This gluten-free, dairy-free Chicken Enchilada Casserole has a lot of layers of ingredients and flavor. This is a tortilla-less enchilada casserole/bake using zucchini for the layers, but you can easily put in tortillas for the layers if you like. It’s a bit of a “kitchen sink” recipe, so you can mix n’ match some of the ingredients to customize to your tastes. This is a perfect dinner to satisfy everyone, allergy-free or not!
Ingredient Tips:
This is a tortilla-less enchilada casserole/bake, but you can easily put in tortillas for the layers if you like. For the zucchini layers: try to get equally sized zucchinis for this so that you can make the layers about the same thickness without waste. You are essentially creating your tortillas/lasagna-like noodles with your zucchini slices. Make sure the enchilada sauce is next to the zucchini layer to help it cook down together.
If you are gluten-free, but not dairy-free you can use regular cheese and cream cheese. Miyokos, Parmela’s and Kite Hill make incredible dairy-free cheeses if you want to keep it dairy-free in this dish. Kite Hill’s cream cheese in particular is fantastic flavor.
I chose red enchilada sauce for my chicken enchilada casserole but if you love green sauce, go for it! I say to amp up the spices or change things up a bit to your liking in most of my recipes.
Bonus: No Waste Rotisserie Chicken
I grabbed an organic pre-cooked, hot n’ ready rotisserie chicken at the grocery store for this recipe to make prep way faster. You can use your own cooked, lightly seasoned chicken as well. Hot tip for not wasting those leftover bones: add the bones into an instant pot or large stockpot with 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and enough filtered water to generously cover all the bones. This could be about 10-12 cups of water and put in your instant pot or simmer in a large stockpot, lightly covered. Simmer for several hours until the liquid is almost reduced by half. Now you have your own homemade high-quality bone broth!
My favorite products for this recipe:
- Parmela Creamery Sharp Cheddar Style Nut Cheese: This dairy-free cheddar cheese substitute is shredded for easy topping and even melts like real cheese. Instead of being soy-based like so many others, it’s cultured from cashew milk. You can’t order this product online, but you can find it in many stores around the country like Publix, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Wegmans and more. Check out all their incredible products on their website: https://www.parmelacreamery.com/products
- Kite Hill Cream Cheese Alternative Spread: it’s velvety smooth, with a rich, subtly tangy and sweet flavor. It’s almond based, and I usually keep some on hand in the fridge. It comes in lots of flavors, which go great on my Grain-Free Everything Bagel Recipe! You can find it at Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods and more. Here’s the store locator on their website: https://www.kite-hill.com/where-to-buy/
Rate this recipe and let me know what you put into your Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chicken Enchilada Casserole!
Recipe and how-to YouTube video from my channel below.
Gluten-Free, Dairy Free Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Equipment
- 8"x 8" glass baking dish
Ingredients
Seasoned Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz dairy-free cream cheese
- ¼ tsp. oregano
- ¼ tsp cumin, or more to taste
- ¼ tsp. granulated garlic/garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. chili powder or chipotle seasoning powder, optional
- ½ lime, juiced
Main Layering Ingredients
- Seasoned cream cheese mixture
- 3 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise, about ¼ inch thick
- 1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off & shredded
- 15 oz can/jar red enchilada sauce
- Corn, fresh or thawed from frozen
- Chopped onion
- 1 package grated dairy-free cheddar cheese, like Parmela’s nut cheese
Optional Layers
- Slices of jarred roasted sweet piquillo peppers, optional
- 1-2 tbsp. pepitas, pumpkin seeds for sprinkling, optional
- ½ cup refried beans
Method
- Spray your glass dish with cooking oil like avocado, coconut or olive oil. Preheat oven to 375F
- Put your cream cheese into a mixing bowl. Add in dried spices and lime juice to cream cheese and mix well with a spoon. Add more spices to taste.
- Pour a layer of enchilada sauce into your baking dish, enough so it covers the bottom and you can’t see through it. Layer your first round of zucchini (about 3-4 slices in an 8”x8” pan) into the sauce, filling in as much of the dish space as you can. It’s okay to have gaps. Lightly sprinkle salt over the zucchini to season.
- Layer the chicken over the zucchini, then layer a couple tablespoons each of corn and chopped onion. Sprinkle a layer of cheese.
- Pour another layer of enchilada sauce, then layer your next round of zucchini slices. Spread all of your cream cheese in a thick layer.
- Now to add some of the optional layers, which can also be interspersed with the previous layer of corn/onion: Layer the pieces of roasted piquillo peppers all across the cream cheese, if using. Sprinkle a light layer of pepitas, if using. Layer beans, if using.
- Sprinkle your final layer of chicken, onion and corn. Add more cheese and enchilada sauce, then your last round of zucchini slices. Sprinkle a generous last layer of cheese.
- Press down lightly, the layers may be slightly above the top of the pan. Bake casserole in oven for 60-75 minutes. Top layer of cheese should be melted and lightly browned.