This Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe is so easy to prepare! Layer up a casserole dish filled with salsa, tortilla chips, chicken, beans, cheese, and corn and then simply put it in the oven to bake. This tasty, mouth-watering casserole will quickly become a family favorite!
It's no wonder why Mexican recipes are so popular and loved by many! And this easy Mexican chicken casserole is no different. Similar to this chicken enchilada recipe, it's made with simple ingredients and is so rich and flavorful you're going to absolutely love the cheesy deliciousness.
Just like this beef enchilada casserole, you'll love the layers of tortilla chips, salsa, green chiles, cream cheese, and chicken. Every bite has layers of flavor and this is a Mexican casserole that will leave you coming for for more!
And it pairs incredibly well with a side of these crock pot pinto beans and this Instant Pot rice recipe. And try topping the casserole with this easy to make homemade guacamole!
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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. Not only is this Mexican chicken casserole easy to make, it's great for a family dinner.
2. You can prepare it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready bake!
3. This is a one pan dish which makes clean-up super easy.
4. There is always plenty of leftovers and it reheats well!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
The ingredients are simple and can be found at your local grocery store. You might already have the majority of these ingredients in your kitchen!
- Chicken Breasts: This recipe calls for cubed chicken breast. However, you can also use shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, or chicken thighs.
- Cheese: Use Mexican shredded cheese. Colby Jack or mild cheddar cheese can also be used. Using a bag of pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but shredding a fresh block of cheese will taste better than the store bought version. To make this casserole a little bit healthier, use cheese that is made with 2% milk.
- Cream Cheese: Use a low-fat or ⅓ less fat cream cheese to reduce the calories.
- Black Beans: Pinto beans can be used instead of black beans.
- Salsa and Green Chiles: Use a mild salsa to make this casserole less spicy or use hot salsa to increase the heat level. The same holds true for the green chiles.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by baking the chicken breast. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until the center of the chicken reaches 165°F. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite-size cubes and set aside.
Step 2: Increase the heat of the oven to 400°F. Then, coat a 3-quart baking dish using cooking spray.
👩🍳 Chef's note: A 9x13 baking dish also holds right around 3 quarts so in this recipe, you can use either a 9x13 dish or a 3 quart baking dish.
Step 3: In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked chicken breast, green chiles, beans, corn, and softened cream cheese. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
Step 4: Layer 1 cup of salsa evenly at the bottom of the dish.
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Step 5: Break the corn tortilla chips into large chunks and then layer them over the top of the salsa.
Step 6: Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the layer of chips.
Step 7: Layer the remaining salsa on top of the chicken mixture.
Step 8: Put the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. When done, evenly sprinkle on the shredded cheese. Allow it to cook for 10 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Step 9: Remove the dish from the oven and enjoy!
This Mexican chicken casserole is an easy recipe that is full of Mexican flavors that everyone will love!
🥑 Toppings
In my rotisserie chicken tacos recipe, I talk about the endless possibilities for toppings! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Green onions
- Freshly sliced Jalapeños
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Shredded lettuce
- Olives
- Extra cheese
🙋 Recipe FAQs
Other meat alternatives that can be used in place of chicken are ground beef or ground turkey. Looking for a vegetarian option? This can be made without meat. Just add one extra can of black beans to replace the chicken.
This Mexican casserole does have a bit of a kick to it; however, it really depends on how you tolerate spice. It's easy to modify the spiciness of this recipe. To make it less spicy, reduce the number of canned chiles in half by using a 4-ounce can of mild green chiles. The type of salsa used will also affect the level of heat.
No, I do not recommended freezing this casserole. Because it contains dairy, the texture and consistency of the cheese after freezing is off.
Once the casserole has cooled, you can cover the entire baking dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it directly in the refrigerator. Or, remove any leftovers from the casserole dish and place it in a container with a lid. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days after cooking. To reheat, place a piece of casserole on a microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.
💭 Expert Tips
- Break the tortilla chips into pieces that are about ¾-1” diameter. Corn tortillas or flour tortillas can also be used in place of chips.
- The easiest way to crush chips is by placing them in a ziplock bag and crushing them with your hands. This is also a good way to use up the leftover broken chips in the bottom of a bag!
- It is important to spread salsa into the bottom of the casserole dish before adding the chips. This helps prevent the chips from burning to the bottom of the baking dish.
- For an easy dinner prep, assemble this casserole the night before, but wait to cook it. Prepare the casserole, place it in a baking dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Let the dish sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
If you tried this Mexican Chicken Casserole or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Mexican Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast cubes, 2 medium chicken breast
- 2 4 oz cans green chiles
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can corn, drained
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
- 2 cups salsa, divided
- 1½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until the center of the chicken reaches 165°F. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite-size cubes and set aside.
- Increase the heat of the oven to 400 F. Spray a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the 2 ½ cups of cooked cubed chicken breast, 2 4 ounce cans of green chiles, 1 ounce can of black beans, 15 ounce can of corn, and 8 ounces of softened cream cheese. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- Begin assembling the casserole. Spread 1 cup of salsa evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Then, layer 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips evenly on top of the salsa.
- Spread the chicken mixture over the tortilla chips.
- Layer with the remaining 1 cup of salsa.
- Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with 1 ½ cups shredded cheese. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use Mexican shredded cheese. Colby Jack or mild cheddar cheese can also be used. Using a bag of pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but shredding a fresh block of cheese will taste better than the store bought version.
- To make this casserole a little bit healthier, use cheese that is made with 2% milk.You can also use a low-fat or ⅓ less fat cream cheese to save a few calories.
- Break the tortilla chips into pieces that are about ¾-1” diameter. Corn tortillas or flour tortillas can also be used in place of chips.
- The easiest way to crush chips is by placing them in a ziplock bag and crushing them with your hands. This is also a good way to use up the leftover broken chips in the bottom of a bag!
- It is important to spread salsa into the bottom of the casserole dish before adding the chips. This helps prevent the chips from burning to the bottom of the baking dish.
- For an easy dinner prep, assemble this casserole the night before, but wait to cook it. Prepare the casserole, place it in a baking dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Let the dish sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
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Mary
Easy! Excellent! And DELICIOUS!! Top it off with some Cholula hot sauce.
Mmmmmmm good!
Amanda Mason
Hi Mary! Yeah!! Im SOOO glad you love it! It's such a GREAT dinner recipe! Love that you added the hot sauce!!!