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Gluten-Free Green Chile Chicken Casserole

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If you are looking for a super easy and wonderfully flavorful main dish, this Green Chile Chicken Casserole recipe is for you.

If you’d like to make something new that will work for Cinco de Mayo, this recipe is for you.

If you like a recipe that you can easily double, triple, quadruple (or more) to feed a crowd, this recipe is for you.

If you’re looking for a recipe that will please both adults and kids (most of them anyway), this recipe is for you.

If you need a gluten-free comfort food dish that will be loved by your family but also is fancy enough to serve to guests, this recipe is for you.

If you love naturally gluten-free recipes that don’t require expensive gluten-free specialty ingredients, this recipe is for you.

Even if you’re not gluten free, but just looking for a delicious recipe, this casserole is for you.

This super easy and flavorful Green Chile Chicken Casserole works for Cinco de Mayo, any dinner, feeding a crowd, and more. People love it! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Now if you don’t come from the land of Mexico, New Mexico, or thereabouts, and are not a die-hard green chile fan, and you are balking because of the green chile factor, please don’t.

I used to have the same reservations, but green chiles add so much flavor and canned green chiles are actually very mild. Note that there are several brands on the market. One brand–probably the most well known name associated with green chiles by far—is shown below.

Hatch Farms Diced Green Chiles Mild

A single can of green chiles added to this recipe was perfect for our preferences, but those die-hard green chile fans will want fresh or frozen green chiles and probably the greater amount that’s shown in the recipe, too.

And, incidentally, do you say green chili? or green chiles? or green chilies? I’ve read so many different “opinions” on this subject!

As you can see above, the can says “chiles.” So we’ll go with that.

I served this dish with a small green salad and Tender Corny Almond Muffins. These muffins are a new recipe, which is based on my Honey-Sweetened Corn Muffins), and they were a great side bread for this casserole.

Gluten-Free Green Chile Chicken Casserole

This Green Chile Chicken Casserole is also terrific served over rice. All that ooey gooey creamy cheesy sauce that you see turns the rice–and the whole meal—into something quite wonderful!

Plus, serving the casserole with rice will “stretch” the meal for hungrier folks and also allow you to serve more folks.

The same is true if you serve this casserole over gluten-free pasta or vegetable “noodles”—like zucchini noodles, aka zoodles. I love using my spiralizer to make such naturally gluten-free “pasta”!

Scroll to the bottom to get this Green Chile Chicken Casserole recipe. And also check out several more terrific green chile recipes  from blogger friends below as well as some of the best gluten-free comfort food dishes here on gfe.

Gluten-Free Green Chile Chicken Casserole Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Gluten-Free Green Chile Chicken Casserole

Green Chile Chicken Casserole

This Gluten-Free Green Chile Chicken Casserole is an easy-to-make, but flavorful and wonderful dish! It's easy enough that you can make it on a week night but special enough that you can serve it to company and/or for a celebration meal.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Inactive Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish.
  3. Place halved chicken breasts side by side in the baking dish.
  4. Sprinkle halved chicken breasts with garlic powder (or garlic salt), onion powder, and black pepper, all to taste.
  5. In large mixing bowl, mix sour cream, cheese, and chiles. Mixture will be thick; mix well. Spread mixture over halved chicken breasts. I used a spatula for this task, ensuring proper coverage and that I got every bit of the mixture out of the bowl. You should have just enough of the mixture to cover the chicken. (Once baked, there will ample sauce as you can see in the photos of the finished dish.)
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Slightly adapted from my former co-worker/friend Tavie Glassmire's recipe. If using a larger amount of fresh green chiles, you might want to increase the amount of sour cream and cheese to ensure that you have a spreadable mixture of sour cream, cheese, and green chiles.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Cuisine: American / Category: Main

More Gluten-Free Green Chile Recipes and Comfort Food Dishes

Here are some more gluten-free recipes that use Green Chiles. (Always verify gluten-free status of individual ingredients.)

