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Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

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Did you know that you are supposed to consume dairy and not water to cool down spicy food? It’s true, water actually makes the spice seem hotter than it is. Luckily, a big dollop of Greek yogurt on top of this Instant Pot Mexican Casserole does the trick and keeps your mouth from turning into an inferno.

For even more delicious pressure cooker recipes, check out the Instant Pot Recipes page.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole in a white bowl topped with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Did that sound a bit too dramatic? Well if you are smarter than I am and you actually read the label on the enchilada sauce before you buy it, you can avoid the issue all together. Or maybe you would prefer your Instant Pot Mexican Casserole on the spicier side, that is completely up to you to decide! 😉

Looking down on Mexican Chicken Casserole topped with sour cream served in a white bowl.

Just make sure that you decide to make this delicious Instant Pot Mexican Casserole, your family will thank you!!

How to make Instant Pot Mexican Casserole:

Press the “Sauté” button and allow your Instant Pot to heat up. Once it is “HOT”, add the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom.

Instant Pot with HOT on the display.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the seasoning mixture (cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper), set aside.

seasoned chicken breasts.

Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 3 minutes.

Sauté the diced onions.

Nest, add the minced garlic and cook while stirring for one minute.

Then add the enchilada sauce and press the “Cancel” button. Stir the sauce and onions together.

Add the chicken and flip to coat with the sauce.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole add the chicken and cover with sauce.

Place the lid on top of the pressure cooker and twist to secure it in place. Make sure the knob is in the “Sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and adjust the time to 20 minutes using the + or – buttons.

Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf 20 minutes.

When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.

Natural Pressure Release for 10 Minutes.

Carefully remove the lid and set it aside. Shred the chicken with 2 forks {I use a separate plate}.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole shredded chicken on a plate with two forks.

Add the chicken back to the pressure cooker. Add the black beans, corn, tortilla pieces, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole mix in the tortillas beans corn and cheese.

Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top and secure the lid on top of the pressure cooker. Press the “Manual” button and set the timer for 3 minutes.

Instant Pot Fried Rice cook on Manual for 3 minutes.

When the pot beeps carefully remove the remaining pressure immediately and remove the lid.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole with melted cheese on top.

Sprinkle with Queso Fresco or Monterrey Jack cheese.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole with crumbled Queso Fresco on top.

and serve.

A big scoop of Instant Pot Mexican Casserole.

with a big dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole topped with sour cream and served on a white plate.

I think may become my new favorite meal!! Have you ever tried Amy’s Organics Mexican Casserole? This is my take on it, and I like it better than the frozen version. 🙂

Recipe Notes & Tips:

  • I cut the corn tortillas into 8 bite-sized pieces, but you could also cut them into strips if you prefer.
  • 8 tortillas were used, but you could easily use 10 and it wouldn’t overpower the casserole.
  • I used Herdez Enchilada Sauce which is red chili based, not tomato based. Like I said above, the rating on the side is medium which might be a bit much for some 5 year olds, but I survived and will use it again next time.
  • If you would prefer to make your own Homemade Red Chile Enchilada Sauce, this one is delicious! Just make sure it is thin enough, a bit thicker than broth, so it does not scorch on the bottom. Look at the pictures to see how thin the Herdez sauce is.

If  you do not have an Instant Pot, you need one…but I’m sure you could also make this Mexican Casserole in a baking dish and bake in the oven. 😉

Instant Pot NOTE:

This recipe, and all of my Instant Pot recipes, are made with my two different 6-quart DUO60 models that are over 3 years old. One is old enough to have the original valve system! The newer models cook hotter, especially the 8-quart. Sauté in a separate pan or allow your inner liner to cool down completely before proceeding.

More delicious Mexican recipes:

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mexican food? 😉

Enjoy!!

