Chicken Taco Casserole

It's always a big hit with my family.

By
Nick Evans
Nick Evans
Nick Evans

Nick has been creating recipes for home cooks for almost 15 years. He is the author of Love Your Leftovers and has contributed to Simply Recipes since 2017.

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Updated February 22, 2024
Nick Evans
Chicken taco casserole (with a serving cut out) at a table setting with glasses, a serving on a plate, a side salad, a bowl of sour cream, and a kitchen towel

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Warning: This is not the casserole of your childhood (assuming you grew up pre-2000s). This chicken taco casserole isn’t laden with canned soups or so rich it’s overwhelming. It is maxed out on flavor, with seasoned chicken, green chiles, black beans, corn, and just enough cheese to glue everything together. Layer in some corn tortillas, and my secret casserole weapon, crispy tostadas, and you are in for a treat.

The Best Chicken for Taco Casserole

When it comes to the chicken, it's dealer's choice. You can use leftover chicken if you have enough for the recipe (about 4 cups), you can shred a rotisserie chicken, or you can cook some.

I think it’s easiest to lightly poach the chicken in simmering water with some dried chiles and salt. You can see a full tutorial on how to do that in our recipe for how to boil chicken. Add enough water to barely cover the chicken, bring to a boil, and simmer gently until done, 8 to 15 minutes. I like to poach the chicken while I prep the other ingredients.

Chicken taco casserole (with a serving cut out) at a table setting with a serving on a plate, glasses, and a side salad

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

No More Soggy-Bottomed Taco Casserole

This is a layered casserole and my favorite trick is to line the bottom of the dish with crispy corn tostadas so that when baked, the bottom doesn't stick to the dish. You can find tostadas at any grocery store in the tortilla section. Lay these in the dish overlapping slightly and they will create a firm base for the casserole, which makes for very clean pieces when you are serving. 

Substitutions and Variations

  • Change up the protein. You could use a pound of ground beef or even crumbled tofu for the filling. You could also double the vegetable filling and do two layers of that for a vegetarian version.
  • To make the casserole spicier, use a hot taco seasoning and double the green chiles. You can also serve it with hot sauce on the side.
  • Add more vegetables. Fresh green or red peppers would be great as would sautéed zucchini or sautéed mushrooms. 
Serving of chicken taco casserole on a plate topped with a dollop of sour cream

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Aim for Leftovers 

This makes a big casserole, so if you want something smaller, halve the recipe and make it in an 8x8-inch baking dish, or bake the whole recipe in two 8x8-inch dishes to freeze one. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap once it’s cooled and freeze it for up to three months. 

More Tex-Mex Casserole Recipes

Chicken Taco Casserole

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Servings 8 servings

If you need to cook chicken for this recipe, start with about 1 pound of boneless, skinless breasts or thighs. Follow the method in our recipe for easy boiled chicken, adding a few small, mild dry chiles to the poaching water if you like.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups shredded chicken

  • 1 (4-ounce) can mild green chiles

  • 2 (1-ounce) packets taco seasoning, divided

  • 1 pound shredded colby jack cheese, divided 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (no need to thaw if frozen)

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

  • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

  • 8 crispy tostadas

  • Sour cream, for serving

  • Chopped cilantro, for serving

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
  2. Make the chicken filling:

    In a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken with the green chiles, 1 taco seasoning packet, and a third of the shredded cheese. Set aside.

    Bowl of shredded chicken mixed with spices for chicken taco casserole recipe

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
  3. Cook the vegetable filling:

    In a large skillet, add olive oil and onion. Season with the salt and the second taco seasoning packet and cook over medium-high heat until the onions soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the black beans and fire-roasted tomatoes and cook for a few minutes to combine flavors and break down the tomatoes a bit. 

    Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in a third of the remaining shredded cheese.

    Vegetable filling after shredded chicken is mixed in for chicken taco casserole recipe

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
  4. Assemble the casserole:

    Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line the bottom with 8 overlapping tostada shells. (If you don’t have these, you can use 6 corn tortillas, but the crispy tostadas work best.)

    Top the tostadas with the chicken filling. Top with 6 corn tortillas to cover most of the chicken layer. 

    Spread the black bean and corn mixture on top of the tortillas. Cover with the last 6 corn tortillas. It’s okay to rip them up to get even coverage. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

    Assembling chicken taco casserole: tostadas on the bottom of a casserole dish

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
    Assembling chicken taco casserole: shredded chicken added on top of the tostada layer

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
    Assembling chicken taco casserole: tortillas added on top of shredded chicken layer

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
    Assembling chicken taco casserole: another layer of tortillas added and then topped with shredded cheese

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
  5. Bake and serve:

    Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until it is bubbling and the top is crispy. 

    Cool it for 5 minutes. Slice portions with a knife and use a spatula to serve. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro. 

    Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a review below!

    Baked chicken taco casserole in a casserole dish

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
    Serving of chicken taco casserole on a plate topped with a dollop of sour cream and served with a side salad, and in the surroundings, glass of water, a casserole dish with more, and a bowl of side salad

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
591 Calories
29g Fat
43g Carbs
41g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 591
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 14g 68%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 1276mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 10g 35%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 43mg 216%
Calcium 489mg 38%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 795mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.