~ Cheesy Hatch Chile Enchiladas

~ Easy and Good Gluten-Free Lasagna

~ Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole

~ Green Chile Turkey Burgers 

~ Instant Pot Green Chile Rice 

~ Green Chile Chicken Posole 

~ Roasted Hatch Chile Stew

~ Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken 

~ Tasty Meatloaf Made in Your Microwave

~ Top 20 Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes

Originally published April 30, 2013; updated March 5, 2024.

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Comments

    • Shirley says

      Ina–I think you would love this one. It’s similar to so many of the chicken-based comfort food dishes that you make! 🙂

      Thanks, dear!
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Kalyn–Woohoo! Such an honor! It’s been a long time since I’ve made one of your roundups. 😉 Thank you so much!

      I’m sure you saw that there’s a gluten-free South Beach Diet book now. That’s a really good thing IMHO! I’m eating a completely gf SBD lunch right now. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  3. Karen O says

    This sounds very much like a recipe I learned when I lived in New Mexico for a year. Instead of the sour cream, it called for cream of mushroom (which I know is not GF). Also, it had ground beef. You layered it with corn tortillas so that would be another option if you have GF corn tortillas.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Karen–It’s good to see you here at gfe again! 🙂 There are so many variations of green chile casseroles with sour cream, soups, tortillas, etc. I have seen some very similar to this one, but made with corn tortillas. I’m sure they all taste great and can be made gf, but I like the simplicity of this recipe. Personally, when I want a casserole recipe with corn tortillas, I rely on my Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe. 😉

      Thanks for sharing some more ideas with us!
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Sarena–Thanks so much! Take a look at Cheryl Anne’s comment, too, to see if your boys would prefer her adaptation. 😉

      I am feeling better, dear–thank you! Still some healing to be done, but I no longer am a cyborg (as one friend called me!). LOL

      xoxo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Cheryl Anne says

    Hi Shirley,

    I want to tell you that I used this recipe as a starting off point for a pasta topping tonight – diced cooked chicken, used Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, added in half the shredded cheese, and a can of the green chiles. Topped it with white pepper. Mixed it together with Tinkyada Brown Rice Shells. My family just loved it. Thank you for simplifying my dinner scramble and providing us with a new family favorite!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Oh, Cheryl Anne, I so love hearing this great feedback! And, thank you, too, for leaving a comment on Pinterest as well! I figured that yogurt could be used instead of sour cream. And I have to tell you that my pasta-loving husband would far prefer your version, so I might just have to re-purpose our leftovers, adding in some yogurt and milk to make a thin sauce to go over pasta. Thank you so much, dear! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

        • Shirley says

          Hi Kim–Welcome to gfe! At least one other person has used yogurt with no problems, so I *think* if you use it with the full amount of cheese (and not the low-fat kind), it should work just fine. Fingers crossed … let us know! 🙂

          Shirley

          Reply

    • Shirley says

      kathypell–Welcome to gfe. 🙂 I’m certain that the separation issue was caused by using ingredients with no or low fat. That’s one of the many reasons that I am not a fan of them. I’m so glad your casserole still tasted good though!

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Shirley Braden says

        Hi Amanda–Welcome to gfe! And thanks so much for replying to Kathy with this recommendation. I’m not sure if she’s still reading comments here but I’ll add your recommendation to the recipe so that everyone will have success in the future if they’re using yogurt.

        Thanks again!
        Shirley

        Reply

  8. Kim - Cook It Allergy Free says

    Done. This is what I am making on Sunday. We are going camping this weekend and are getting back Sunday afternoon. This will be a super simple and delish treat for our Cinco de Mayo!! I love this one. Off to pin and share it now! Love all the other green chili recipes here too!
    xo

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Kim–I’m not going to tell Mr. GFE that you guys are going camping. He’s been bugging me to go to our mtn property to camp and I’ve said a) it’s still too cold at night there and b) I want to give my eye more time to heal as I’m always getting something in my eyes there, whether it’s bugs, smoke, or dirt. Anyway, hope you have a blast! We so love camping and it’s such a fantastic activity for all families! 🙂

      I do hope you love this dish. I’m imagining it would be a terrific simple meal with one of your wonderful salads! 🙂 Thanks for the Pin and taking the time to comment as always.

