Mexican Chicken Casserole

This Mexican chicken casserole is easy to make with a creamy shredded chicken mixture, rice, beans, tortilla chips and gooey cheese. It’s perfect for weeknights!

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Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole

If you’re looking for an easy 30-minute meal, you’ve come to the right place. This Mexican chicken casserole takes hardly any time to prep and bakes in one pan in the oven. Whether it’s for a weeknight meal or Cinco de Mayo my family loves it!

There’s something about a one dish dinner that completely makes my day. This Mexican casserole, my taco bake recipe and one pot Mexican chicken and rice are some of my favorite weeknight meals to make.

Ingredients

• Shredded chicken: I like to use a rotisserie chicken for convenience. You can also make shredded chicken in the instant pot or crockpot.
• Cooked rice: Use your favorite rice of choice (white or brown rice, Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice.
• Beans: Black beans are our favorite, but you could use pinto beans too.
• Rotel: You’ll need a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, you could also use this restaurant style salsa.
• Cream cheese & sour cream: These both create a super smooth and creamy texture.
• Taco seasoning: I always have homemade taco seasoning on hand, but a store-bought packet works great too.
• Tortilla chips: The added crunch from the chips is perfect! Make homemade tortilla chips to really take it over the top.
• Shredded cheese: This recipe calls for Mexican cheese, but you can really use any cheese you have on hand.

How to Make Mexican Chicken Casserole

• Mix. In a medium bowl, mix together chicken, rice, beans, rotel, cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning.
• Assemble. Pour mixture evenly into a 9×13″ pan, then top with the tortilla chips and shredded cheese.
• Bake. Cover with foil and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil then bake additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Then serve with your favorite toppings!

Cooking Tips + Variations

• Softened cream cheese. Make sure to soften the cream cheese before mixing. Set it out on the counter about 30 minutes beforehand so that it softens to room temperature.
• Spice. If you like heat, you can mix in some hot sauce or cayenne to the chicken mixture or use hot Rotel diced tomatoes.
• Shred your own cheese. This is key for a super golden and bubbly topping. The pre-shredded bags don’t melt as well, so buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself for the absolute perfect texture.
• Doritos. You may substitute the tortilla chips for Doritos if preferred.
• Extra veggies. Feel free to mix in extra veggies like corn, onions or bell peppers.
• Skip the chips and make this Mexican chicken cheese and rice instead!

Make-Ahead & Freezing

• Making in advance: Prepare the chicken mixture as instructed and pour into the pan. Do not add the tortilla chips or cheese. Cover and place in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, add the chips and cheese on top. Then bake as directed.
• Freezing: Prepare the casserole as directed, however leave off the tortilla chips and cheese (the chips will get mushy in the freezer). Cover and then place in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, let thaw in the fridge over night and then top with chips and cheese right before baking. Then bake as directed.

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