This taco chicken casserole uses crispy tortillas and is loaded with taco topping favorites.
This Mexican chicken casserole is going to become an instant family favorite.
Taco seasoned chicken that is baked and shredded. Then combine all the other ingredients, create your casserole and toss back in the oven.
Taco Chicken Casserole – Easy Dinner Night Idea
Our Taco Chicken Casserole is not only delicious but super easy to make, perfect for those busy school nights. This casserole can also work as an appetizer for game day.
With Tyson Chicken, we don’t have to worry about antibiotics (100% all-natural); they’re a great source of protein and perfect for baking, grilling, or sautéing.
Using boneless skinless chicken breasts saves me time on prepping the meat. And Pace Picante Sauce brings flavor to this dish without using a lot of ingredients.
More easy casserole recipes to try:
Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
50+ Easy Dinner Ideas For About $5
Ingredients Needed For A Taco Chicken Casserole
Oil. Any oil works, but we used olive oil.
Chicken. Reach for some Tyson chicken breast for this recipe. They will bake up beautifully and then shred to mix in the casserole.
Taco Seasoning. Feel free to buy taco seasoning or make homemade seasoning to flavor your chicken. Either method works great.
Vegetables. You will use red onion, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, tomatoes and add them into the mixture to help add tons of flavor to your chicken casserole. Jalapeno is optional for topping the casserole to ramp up the heat.
Spices. Chili powder, garlic powder, and even cilantro for topping are what we used.
Picante Sauce. I love Pace Picante sauce; it is loaded with flavor and always amplifies the flavor of our dinners.
Cotija cheese. A crumbly cheese will compliment all the Tex-Mex ingredients in this casserole.
Ingredients for a chicken casserole:
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 large Tyson chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup Pace Original Picante Sauce
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp ground chili powder
- 1/2 garlic powder
- Tortilla chips, enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish and for the top of the casserole
- 3/4 cup Cotija cheese or Mexican queso fresco
- lime slices, Jalapeños, and fresh cilantro for serving
Directions:
- Brush chicken breasts with 2 tbsp of olive oil, season with taco seasoning, wrap the chicken breasts in foil and cook in a preheated 425°F oven for fifteen minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool. Shred the chicken using two forks.
- Adjust the oven to 400° F.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, half of the cheese, onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, garlic, chili powder, ground garlic, and 1 cup of the Pace Picante Sauce. Mix well.
- Arrange tortilla chips in the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the shredded chicken mixture. Top with the remaining cheese and arrange more tortilla chips along the edge of the dish.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Serve with fresh cilantro, slices of jalapeño peppers, and slices of lime.
How to Know When Chicken Is Done
The chicken is done when it reads 165 degrees internally. I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure you have reached the proper temperature.
Allow the chicken to rest 5-10 minutes before you go and shred or chop the chicken. If you jump the gun, you will find it can leave your chicken feeling dry.
Topping Ideas
- A dollop of sour cream
- Extra salsa sprinkled on top
- Pico De Gallo
- Guacamole
- Etc.
What Type Of Chips To Use
For the chips, I used tortilla chips. You could even go the extra mile and make your own. The layer on the bottom of the casserole dish will become soggy, but the ones on top will be nice and crunchy.
If you don’t like the idea of the chips being soggy, you can leave them off the bottom layer of the casserole. I find it adds a good amount of flavor to your dish.
Storing Leftovers
Store your leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat the dish in the microwave.
Or you can cover with foil in a baking dish and reheat in the oven until warmed all the way through.
Pair with some fresh tortilla chips to add that crunch factor back to the casserole.
How to Tame Heat on Jalapenos
If you are interested in jalapenos but don’t want the full-on heat factor, here is what I do. You will slice out the white membrane and seeds from the peppers. Then rinse well to remove any oils on the pepper.
This will tame down the spice dramatically. Wear gloves if you are sensitive, as the oils from the peppers can hurt your hands.
Now that you have the recipe give it a try! Leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out for you. Or share it on social and tag us @thiswortheylife.
Some of our favorite taco recipes are shared below:
Shredded Beef Tacos Made In the Slow Cooker
Rotisserie Chicken Street Tacos
Easy Fish Tacos Using Alaska Pollock
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 large Tyson chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 1 cup Pace Original Picante Sauce
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp ground chili powder
- 1/2 garlic powder
- Tortilla chips enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish and for the top of the casserole
- 3/4 cup Cotija cheese or Mexican queso fresco
- lime slices Jalapeños, and fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Brush chicken breasts with 2 tbsp of olive oil, season with taco seasoning, wrap the chicken breasts in foil and cook in a preheated 425°F oven for fifteen minutes.
Remove from oven and cool. Shred the chicken using two forks.
Adjust the oven to 400° F.
In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, half of the cheese, onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, garlic, chili powder, ground garlic, and 1 cup of the Pace Picante Sauce. Mix well.
Arrange tortilla chips in the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the shredded chicken mixture. - Top with the remaining cheese and arrange more tortilla chips along the edge of the dish.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Serve with fresh cilantro, slices of jalapeño peppers, and slices of lime.
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