      Happy Cinco de Mayo! xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  9. Carla @ Gluten Free Recipe Box says

    Thanks for adding my chile and rice recipe and for linking to my site. I had the same idea for a recipe. It’s sitting on my to-do list still. Though I am not dairy-free, for your readers who are Follow Your Heart brand is awesome! It melts and tastes like real cheese!

    Have a great weekend!

    Carla

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Carla–Great to see you at gfe again, and it was totally my pleasure to link to your green chile rice recipe! I foresee it on lots of tables this weekend and in the future, including mine! 😉 Thanks for the Follow the Heart products recommendation. I’m sure my readers will appreciate that. 🙂

      Happy Cinco de Mayo weekend!
      Shirley

      Reply

  11. Susan says

    I can’t wait to try this. Question – where can I get dairy free sour cream and dairy free cheese? Never knew there is such products. Unfortunately, I’m lactose intolerant, but my family will love this unless I can find the dairy free stuff. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Susan–So sorry I missed your comment when you first posted long ago. 🙁 It’s the upscale grocery stores that carry dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free cheese. Stores like Whole Foods and Wegmans for example. Some brand names are Daiya, Tofutti, Follow Your Heart, and Go Veggie. Individual preferences on these dairy-free substitutes can vary greatly, so you might want to try some of these products on a simple recipe like a pizza first. I recommend adding the cheese closer to the end of cooking in that case. Best of luck on your experimenting!

      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Jessica says

    I’m super excited to try this! My husband just recently had to go GF and I had a batch of fresh roasted Hatch Green Chilies to use, it is in the oven as I write this! Thank you for your wonderful site!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Jessica–I know you left this comment a long time ago, but somehow I missed it. 🙁 I sure hope that your husband has had a great first year being gf and that you both enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for the kind words!

      Shirley

      Reply

  13. Amber says

    I made this last night and it was yummy! I shared some with some friends and they all loved it and one of them is making it again tonight. 🙂

    Reply

  14. Kris says

    I love making casseroles for my boys,(. I make TV dinners and stack them in the fridge)this one sounds yummy! Is a small container f sour cream 16 ounces or less?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Welcome to gfe, Kris! And great question. Thanks for asking it, so I could clarify. It’s an 8-ounce container that I use. I’ve updated the recipe to indicate that. Hope this casserole recipe becomes a much loved addition to your tv dinners. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  15. Kathy Beech says

    Not sure what I did wrong, but mine was watery…and the sour cream looks like it separated or curdled.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Kathy–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 But I am so sorry to here your results were not good. Did you by any chance use low fat or fat-free sour cream? Or low-fat cheese perhaps?

      Shirley

      Reply

  17. Chris says

    Just made this at home (added a clove of garlic, and some tapatio hot sauce) and it is very delicious! I shredded the chicken after I finished cooking it and I think next time I’m going to try this recipe as a filling for tamales. Very excited for that!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Chris–Sorry I’m just now “seeing” your comment from months ago! 🙁 Welcome to gfe! I love that you are making this recipe work for you. Can’t wait to hear how it worked as tamale filling! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  18. Marie B. says

    I made this! Super easy and very tasty….except, you need to add salt! I am going to try something different next time. I think lime would add some flavor to the chicken so I am going to add lime slices under the chicken. I’ll update after I add salt and limes. Oh and my picky BF loved it!!!!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Marie–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Well, lack of salt has never been a complaint on this recipe before. I wonder if it depends on the chicken broth used. Anyway your planned variation sounds tasty! Please let us know the outcome for sure and I appreciate knowing that your BF loved it!