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole served on a white plate

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

This easy and delicious Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will make the whole family smile It tastes just like Chicken Enchiladas without all the work!
4.76 from 29 votes
Print Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cheesecake, lemon, instant pot, pressure cooker recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 435kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups enchilada sauce
  • 1 pound boneless, chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • .5 teaspoon dried oregano
  • .5 teaspoon paprika
  • .25 teaspoon sea salt
  • .25 teaspoon black pepper
  • 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup canned corn
  • 8 corn tortillas cut into 8 pieces
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese divided
  • .5 cup Queso Fresco or Monterrey Jack cheese crumbled or grated
  • sour cream/Greek yogurt
  • choppped fresh cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  • Press the “Saute” button and allow your Instant Pot to heat up. Once it is “HOT”, add the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 3 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the seasoning mixture, set aside.
  • Add the minced garlic and cook while stirring for one minute.
  • Add the enchilada sauce and press the “Cancel” button. Stir the sauce and onions together.
  • Add the chicken and flip to coat with the sauce.
  • Place the lid on top of the pressure cooker and twist to secure it in place. Make sure the knob is in the “Sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and adjust the time to 20 minutes using the + and – buttons.
  • When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the lid and set it aside. Shred the chicken with 2 forks {I use a separate plate}.
  • Add the chicken back to the pressure cooker. Add the black beans, corn, tortilla pieces, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
  • Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top and secure the lid on top of the pressure cooker. Press the “Manual” button and set the timer for 3 minutes.
  • When the pot beeps carefully remove the remaining pressure immediately and remove the lid.
  • Sprinkle with Queso Fresco or Monterrey Jack cheese and serve with a big dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes

  • I cut the corn tortillas into 8 bite-sized pieces, but you could also cut them into strips if you prefer.
  • I used 8 tortillas, but you could easily use 10 and it wouldn’t overpower the casserole.
  • I used Herdez Enchilada Sauce which is red chili based, not tomato based. Like I said above, the rating on the side is medium which might be a bit much for some 5 year olds, but I survived and will use it again next time.
  • If you would prefer to make your own Homemade Red Chile Enchilada Sauce, this one is delicious! Just make sure it is thin enough, a bit thicker than broth, so it does not scorch on the bottom. Look at the pictures to see how thin the Herdez sauce is.
  • The Nutrition Facts do not include the sour cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1159mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1075IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 388mg | Iron: 3.1mg

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21 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Outstanding! Definitely adding to our meal rotation. Incredibly easy, affordable, and yummy. I made a large batch intending to use the leftovers for lunch… but there were no leftovers?.

  2. Hi, quick question. My Instant Pot would not come to pressure when I tried to do the last 3 minutes and when I finally gave up and opened it the bottom was burned. There’s nothing wrong with the sealing ring as it cooked the chicken fine and the next thing I cooked fine. I followed the instructions in the recipe so I don’t know why it wouldn’t come to pressure. Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong and how to fix it? Thanks!

    PS: it still tasted delicious minus the burned part on the bottom so I’d definitely like to try it again

    1. It sounds like you didn’t have enough liquid, or just a weird glitch Liz. I wish I knew for sure. The moisture content of the enchilada sauce for this recipe and salsa for the taco bowls seems to be causing some to burn but not others. You can always add some water or chicken stock in the future if it seems too dry. I’m glad the flavor was good…on the top layer at least!

      1. 5 stars
        Made tonight it was delicious!! My InstaPot did not get up to pressure on the 3 minutes either. I had plenty of juice in it. Could it be because the bottom did have a little burnt -ness (if that’s a word) to it?? I had it with Spanish rice and refried beans. Amazing! Thank u! Just curious.. my tortillas were more like dumplings is that normal?

    2. 5 stars
      Just tried this and had the same problem – I think next time I may take everything out and mix together – just add a layer of broth or hot water and then put ingredients in before I try for the 3 minute pressure. Other wise it is declicious!

    1. I have never tried that Irene. They may turn out a bit mushy because they don’t have the same solid texture, but it’s worth a try. Let me know how it goes! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    ABSOLUTELY a Delicious recipe. Made it for our Cuatro de Mayo dinner !!!
    Next time I’m gonna half to double the recipe because we devoured what we ate
    and I wished we had leftovers for the next day. Thank you for this awesomely
    awesomely delish meal to add to my favorite instant pot recipes !!!

  4. Maybe I missed it but it would be helpful if you mention which model you are using to make this recipe. My IP doesn’t have a manual button and 20 minutes seemed excessive to pressure cook so I set it for 10 and got the burn notice. 20 minutes later, it still hasn’t depressurized so I can see if my chicken is salvageable.

  5. 5 stars
    You are wonderful…I’m an experienced cook but new to the instant pot. I’m grateful to have found you to get me through the learning phase with this fun new pot. I really enjoy and appreciate all of your posts. You are not only thorough but I always feel like I’ve learned something new and just love your wit. My husband loved this and has asked me to make it again when we have company next-the true mark of success!

  6. 5 stars
    This recipe is AMAZING!! We like leftovers so I adjust the recipe for 3 lbs of chicken. I found that I had the burning issue with the last 3 minutes with everything in so I just put on the lid and let it stay at the keep warm setting. It turns out just fine. You never mention a temperature setting for the 20 minutes so I set mine to low which is sufficient for fully cooking the chicken.

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