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Easy instapot gluten free mexican casserole recipe.

Easy Instant Pot Gluten Free Mexican Casserole Recipe

www.melissaraecarr.com
When you want a great Mexican casserole, the whole family will love but do not have a lot of time, go with my Easy Instant Pot Gluten Free Mexican Casserole Recipe.
I show you how to not only make your chicken flavorful with a homemade enchilada sauce, but also keep this low carb with my favorite low carb tortillas by Alamadre.
1/8th= 21.3g fat/7.4g carb/2.4g fiber/44.1g protein
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course chicken casserole, gluten free casserole, gluten free dinner, instant pot, keto, keto ingredients, keto meal prep, mexican casserole
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 pieces
Calories 394 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Pot/Electric Pressure Cooker
  • 2 Forks for shredding meat
  • food processor or high speed blender
  • Large Bowl
  • Slotted Spoon
  • 1 cup measuring cup

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb chicken drumsticks (approximately 5-6 drumsticks/legs) or chicken breast including half a cook time
  • 2 cups shredded cheese divided
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 9-12 4-5 inch A La Madre Low Carb Tortillas or other gluten free tortillas

Enchilada Sauce

  • 1 6oz can of tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons MCT oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup lime juice from a fresh lime or purchased juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon glucomannon or xanthan gum or corn starch
  • 1/4 cup ground chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chicken broth warmed
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion

Instructions
 

Enchilada Sauce:

  • Get out your blender and add everything except the chicken and cheese, starting with liquids then adding the rest of the ingredients. Blend the sauce very well until there are no more clumps. Set this aside while you prepare the chicken.

Cooking The Meat:

  • Set the pressure cooker to the sauté function and add the olive oil. Once hot, sear the chicken until golden brown on all sides. You can skip this step if you are rushed for time though. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  • Add your chopped onion and sauté and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan to help prevent the burn message.
  • Place a trivet in the bottom of the pot and add the chicken back in. Pour the enchilada sauce over the chicken and cook on MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes with a NATURAL release of 10 minutes. If it is boneless chicken breasts, cut the time to 5 minutes with a NATURAL release of 10 minutes.
  • Once the pressure valve is released, remove the chicken from the enchilada sauce it cooked in and shred it up. Remove 1 cup of the sauce to reserve for the end. Now stir in the shredded chicken into the sauce.
  • Remove the sauce and chicken from the Instant Pot and set aside in a large bowl. Start with layering the casserole as follows: chicken, tortilla then shredded cheese. Once you are out of the chicken mixture, top with the last tortilla, then the reserved sauce from the beginning.
  • End with adding the remaining cheese to the top of this Instant pot Mexican Casserole. Replace the lid and set your pressure cooker to KEEP WARM and set the timer for 30 minutes.
  • Once the time is up, its time to eat what will quickly become your favorite dinner! I cut mine into 6 triangles and served it up with some my favorite toppings like fresh salsa or Pico de Gallo, sour cream, black olives and end with some fresh cilantro!
  • If for some reason you have leftovers, or you are making a large batch for meal prep, you need to make sure you store them in an airtight container up to 5 days as it will dry out easily.
  • You can also freeze in individual servings. Cool completely to room temperature, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then put the wrapped slices in a gallon freezer bag. It will last up to 2 months like this.
  • You can reheat from frozen or thaw overnight in the fridge for an easy weeknight meal! Cook at 350F for 10 minutes covered to prevent drying it out.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving  
Calories 394
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21.3g 27%
Saturated Fat 10.1g 50%
Cholesterol 137mg 46%
Sodium 408mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 7.4g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2.4g 8%
Total Sugars 3.4g  
Protein 44.1g  
Vitamin D 4mcg 18%
Calcium 232mg 18%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 951mg 20%
  • If you prefer the taste of refried beans in your casserole, spread refried beans over each tortilla before stacking them in the casserole.
  • Add in some cauliflower rice, white rice, or brown rice for a Mexican Rice Casserole version. Layer it with the meat and use extra cheese over it for the perfect cheesy rice chicken casserole. 
  • Add an extra creamy taste next time when you stir 2 oz of cream cheese bits into the chicken and sauce step before layering.
  • This recipe is ideal for meal prep. Make a big batch and store it in individual containers for easy lunches and dinners throughout the week since it reheats beautifully and tastes just as delicious as last night!
  • Serve with a side of tortilla chips for a crunchy contrast or skip the tortillas altogether and serve the saucy chicken over tortilla chips with lots of cheese for the ultimate cheesy nachos!
What if I do not have tomato paste but tomato sauce, will this recipe still work?  Yes, but you need to adjust the added chicken stock or beef broth that you use. A common size for tomato sauce is 15oz. If you use this size, add in when the broth is called for but reduce the broth to 1/4 cup and proceed with the recipe as usual or there will be too much liquid.
Can I use any cut of chicken even if its boneless chicken breast?  Although chicken with the bone is the best option, you can use any cut of chicken in this recipe. If you are using boneless chicken breast you may get a burn notice so cook it for half of the time called for bone in chicken.
Can this recipe be turned into a slow cooker recipe?  If you want to use the crockpot/slow cooker method, you will brown the chicken in a skillet along with the onions then transfer it all to the crockpot/slow cooker and set to HIGH with a cook time of 4 hours. Once the cook time is up, remove 1 cup of the sauce to reserve for the end. Shred the chicken then stir into the remaining sauce. Spoon approximately 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture on the bottom of the crock pot. Now top with 2 low carb tortillas then top with a thin layer of shredded cheese. Repeat until the last tortilla is used. Top with the remaining sauce then remaining cheese. Cover and set to lowest setting for 1 hour to warm and melt the cheese.
Can I turn this into a vegetarian casserole?  Yes! Instead of cooking the meat in the first step with the sauce, just skip this and go right to layering. It will create a bean casserole that still creates a great mexican food quickly in the Instant Pot. Use beans, sautéed veggies like corn, zucchini, mushrooms or anything else you want to add. 
Is there a way to create a smaller portion than the Instant Pot size?  Yes, you can get a small 7-inch springform pan that is designed for the Instant Pot. You will need to halve the recipe and still cook the meat in the first step.

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal
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