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Marie B says

        Hi Shirley! Thank you! ? Hmmm….I didn’t see anything in the recipe that calls for chicken broth. Did I miss something? I am talking about the green chile chicken casserole.

        Reply

        • Shirley Braden says

          Oops, I WAS thinking of another recipe, Marie! So sorry. 🙁 Still I don’t remember anyone complaining about this recipe not having enough salt. It’s an easy fix for your personal preferences now that you’ve made it though. 😉

          Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Mykel–It’s good to see you here at gfe again! 🙂 I can’t believe I left that info out of the recipe! Thanks for the heads up. It’s the smallest can—either 4 ounces or 4.5 ounces depending upon the brand. With

      , it’s 4 ounces, but with other brands (like Old El Paso, it’s 4.5 ounces). Hope that helps and you enjoy this recipe! Now I want it for dinner! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  20. Holly says

    Hi. I was wondering if anyone has made a few batches at once and put them in the freezer for future nights?

    If so did the sour cream and cheese do okay in the freezer?

    And did the chicken cook all the way since it was frozen?

    My 7 year old daughter is supper excited to cook dinners for the family. I thought frozen casseroles would be an easy win for us all!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Holly–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I haven’t frozen this particular casserole and I don’t remember others saying they have either. Personally, I don’t think that freezing this recipe before cooking is the best option though. I would recommend making the recipe and then freezing it so that you only have to reheat later and you wouldn’t have the concern on the chicken cooking all the way through. The kinds of casserole recipes that folks usually freeze before cooking generally include meat that’s already cooked (lasagna would be a good example). It’s fantastic that your daughter is so excited about cooking! Good luck to her and happy home-cooked meals to you all! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Jenna says

        Quick question! When cooking after freezing would you recommend it thawing our first or can it go from freezer to oven? Thanks 🙂

        Reply

        • Shirley Braden says

          Hi Jenna–First, welcome to gfe! Second, I really don’t have any experience in freezing this dish. I’ve only speculated on what might work. I think cooking it and then freezing it, then reheating (with or without thawing) is the best option. I expect the sauce might separate some after freezing and if you’re reheating it after freezing without thawing any, you’ll need extra time adding to the baking time. Please come back and let us know your results whatever you try! Fingers crossed!

          Shirley

          Reply

  21. Lisa says

    This has definitely been a family favorite and go to meal for a while now! Everyone loves it! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Lisa–It looks like you’re new to commenting here … allow me to officially welcome you to gfe! 🙂 I am thrilled to hear that this dish is a family favorite at your house. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your review with me and other readers! This kind of feedback means the world to me and all of us who are bloggers. Truly.

      All the best,
      Shirley

      Reply

  22. Lisa says

    This is a weekly meal in our household. My husband and daughter love it, and both say it is their favorite meal. My daughter always sneaks bites of the sour cream, cheese and chile mixture before I can get it on the chicken! Ha! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  23. April J Harris says

    This recipe is definitely for me, Shirley! I love all the wonderful flavours, and how versatile it is as well. Sharing on the Hearth and Soul Facebook page. Thank you so much for all your support. Hope to see you again this week. Have a wonderful week!

    Reply

  24. Carolyne says

    I made the green chili chicken casserole tonight with organic chicken breasts, full fat cheddar cheese, full fat Greek yogurt, one 4 oz can Hatch Green Chilis and while tasty, it was very watery. The sauce had also separated. I understood that yogurt could substitute for sour cream.

    What went wrong?

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Carolyne–Welcome to gfe. 🙂 I’m sorry your results weren’t the best. Personally, I’ve never subbed in Greek yogurt. However, I thought it would work and readers have told me they’ve had success doing it but again, I haven’t tried it. I did just see in comments that the reader who said she used Green yogurt successfully said she let it get to room temperature first and that step kept it from separating. Hope that info helps if you give this recipe another try.

      Shirley

      Reply

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