This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Ourย Disclosure Policy.
This Mexican chicken casserole is absolutely packed to the brim with incredible flavors and mouth-pleasing textures. A creamy filling of shredded chicken, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and cheddar soup is layered between crispy tortilla chips and melty Mexican cheese, giving you a bit of everything in every bite. It’s the quick and easy, family-friendly one-dish recipe you’ll want to make over and over again!
What I Love About This Recipe
- This incredible (and incredibly easy) chicken casserole features 6 layers of the most delicious ingredients for tons of Mexican-inspired flavor. Black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, whole kernel corn, chili powder, cheddar soup (or fiesta nacho cheddar soup!), green chilies, sour cream, tortilla chips… It’s like a giant dish of deconstructed nachos.
- Since this casserole starts out with already-cooked chicken, it’s perfect for using up any leftover chicken you might have on hand. I also like to just grab a rotisserie chicken from Costco on really busy days – it’s so easy to shred it up and throw it in here. If you’re not in the mood for Mexican chicken, try making your casserole with taco-seasoned ground beef, carnitas, or skip the meat entirely and double up the beans. We love a versatile recipe!
- The crushed tortilla chips give the casserole a really lovely crunchy texture that plays off the creamy filling, tender meat & veggies, and ooey, gooey melted cheese so nicely. You won’t feel like you’re just eating spoonfuls of mush!
- Not only do the tortilla chips give the dish a nice texture, they can be a great source of added flavor. Use hint of lime tortilla chips or even nacho cheese or cool ranch Doritos to switch things up!
Chef’s Tips
- The chicken starts out already cooked and shredded, so you’ll need to prep that first. If you want to cook chicken specifically for your Mexican chicken casserole, I highly recommend either this 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken or my best ever shredded chicken. You can even throw in a little bit of chicken taco seasoning for more oomph.
- You’ll be tempted to dive in as soon as you take the Mexican chicken casserole out of the oven. Resist! Seriously. Give it at least 5 minutes – 10 if you can stand it – to rest and cool a little. There’s a lot of heat in all those layers, and if you burn your tongue you’ll miss all the flavor you’ve been waiting for. Plus, you’ll give the layers time to set up a little, so it won’t fall to pieces when you serve it.
- You’re in total control of the heat here, so dial it up or down as you need to. I don’t find this casserole to be particularly spicy, but you might be more sensitive. Reduce the chili powder if you need to, or halve the amount of green chilies, or stick to cheddar soup instead of fiesta nacho cheese soup. If you love heat, though, feel free to add more! Throw in some diced jalapeรฑos. Be a little heavy-handed with the chili powder. Add a little habanero or hot pepper cheese to the Mexican cheese blend. Don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredients to find your favorite flavor combo!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Mexican Chicken Casserole
A creamy filling of chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and cheddar soup are sandwiched between layers of crushed tortilla chips and shredded Mexican cheese for a casserole that's full of rich flavors and delightful textures.
servings
Equipment
- Oven
- neutral-flavored cooking spray
- 9×13 casserole dish
- large mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Chicken Filling
- 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup or condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup
- 1 ยผ cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon chili powder more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken see Notes
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained, rinsed well
- 1 15.25-ounce can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
For the Casserole Layers
- 1 ยฝ cups crushed tortilla chips any brand, any flavor
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 ยฝ cups crushed tortilla chips any brand, any flavor
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- fresh cilantro chopped
- sour cream
- tortilla chips any brand, any flavor
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐ Fahrenheit.
- Lightly spray casserole dish with neutral cooking spray, making sure to coat bottom and inner sides of dish. Set casserole dish aside.
For the Chicken Filling
- Add 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup, 1 ยผ cups sour cream, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ยฝ teaspoon cumin, ยฝ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to large mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together until fully incorporated.
- Add 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken, 1 15-ounce can black beans, 1 15.25-ounce can whole kernel corn, 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies to mixing bowl. Gently stir all ingredients together until fully incorporated and well coated in soup mixture. Set bowl aside.
To Assemble the Casserole
- Line bottom of lightly-greased casserole dish with 1 ยฝ cups crushed tortilla chips. Spread tortilla chips out to cover bottom of casserole dish in one even layer.
- Divide chicken mixture in half. Top layer of tortilla chips with one half of chicken mixture, gently pressing chicken mixture out into single, even layer, covering bottom of dish completely. Set remaining half of chicken mixture aside.
- Sprinkle 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend evenly across top of chicken mixture, breaking up any clumps or especially thick areas.
