With Cinco de Mayo coming up, you may be looking for a delicious Mexican recipe to share with your family and friends – this Mexican Chicken Casserole is one of our favorites, with layers of tortilla chips, creamy chicken, salsa, beans, and cheese!
We went to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago and my friend made this awesome casserole (original recipe from Allrecipes). I had two helpings. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and it was really, really good. Don’t judge me.
When I went home, I immediately wanted to make it again! I followed the base recipe, but made some changes. It’s the perfect main dish for Fiesta night – just serve with your favorite Mexican side dishes, like my Mexican Rice or Slow Cooker Mexican Beans.
HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Chicken Casserole recipes are perfect for busy weeknights because they can be so easy to whip up. The layers of flavors are simple yet incredibly tasty, and you can even serve this with tortilla chips for a delicious appetizer.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE?
This Mexican Chicken Casserole a few ingredients that you likely already have on hand:
- Shredded or cubed chicken breats; Try my Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe or make enough Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken to make enough to have on hand at all times.
- Salsa
- Cream cheese
- Diced green chiles
- Black Beans (pinto bean would be an easy swap for these).
- Sour cream
- Tomato
- Green onions
- Shredded cheese
- Tortilla chips
HOW TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE
This delicious Mexican Chicken Casserole is easily assembled in layers, and takes just about 10-15 minutes of prep.
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. You’ll want to also grease an 8 or 9-inch inch baking dish (any shape – about 2 quarts).
- Since the chicken is already cooked, just shred or cube the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. If you’re making this chicken casserole as a meal, I recommend cutting the chicken into cubes. As an appetizer, go the shredded route.
- Combine the cream cheese and salsa with the chicken until smooth and creamy over low heat in a large pan on the stove. Remove from the pan and stir in the black beans and green chiles.
- Layer crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the baking dish, then the chicken mixture evenly. Next, layer sour cream, diced tomatoes, green onions and shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve as a meal with your favorite sides, or as a dip with tortilla chips.
MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE TIPS & TRICKS
Want to make this meal your own? This chicken casserole recipe is easy to customize!
- For an element of crunch and texture, add a handful of crushed tortilla chips on top before baking.
- Not a fan of black beans? Swap them out for pinto beans, or leave them out altogether and spread a layer of refried beans on top of the chicken mixture in the pan.
- Play around with your favorite cheeses. Cheddar and Jack are my favorites for this recipe, but you could use and favorite melty cheese, like Fontina, Mozzarella, or Pepper Jack for a little heat. Add some crumbled Cotija cheese on top after baking for a Mexican flair.
- Amp up the heat with some diced jalapenos in place of the green chiles.
LOOKING FOR SOME MORE GOOD CASSEROLES?
Skillet Garlic Chicken and Rice Casserole
Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts diced, about 2 cups
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 4 oz. can diced green chiles or use the whole can if you want a little more kick
- 1/2 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 to mato diced
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8" square or round dish.
- Place cooked chicken in a saute pan, add salsa and cream cheese and heat through until cream cheese is melted.
- Add black beans and green chiles and heat through.
- Layer ingredients in your prepared dish as follows: Crushed tortilla chips, Chicken mixture, Sour cream, Tomatoes, Green Onions, Cheese
- Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
This really looks and sounds yummy and quick pinned it and cant wait to try it.
Love this recipe! We use it quite often. I double the carrots and celery and add minced onion flakes to it and use Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice. After a couple hours check it to see if it needs a little bit more water added.