This Mexican Chicken With Doritos Recipe is very quick and easy to make, even if you don’t follow a recipe with step-by-step pictures.
If you love chicken and also love tortilla chips, then you’ll love this! You’re going to make this amazing chicken that’s baked in a delicious Mexican-inspired sauce. It’s topped with crunch Doritos for a fantastic texture and taste.
Mexican Chicken Doritos Casserole (extra cheesy!)
Crunch your way into this cheesy, baked Mexican Chicken Doritos Casserole, which is loaded with chopped chicken, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, and cheese. This Mexican inspired dish is one of my personal favorites!
Why this is the BEST Doritos casserole
This Mexican-inspired Doritos casserole is easy to make ahead of time and requires little prep with pre-cooked chicken, or leftover rotisserie chicken.
The entire Southwestern dish is complete after just 30 minutes in the oven!
My family has this recipe almost weekly and it’s absolutely perfect for the busy workweek.
You may make this Mexican comfort food if your family like the taste of Mexican cuisine but is sick of taco night.
This Dorito chip casserole is ideal for a get-together with friends or for serving at a potluck.
It serves a lot of people and is a complete dinner in and of itself.
Best Ingredients for Doritos Chicken casserole
- red onion, minced
- red bell pepper, cut in cubes
- garlic cloves, minced
- taco seasoning– use any brand
- smoked paprika
- tomato purée
- diced tomatoes, canned (I used Rotel brand)
- tomato paste
- cooked and shredded chicken
- red beans, drained and washed (you may also use black beans for this recipe)
- sweet corn, drained and washed (white or yellow corn)
- grated cheese (cheddar or pepper jack is the best)
- Doritos chips
How to make Mexican Doritos casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a parchment paper and grease a 8×8, 11×7, or 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Heat a large skillet with oil on medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and cook for 1 minute then add garlic. Stir until fragrant.
- Add taco seasoning, smoked paprika, tomato purée, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and simmer.
- Add chicken, red beans, sweet corn and coriander in the skillet.
- Transfer chicken mixture in the baking dish. Spread cheese first then Doritos.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve warm.
FAQ
How do I make it extra spicy?
The two Rotel tomato cans provide the bulk of the spiciness.
If you want it particularly spicy, use hot Rotel tomatoes or top with jalepeño peppers.
Can I make ahead of time?
This dinner comes together quickly thanks to the use of pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, or you may pre-make the bulk of the casserole first and store in the fridge until time to bake.
Simply top with cheese and Doritos when ready to cook.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
Allow the casserole to cool down completely at room temperature. Place in an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend adding Doritos last if you know there will be leftovers.
Reheat on low-medium heat until hot in the center.
HOW TO FREEZE
Freeze in individual portions in air-tight zippered bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Add Doritos and cheese prior to baking, after defrosting in the fridge overnight.
What to serve with Doritos casserole?
I like to add sour cream, extra cheese chives, guacamole, hot sauce and cilantro to my Doritos casserole.
This dish is great served with refried beans, rice, tamales, roasted peppers or tortilla soup.
Can I use other Doritos flavors?
Ranch Doritos, original Doritos, or any other flavor may be used for this recipe.
Can I make this recipe with other meat?
- Ground Turkey, ground beef, and ground chicken also work well for this recipe
- For vegan, mushrooms or Beyond Meat Beef Minced.
CHICKEN & DORITOS CASSEROLE
What’s not to love about this Chicken & Doritos Casserole? Layers of refried beans, saucy shredded chicken, cheese, and crushed Doritos. This easy Mexican casserole is easy to make and is sure to be an instant family favorite!
Your family is sure to give you a double-take when you say Doritos are for dinner! I know that my kids did the first time I ever made this Chicken & Doritos Casserole!
The first time I ever made this casserole was back in 2013. For all of those 7 years in between this casserole has been a favorite of ours. I mean what’s not to love about chicken, refried beans, Doritos, and lots of CHEESE?!
UNBELIEVABLE CHICKEN & DORITOS CASSEROLE
Seven years ago, when I made it for the first time, I went to pick my kids up at school. One of the first things my kids would say when they would get in the car was “what’s for dinner?”
I am known to be a bit of a smart alec once in a while (ok…so a lot of times) so on that day, I said “DORITOS!!”
They said “sure, Mom…what’s really for dinner?” I said…”okay, DORITOS Casserole.”
But they still didn’t believe me.
When we got home they saw the bag of Doritos on the counter and it was like …Wow! …She really meant it!”
Now I am going to tell you, this is REALLY good, and it’s REALLY easy, but most certainly not one of those “health conscience” foods.
You can, however, use as much “fat-free” stuff as possible to lighten it up some if you want to. But I say that life is all about balance and why wouldn’t you want to enjoy some Dorito’s casserole once in a while? Life is short!
WHAT INGREDIENTS GO INTO THIS CHICKEN & DORITOS CASSEROLE?
This Mexican casserole recipe doesn’t require anything fancy. In fact, you might have the majority of the items you need, right in your pantry.
