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.
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! 😉
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.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the seasoning mixture (cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper), set aside.
Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 3 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Shredded Beef Enchiladas
- Creamy Seafood Enchiladas
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mexican food? 😉
Enjoy!!
Instant Pot Mexican Casserole
Equipment
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.
Oh this, I could definitely do this! I got an instant Pot for Christmas and I love it!
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?.
Yay, I am so glad you you like it Kristine!!
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
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!
Thanks for the reply! I’ll try adding some more liquid.
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?
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!
My instant pot doesn’t have a manual button so what do I use?
Amber, I believe the new ones have a “Pressure Cook” button.
would using ground beef instead of chicken? That’s what i have on hand. Thanks!
I would assume that ground beef would work, it works in my instant pot lasagna. 🙂
Could I substitute flour tortillas for the corn?
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! 🙂
I made this last night and used green tomato enchilada sauce. It was delicious!
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 !!!
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.
I do state which model I am using, I link to the exact same model on Amazon and there are 4 images that show the model number.
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!
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.