Mexican Chicken Casserole smothered in a simple sour cream, green chili and cheese sauce. The bubbly cheese sauce seals in the chicken juices so it bakes up tender, juicy and flavorful. Everyone needs an easy chicken bake for unexpected company. You won’t believe the easy sauce!
Some of our favorite recipes are Mexican-inspired like Ceviche, or Fish Tacos (the #1 recipe on our site right now). This chicken bake satisfies the craving for Mexican food.
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Mexican Chicken:
We love easy Mexican chicken recipes. They are a fun way to explore new flavor combinations and change up your dinner routine. The green chilis give this really great flavor without being spicy. This Mexican Chicken Casserole is also a really easy party dish. The kids loved it because it was creamy, cheesy and the green chilis were very mild.
One of our readers, Judy, wrote in and shared this recipe with us and it was an instant hit. Thank you Judy! We really can’t get enough of this 3-ingredient sauce:
Tips for Making Mexican Chicken Casserole:
Even though this is a crazy easy recipe, here are some pitfalls to avoid (because I know it’s super tempting to improvise with an easy recipe):
- Don’t overload the chicken in the casserole dish. Increase everything proportionally and use a larger baking dish if scaling up the recipe.
- Arrange Chicken in a single layer in the casserole dish – you want the sauce to cover each piece of chicken.
- Don’t over-bake or the chicken will get dry. Remember the chicken is already cooked through.
- Use green chilis with their juice – do not drain.
The avocado, tomato, cilantro garnish is optional but highly necessary. You can also serve this with fresh Pico de Gallo. We love this Mexican Chicken Casserole served over white rice.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes:
- Avocado Corn Salad – so fresh and healthy for summer
- Mango Shrimp Salsa – this always disappears fast!
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili – so easy with tender chicken
- Beef Tacos – with the easiest ground beef meat sauce
- Hot Shrimp Dip – loaded with shrimp and artichokes
Watch Natasha Make Mexican Chicken:
I hope you love this easy peasy chicken bake! Let me know what are YOUR favorite Mexican foods in a comment below.
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Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
Mexican Chicken Casserole:
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, (4 small or 3 medium)
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 8 oz shredded Mexican cheese, divided
- 1 cup sour cream, (full fat)
- 14 oz diced green chilis (two 7 oz can with their juice
To Serve:
- 1 small avocado, diced
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F and butter a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer and cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden and just cooked through with an internal temperature of 165˚F. Cook chicken in 2 batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan and add more oil as needed.
- Arrange sautéed chicken in buttered casserole dish so they are flat and not overlapping too much.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 of your Mexican cheese, 1 cup sour cream and 2 cans of green chilis with their juice. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle the top with 1/3 remaining cheese and bake uncovered at 400˚F for 15 min or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling at the edges.
- Serve garnished with diced avocado, tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Quick and easy what a great recipe for a week night… Loved it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Claudine!
Hi Natasha, would this recipe also work with chicken breast tenderloins?
Hi Julia, I haven’t tried it with tenderloins, but I bet that could work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
This recipe is much better if you use uncooked chicken. Cut the chicken breasts cross wise and the juices go directly into the sauce. It is better tasting and easier to make without the breading. And it uses fewer dishes and takes less time. Cutting the chicken breasts lengthwise is difficult.
This recipe was originally included in the Colorado Cache cookbook on page 217.
It was published by The Junior League of Denver.
Thank you for your suggestions, Edie. We appreciate it.
? there doesn’t seem to be any breading…are you reviewing the correct recipe Edie?
Do we have to pre cook the chicken or can I just add the chicken breast to the baking dish and bake with the sauce mixture to cook? I would then add the cheese and put back in the oven to melt for 10 min
Hi Adriana, I haven’t tried it that way, but it will increase the bake time greatly. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Can I use chicken tenderloins and cook them on the George Foreman before vs. on the stove??
Hi Michelle, that should work fine to do both.