Cooked chicken, shredded or cubed, (makes a great use for leftover chicken, or use a Rotisserie one to save time) refried beans, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, Rotel, a taco seasoning packet, shredded Mexican cheese and of course, a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos!
After it’s baked and the cheese is all melty, we like to top it with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. It’s also delicious with Jalapeños or sliced avocado, too!
You will find the full recipe at the bottom of this post in a printable recipe card.
Mix together the Rotel, sour cream, taco seasoning, cream of chicken soup, and part of the cheese.
Fold in the chicken.
Begin by spreading the refried beans into the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with some crushed Doritos, then some of the chicken mixture and some cheese.
Top with more of the chicken mixture, then a layer of Doritos, the remaining chicken mixture, and remaining cheese and Doritos.
Bake until cheese is melted and it’s bubbly around the edges.
Top with your favorite toppings and serve!
LOT’S OF DORITOS TO CHOOSE FROM
Nowadays, you almost have a hard time finding classic nacho cheese-flavored Doritos. There are so many new styles of Doritos to choose from. So what works best for use in the chicken casserole?
Certainly, the original nacho cheese flavor is completely awesome. But let’s face it, you can’t go wrong with cool ranch, taco seasoned, flamin’ hot, or jalapeno.
I didn’t even realize there were that many flavors!
But wait… That’s not all. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time you finish reading this then probably a few new flavors have been added. I personally love the tried and true classic nacho cheese flavor though.
Classics endure. But I think if you can find the taco seasoned ones then they would be awesome too. I just don’t see them as often. I sometimes think they are like the unicorn of Dorito flavors.
WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MEXICAN SHREDDED CHEESE?
Mexican shredded cheese is typically a mix of Monterey Jack, Asadero, and Mild Cheddar. So coming up with your own blend is not a big deal. You can easily find shredded Monterey Jack and mild cheddar. Asadero is very similar to mozzarella too.
So, in a pinch, you can just get some smaller packs of the individual cheeses and make your own mix. If you do that, then consider getting some jalapeno Monterey jack to add a bit of kick to the cheese.
WHAT IS A RO-TEL TOMATO?
If you are unfamiliar with Rotel (ro-tel) tomatoes, then let me turn you on to them! They are so great for all kinds of recipes that call for whole peeled tomatoes. Basically, a Rotel tomato is a type of canned tomato that has a bit of heat added through minced jalapenos.
Don’t worry! They aren’t too hot. They are just spicy enough to tickle your tongue but you won’t be dialing 911 for the fire department to come to hose your mouth down.
Obviously, if you are really sensitive to spicy foods, then don’t worry, use any type of canned peeled tomatoes and not miss out.
You will find the Ro-tels where you find all the other canned tomato products. You probably stared at them dozens of times and never knew what they were.
If you have ever had queso fundido, the Mexican style cheese fondue you dip tortilla chips in, then you probably enjoyed Rotel tomatoes. It is that bit of spice that makes the melted cheese taste so delicious.
CANNED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP OPTIONS
I often have two types of canned cream soups in the pantry. Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom. Truth be told, I rarely ever actually use either of them as soups. They are just too handy to make quick sauces when in a pinch.
If you only have the mushroom creamed soup handy, then don’t worry about making an extra trip to the store just to get a can of creamed chicken.
You are not going to lose out if you have to use cream of mushroom instead. It will still give you that wonderful creamy casserole sauce. The mushroom flavor is going to work too.
DORITOS CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Doritos Cheesy Chicken Casserole – THE BEST Mexican casserole EVER! Chicken, sour cream cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, salsa, corn, cheese and Doritos! Everyone goes nuts over this casserole. Only takes a minute to assemble and it is ready to eat in 20 minutes. SO quick and easy. Great for a crowd – even picky eaters love this!
Remember this recipe.
This recipe is from Plain Chicken reader, Diane Blake. She was kind enough to share her favorite recipe with me. I’ve never made a Doritos Cheesy Chicken Casserole, so we gave it a try. This is one of those dishes that isn’t pretty, but it tastes really good. We both really enjoyed this. I used some rotisserie chicken meat and this came together in no time. We both especially loved the Doritos! Chicken Legs topped his plate with extra Doritos because you can never have too many Doritos.
DORITOS CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Yield: 6 people
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Doritos Cheesy Chicken Casserole – THE BEST Mexican casserole EVER! Chicken, sour cream cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, salsa, corn, cheese and Doritos! Everyone goes nuts over this casserole. Only takes a minute to assemble and it is ready to eat in 20 minutes. SO quick and easy. Great for a crowd – even picky eaters love this!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken)
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 (10.75-oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.75-oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1½ cups salsa or 1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 1 (11-oz) can of corn, drained
- 2 cups Mexican cheese shredded
- 1 (9.25-oz) bag of nacho cheese Doritos
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Crush the entire bag of Doritos and cover the bottom of the dish.
- Reserve one cup of cheese. Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bow. Pour chicken mixture over the Doritos.
- Bake uncovered for 20 min. Top casserole with the remaining cheese and bake 5 additional minutes or until melted.