This Chicken Taco Casserole is everything you want in a weeknight dinner, quick, easy, and seriously delicious. Made with rotisserie chicken and zero canned soup, it skips the stovetop entirely and heads straight to the oven. Minimal effort, maximum flavor, and a guaranteed family favorite.
As you might assume, I do the majority of the cooking in our house (though my husband does make a mean pancake breakfast). But when I'm out of town or just not in the mood to cook, this is one of his go-to recipes from the blog. Partly because it's delicious and comforting, and partly because it's ridiculously easy to throw together. Plus, the leftovers? Even better the next day.
When I set out to create this recipe, I wanted a healthier, Mexican-inspired casserole that didn't rely on canned soups. They're often loaded with preservatives and sodium, and honestly, this dish doesn't need them. With no pre-cooking required, all you have to do is shred some rotisserie chicken, chop some veggies, layer it up in the casserole dish, and bake. That's it. Minimal effort, big flavor, and a dinner the whole family will devour.
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Other Latin & Mexican inspired recipes you will love.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board and knife
- 9 x 12 inch casserole dish with lid (or you can use aluminum foil to cover while baking)
Ingredients
- Rotisserie chicken: Store bought rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite cooking shortcuts! You get a ton of flavor from the mix of white and dark meat and it's so easy to work with. If you would prefer to make your own chicken at home you can check out this recipe for Air Fryer Whole Chicken which you could make ahead of time. You could also use chicken breasts or thighs. Simply boil or roast and then roughly shred. You'll need about 2-3 cups.
- Canned corn
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Small can diced green chiles: You can go mild, medium or hot depending on your family's spice preference.
- Red bell pepper
- Sour cream: I always recommend using full fat dairy products as they are much less processed and more flavorful.
- Southwest seasoning or Taco seasoning or Fajita seasoning: I love Yep!Shake's Southwest Seasoning for this recipe but your favorite taco or southwest seasoning will work. I recommend using a seasoning that has salt in it. If yours doesn't then be sure to add a generous pinch to the mixture.
- Green enchilada sauce or Salsa Verde: I've made this recipe using my favorite green enchilada sauce and salsa verde and both work great!
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded cheese: I like to do a mix of Colby jack and Monterey jack for this recipe. You can also use Mexican style shredded cheese or any mild cheese you have on hand.
Toppings
I like a mix of toppings for this recipe. You can really use whatever you have on hand but these are my personal favorites:
- Fresh cilantro
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapenos
- Pico de Gallo
Dietary Information
This Chicken Taco Casserole is easy to make gluten free. Just be sure to check your ingredients, particularly the corn tortillas and enchilada sauce, to make sure they don't have any hidden gluten.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this dish with some of my fresh pico de gallo and a side of my favorite homemade guacamole.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Shredded beef, ground turkey, or even leftover grilled chicken all work great in this casserole. Just make sure it's cooked before adding it to the mix.
Yes! You can prep everything and store it in the fridge (covered) for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also bake it, let it cool, and reheat individual portions throughout the week.
It sure does. Just let it cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave.
We like freezing it in individual portions with our Souper Cubes. They make it super easy to thaw a single serving for lunch!
More easy and delicious weeknight casserole recipes.
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Made this chicken taco casserole recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments.
Recipe
Chicken Taco Casserole
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Cutting board and knife
- Casserole dish with lid (or foil)
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, meat roughly shredded about 2-3 cups
- 1 15 oz can of corn, drained
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ⅔ cup sour cream I recommend full fat
- 2 tablespoon southwestern seasoning (taco or fajita seasoning) This recipe uses seasoning with the salt already mixed in. If you use a salt free or low sodium seasoning feel free to add an extra pinch of salt to the mixture.
- 1.5 cup green enchilada sauce or salsa verde
- 8 medium corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheese, Mexican blend can also use Monterey jack or Colby jack
Toppings
- tortilla chips, crushed
- avocado, sliced or diced Also great with guacamole
- fresh cilantro
- sour cream
- salsa or pico de gallo
- lime wedges
- sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Ina large mixing bowl combine shredded rotisserie chicken, diced bell pepper, corn, diced tomatoes, diced green chiles, southwestern or taco seasoning and sour cream. Mix thoroughly to combine. Set aside.
- Add about ¾th cup of green enchilada sauce (or salsa verde) to the bottom of a casserole dish and spread evenly. Arrange half of the corn tortillas pieces (about 4tortillas worth) evenly on top of the sauce to cover completely. Pour about half of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas and carefully spread to cover. Then sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the mixture. Arrange the remaining tortillas over the cheese to cover completely then pour over the remaining ¾th cup of enchilada sauce. Spread evenly over the tortillas. Add the remaining chicken mixture and then top with the rest of the cheese (about 1cup).
- Cover the casserole dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Then remove the lid or foil and bake for and additional5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole if bubbly. You may want to broil for about 1 minute at the end to brown the cheese. Just make sure to watch closely so that it doesn't burn!Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10minutes before serving. Add toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Amy Liu Dong
This is so delicious, and def one of my favorite dishes. Yum!
Agnieszka
Our family really loved this casserole!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
Oh my! I need this in my life. Must print your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Hayley Dhanecha
Oh I love Mexican flavours, and this cosy and heart warming chicken taco casserole sounds utterly delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Caitlin
This casserole is the best!! So comforting and easy to make.
Beth Sachs
A tasty recipe for leftover rotisserie chicken. The whole family loved it.
Vanessa
I love the Mexican flavours in this recipe! So delicious and I loved having this for leftovers the next day.
Claudia
Sounds like a fiesta in a dish! Can't resist anything taco-inspired, especially when it's all baked together into one tasty meal. Thanks for the dinner inspo!
Nisha
This is a great share cant wait to try it!
DK Park
I love how delicious and easy to make this dish. Everyone at home loves it!
Paula
This taco casserole was such an easy way to satisfy my taco craving last night. SO GOOD!
Brittney
Could this be made a few hours ahead of time and then baked?
jamjarkitchen
Yep! Just cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. You may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes to the cook time to make sure that everything is heated through. Hope you enjoy!
DK
What a creative way to make a chicken taco dish! We'll be trying this out at our next taco night!
Elisa
Such a great Chicken Taco Casserole recipe, perfect for parties or big gatherings. Everybody loves tacos what better way to do it in a casserole. Looks delicious and creamy. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dinner last night an it was a savory success! Easy, hearty and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Fred
I had some leftover rotisserie chicken so I looked for, and found this recipe.
I started out just wanting to use up the chicken, but I wound up with a dish I will surely make again... I'm actually looking forward to leftovers! I didn't have tortillas so I used tortilla chips, it's sorta the same thing. It worked just fine. Besides, the tortillas wouldn't be crispy either. It tasted so good that I am thinking about getting another chicken!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Fred- So glad you liked the recipe! It's one of my family's favorites 🙂