- Top cheese layer with remaining 1 ยฝ cups crushed tortilla chips, spreading chips out evenly to completely cover cheese layer.
- Top tortilla chips with remaining half of chicken mixture. Gently press chicken mixture out to cover chips completely in one even layer.
- Top chicken mixture with remaining 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, sprinkling cheese evenly over top of filling.
To Bake the Casserole
- Once all layers have been assembled, place casserole dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole, uncovered, 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check casserole. Continue baking, checking casserole every 2 to 3 minutes, until top layer of cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Once cheese has melted, carefully remove casserole dish from oven and set aside. Let casserole rest 5 to 10 minutes or until cooled slightly.
- Once casserole has cooled slightly, portion casserole into preferred number of servings. Top each serving with fresh cilantro and sour cream if desired, and serve warm with whole tortilla chips and lime wedges for extra flavor.
- Heat Levels: I don’t find this dish to be spicy or hot at all, but your palate will differ! Adjust the amount of chili powder in the filling as needed if you’re particularly heat sensitive. You may also want to reduce the amount of diced green chilies.
- Chicken: This is a great way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also use rotisserie chicken or cook and shred chicken specifically for your casserole. Check out my recipe for the best shredded chicken ever – it works beautifully in this dish!
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: I recommend using the liquid in the can of tomatoes rather than draining them. That liquid will give the filling more flavor, plus it’ll help the filling stay moist and creamy.
- Diced Green Chilies: If your tomatoes have a lot of liquid, you may want to drain some or all of the liquid from diced green chilies to keep the filling from being too wet. Otherwise, use the liquid from can of chilies along with the liquid from the tomatoes.
- Crushed Tortilla Chips: Try not to crush the chips too much. The smaller and more pulverized the pieces are, the less crunch you’ll get from them.
- Storage: Let the casserole cool completely, then cover the dish with plastic wrap or an airtight lid. Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy within 4 days. Note: the tortilla chips will lose their crunch over time and are best the day the casserole is made.
- Reheat:ย You can reheat individual servings in the microwave or the oven, or reheat a large portion of the dish in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF and bake until the casserole is just warmed through.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 417calProtein: 22gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 906mgPotassium: 370mgTotal Carbs: 36gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 31gVitamin A: 546IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 214mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
Delicious Casseroles You Should Try Next
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Easy, Cheesy Mexican Rice Casserole
- Ultimate Chicken Casserole
- Cheesy Italian Sausage & Bell Pepper Casserole (Low Carb, Keto)
- Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
- John Wayne Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake
- Garlic Bread Casserole
- Cheesy King Ranch Casserole
- Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Leave A Review
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This recipe comes out delicious. I make every other week and the whole family love it.
We’re so glad the whole family loves it! Thanks for sharing, Myrna!
Do you have the original version of this recipe posted somewhere? Thank you!
Hi, Jordan! This is the only version we have. Hope this helps! ๐
My grocery store was out of green chilies so I used diced tomatoes with chilies. My husband and I loved it!
Yumm! So glad y’all loved it. Thanks for sharing, Kate! ๐
Can you make this the night before or would that cause things to be soggy
The chips would definitely end up soggy.
Subbed pinto beans for corn and added salsa because I didnโt have green chilisโฆ FANTASTIC.
Yum, that sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Stephanie!
I’m making this for a large family gathering. Planning to double the recipe. Can I prepare this ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until time to bake or will the chips get soggy?
Unfortunately, I think you’ll risk the chips being unsalvageably soggy in that situation.
What I’d do to make this work for your needs – instead of layering the casserole exactly like we’ve described, keep the chips out completely, but layer the rest of the ingredients as instructed. Just before you bake the casserole, crush some of the chips and spread them across the top of the dish. That way you still get some of that delicious crunch in the casserole itself.
I’d also serve it with whole tortilla chips, so your guests have the option of eating the casserole kind of like nachos.
I hope that helps! Please let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out!
Excellent and easy!
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing, Pam! ๐
Great recipe I left out the tomato and added extra peppers and avocado.
So glad you enjoyed the casserole, Antoinette. Thanks for sharing! ๐
I used a 20 oz jar of Salsa Verde (green salsa) instead of green chilis and chopped tomatoes. Great way to use up a rotisserie chicken!
That’s a great swap, Mary, and sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for sharing and for your review!
This turned put fabulous. My husband loved it. I halved the recipe, and I accidentally tripled the spices! But, awesome anyway. I baked 25 minutes. I liked that it didn’t include rice.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the casserole, Lori! Thank you for leaving a review!