Tex Mex Chicken Casserole
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This flavorful Tex Mex chicken casserole is a firm family favorite! With tasty seasoning, chicken, rice, and lots of melted cheese, it’s perfection in a pan.
Looking for your next weeknight meal the whole family will love? You need this quick and easy chicken casserole in your life. When I say quick and easy, I mean it. It takes just 5 minutes to prep this recipe, as you literally dump the ingredients in a bowl, stir, and then bake! 30 minutes later, dinner is served.
This casserole is overflowing with staple ingredients you probably already have at home too, like cheese, tomatoes, instant rice, and chicken broth. The combination of the chicken and rice with the sour cream and cream of chicken soup is basically a flavor explosion. This TEx Mex chicken casserole is creamy, cheesy, and delicious!
Here are some other casseroles my family love and I bet yours will too: crunchy beef casserole, deep-dish pizza casserole, stuffed pepper casserole, cornbread casserole, and sloppy joes casserole.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cooked chicken
- Instant rice (or to keep it lower-carb you can use my cauliflower rice recipe here)
- Cream of chicken soup
- Sour cream
- Frozen diced onion
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Rotel tomatoes
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Chicken broth
Dump all of the first nine ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add half of the cheddar cheese and stir to combine again.
Next, turn the chicken mixture out into a greased casserole dish (9X13).
Then top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Then serve! I guarantee the flavors in this dish will have your taste buds dancing! YUM!
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- You can also store casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When it’s time, thaw leftovers in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any cooked chicken you like in this Mexican chicken and rice casserole, whether that’s rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken breast, or chicken thighs.
- If you’d like to add even more to this casserole, add in a can each of black or pinto beans, green chile, and corn kernels. Another option is a cup of diced .
- For extra crunch, top your casserole with tortilla strips or your favorite crushed tortilla chips, like Doritos.
- If your family prefers, you could substitute the chicken for ground beef.
- You can also add whichever cheese you prefer, whether that’s melty mozzarella cheese, a or Pepper Jack cheese for some extra heat.
- For more flavor, substitute the for a packet of . Bonus if you use homemade taco seasoning!
- Serve your with a sprinkle of and .
Recipe FAQs
Why do you use frozen onion in this recipe?
There are several reasons why I recommend using frozen onion in this Mexican chicken casserole recipe. First, frozen diced onion and frozen diced green pepper are great things to have in the freezer in a pinch. And second, use frozen because it cooks through faster and with this relatively short cooking time you’ll need them to cook faster. Using raw onions throws the casserole texture way off. Trust me, I have ruined a casserole or two before I figured this out.
Can chicken casserole be made ahead of time?
You can definitely assemble this chicken casserole recipe and store it tightly covered in the fridge for up to three days. It might just need another 5 to 10 minutes of baking time when it comes straight from the cold fridge.
Is this chicken casserole gluten-free?
Yes, this Mexican chicken casserole is gluten-free. Just make sure you double-check you’re using a gluten-free can of cream of chicken soup and that no other ingredients have sneaky gluten additions.
Can I make my chicken casserole in a crockpot?
Yes, you can definitely cook this Mexican casserole in the slow cooker. Mix all the ingredients together and cook in the slow cooker on low for 4 to 5 hours. I recommend adding the remaining shredded cheese about an hour before it’s done.
What do you serve with your Mexican chicken casserole?
While this is a substantial and hearty main meal in itself, you could also serve your casserole with your favorite taco toppings, like salsa, Pico de Gallo, salsa verde, , green onions, guacamole and corn chips, and jalapeños. Another option is a simple green salad or some fresh green beans.
Here are more marvelous Mexican-inspired dishes:
Mexican Cornbread Recipe by Mama
Taco Soup (The World’s Easiest Supper)
Chicken Enchilada Pie (A Hearty Supper Awaits)
Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Tex-Mex Style
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped, cooked, and shredded chicken (about 4 to 5 breasts halves)
- 2 cups instant rice
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup frozen diced onion
- 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and half of cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Mix well.4 cups chopped, cooked, and shredded chicken (about 4 to 5 breasts halves), 2 cups instant rice, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup frozen diced onion, 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- Turn out into a greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
This post was originally a guest post from Stacey Little in 2011 at southernbite.com and updated in 2021. Check out his blog here.
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Made this last night and it was so good. Will be in rotation now. 🙂
I always like hearing that!! I am glad it was a hit at your house and will make a regular appearance!!
I love love love this casserole! I make it all the time! I was just curious if it can be frozen before cooking?
I made this for dinner last night. My husband accidently picked out Ro Tel tomoatoes with chiles, but I thought it gave the dish a nice kick! I served this casserole with chips which added a little something extra, including crunch. Very yummy dish! Thanks for posting! I’ve made two of your dishes this week and they have both been a success! I can’t wait to look for more!
Christy, Buy Christy’s cookbook! It has some awesome recipes! I bought one for my daughter who is a very good cook in her own right and we are all reaping from it!
This was soooo yummy and easy!!
Christy, I know you are big on buying nonbrand/store items (and thanks to you, I’ve started saving that money). What are your thoughts about cheese? I have always just bought a brand name cheese because “surely it’s better.”
I know I’m definately not Christy, but I use store brand cheese all the time. It usually saves money, and I honestly can’t tell a difference. The only time I might buy “brand name” is if I am making something Italian-those call for weird cheeses sometimes that stores don’t make in their brand. I hope this helps you!
Thank you Casey. There is a big difference in price.
I don’t use instant rice – could you use regular rice instead??
Absolutely, Mary! But I would use cooked rice since the 30 min. of baking time for the casserole would leave regular rice uncooked. This recipe is great for ‘left over’ rice, too!
You may want to cut the chicken broth down to 1 cup, since your rice is precooked!
Made this for dinner the other night – yummy yummy yummy! I “cheated” and used a whole chicken from the local grocery store’s deli – so easy! Thanks for another keeper!