Another delicious recipe! Thankyou Natasha! How would you suggest reheating leftovers? I don’t like the taste of chicken or any meat reheated in the microwave.
Hi Dana, I’m so happy you enjoyed the chicken casserole! We typically smother it in sauce and microwave until heated through. You can also warm it on the skillet over low heat or if you want to reheat the full batch, cover with foil and bake until hot. Thank you for sharing your great review!
Could you substitute the green chilis with juice for chipotle in adobo sauce instead?
Are they comparable as far as heat/spiciness level ?
Thank you !
Hi Chris, I haven’t tried that substitution to advise. If you happen to experiment with that, I’d love to know how you like it!
I made this tonight. Only thing I did different was taco seasoning on the chicken and a can of rinsed black beans on top of the chicken before adding the sauce. This was very good and so quick and easy. Definitely a repeat dish!! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
I’m happy you enjoyed that, Cindy. Thank you for sharing those substitutions with us.
Could you do cooked shredded chicken on the bottom of the dish? Instead of laying cooked chicken breasts.
Hi Becca, I haven’t tried that yet to advise but I imagine that would work well too. Please share with us how it goes if you try it!
She is funny and not to hard of recipes
This is my families favorite chicken recipe. It is so easy and quick to make. I serve it often with plain rice on the side. Thanks, it is soooo yummy.
Can you freeze this dish
Hi Susan, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Very tasty recipe but the sauce was too thin. How can I thicken?
Hi John, it’s difficult to thin once it’s already baked. I’m not sure if this helps to troubleshoot, but that can happen if the ingredients or proportions were altered.
Drain the chilis first and add more cheese
Natasha you are an awesome cook. Looove watching your videos and trying your recipes.
The Chicken Mexican Casserole is great.
I added broken up tortilla chips and placed on the bottom of my dish and cut the chicken up into bite sizes, added black beans …continued then to follow your recipe. It was very good! family loves it!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Bette! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Natasha; I have made this mexican chicken casserole and it’s delicious. I just add one thing and that is green onions. I throw those into the cheese sauce and it gives a nice flavor too. But that’s just me. However even in your version without the green onions, it is super delicious. I will and have been making this now and again. Love all your recipes.
Yum! That’s a great idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This dish was very good. I added some cilantro to the sauce. Definitely will make this again and double the sauce next time…we like extra sauce. 😉…served with green chili rice and toss salad…it was yummy! Love your recipes…keep them coming our way. Merry Christmas!
You got it, Tami! Thank you for sharing that wonderful feedback with us! Merry Christmas!
Beautiful! I love how adaptable this is. I added a can of black beans, 2 cups of frozen corn, and some sauteed peppers and onions. Also, I was low on sour cream but turns out 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt works fine!
Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing some of the ingredients that you used for this recipe. So helpful, Amanda!
Made this for lunch today. Very easy and delicious. A big hit with the family. Great with the Pico de gallo recipe.
So great to hear that, Andrea. Thank you for your great feedback!
Delicious ! Easy and quick ! Would be good with some black beans and rice !
Thank you for your good comments, Debbie. Yes, that would be a great combo!
This was delicious. I cut in in half for the two of us and had enough for another meal! I added a cup of corn on top of the chicken-it made it delicious! Next time I will cut the chicken into bite sized pieces after sauteing so no knife needed.
Very nice! Thanks for your great comments and feedack, Sue.
Very nice! Thanks for your great comments and feedback, Sue.
This turned out to be such a delicious recipe! I’ve been enjoying the leftovers with some brown rice and corn salsa for my lunches this week. So simple but so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Oh so yummy! I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Olga. Thank you for your awesome feedback!
Hello. Can I replace Chilis with Jalapeños?
Hi, that should still work but jalapenos can be spicier.
I used Jalapenos a few times but I also added in a can of seasoned crushed tomatoes to help tone down that extra spiciness from the Jalapenos and everyone loved it. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe when making adjustments.