Which essentially is a pottery beer can chicken roaster.

We served our Roast Chicken with a side of Mexican Green Bean & Potato Salad.  It was good…sorry Lilah, not a bite to share.

Related Posts…

Leftover cooked chicken = Chicken Salad with Avocado & Cilantro in a Tortilla Shell.

Roast Chicken in the Romertopf Clay Baker

The post Bodacious Roast Chicken {Mexican Style} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I realized recently that comfort food didn’t have to come in the form of a casserole or laced with chocolate (although for me personally those are way up there on my list).  

And that chicken soup didn’t have to include noodles for it to warm your soul. 

With a short list of ingredients, starting from scratch, you can have it on the table in 15 minutes or less.  A wonderful Monday evening bonus!

The Broth & Chicken

Our soup began with homemade chicken broth, waiting patiently in the freezer to be called to duty.  For the chicken, I added 1 lb. of chicken breast to the thawed broth and boiled gently until cooked.  Removed and shredded with forks.

The Salsa & Aromatics

Next step was the Fresh Tomato Salsa.  Fine diced tomato, onion, and jalapeno, squeeze of lime juice, lots of fresh cilantro, dash of cumin and salt & pepper to taste.  Added a generous cup full to our chicken broth.

The Finishing Touches

Then squeezed in juice of 1/2 lime.  Cutting other half into wedges for individual servings.  Added seasoning to taste, cumin and chili powder were nice.

Sliced avocado and additional jalapeno for garnish.  Pulled a good pile of cilantro leaves for final sprinkle.

For the chips, cut flour tortillas (for gluten free use corn tortillas) into triangles.  Placed triangles in single layer on lightly sprayed cookie sheet.  Sprayed tops with cooking spray and dusted with seasoning.  We used chili powder.  Baked at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned.

This soup reminds me that sometimes less is more.  A few simple good quality ingredients served warm from a bowl can soothe a sore throat, ease an aching back, and make you smile.  Thank you Mexican Chicken Soup.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Mexican Chicken Soup

This soup reminds me that sometimes less is more. A few simple good quality ingredients served warm from a bowl can soothe a sore throat, ease an aching back, and make you smile.

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 qt. chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh tomato salsa
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 1 lime
• seasonings cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper
• serve with tortilla chips sliced avocado & cilantro leaves

Instructions

• In medium sauce pan, combine chicken broth with salsa and juice of 1/2 lime.
• Bring to gentle simmer over med-low heat.
• Gently stir in shredded chicken.
• Add seasonings to taste.
• Serve with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, and cilantro leaves

Notes

This soup is also excellent with rice. Just add a 1/2 cup of warm cooked rice to the bottom of each individual bowl and ladle soup over top.

The post Mexican Chicken Soup {Share the Love} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere!!  Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa is so quick and easy to make and oh so much better than the jar variety.  Fresh from the garden tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, sprinkle of cumin, salt & pepper….where are the chips?!

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Fresh Tomato Salsa

Fresh from the garden tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, sprinkle of cumin, salt & pepper….where are the chips?!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For mild salsa…

• 2 medium tomatoes diced
• 2-3 Tbl. onion minced
• 2-3 Tbl. fresh cilantro minced
• 1/2 small jalapeno minced
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• dash cumin
• sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients, adjusting according to personal preference.
• If you like Hot Salsa sub serrano pepper for jalapeno or add a dash of cayenne.

The post Fresh Tomato Salsa appeared first on Lemony Thyme.