Chicken Taco Casserole

Name: Chicken Taco Casserole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 c shredded chicken (packed); 1/2 c sour cream; 2 oz cream cheese (softened); 1 c corn; 1 can black beans (approx. 15 oz.) (drained and rinsed); 1 can diced green chiles (4.5 oz.); 1/2 T chili powder; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp oregano; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp pepper; ½ tsp sea salt (more or less to taste); 2 c shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey); ⅓ c chopped cilantro; crushed Fritos or tortilla chips; lettuce; diced tomato; chopped green onion; sliced black olives

Last Updated December 7, 2022. Published December 7, 2022 By Lorie Leave a Comment

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This super simple Chicken Taco Casserole is a dinner ready in about 30 minutes. So versatile and lots of options to serve. A forkable taco dish that the whole family will love! Top with chips or serve over rice--so many ways to enjoy!

Chicken taco casserole in casserole dish topped with Fritos, jalapeño, cilantro and sour cream.

If your family regularly has leftover chicken in the house, or a half used rotisserie chicken, then this easy Chicken Taco Casserole is a perfect dinner! Shredded chicken, beans, corn, seasoning, sour cream and a couple other ingredients and you have yourself the base for a delicious meal!

We love rotisserie chicken but don't always want to eat it as is. This taco bake, chicken noodle soup and stuffed peppers are some of our favorite ways to upsource the chicken for a delicious meal.

Why You Will Love This Chicken Taco Casserole:

It's so easy to make. Stir chicken, beans, corn and some other ingredients together, add to a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Doesn't get much easier than that!
Really simple to vary to meet your needs. There are a lot of ways to vary this chicken taco bake to meet the needs of your family. First, it is naturally gluten free so no worries there. You could make it dairy free by using a dairy free cream cheese, sour cream and cheese--there are actually more options out there these days! You can alter the spices slightly to get more or less heat, add in some veggies you may want, and so much more.
Kid and family friendly. Taco night is always a family favorite, right? Bake up this casserole and then allow the kiddos to make it their own with favorite toppings.
Easy to make ahead! You can prepare this recipe ahead of time and bake it just before dinner. It will be fine in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This allows you to prep it when you have the time!

Recipe Ingredients:

chicken: any leftover chicken you may have or a rotisserie chicken. Shred it up and you are set to go!
corn: frozen corn that is thawed or grilled corn cut right off of the ear.
beans: We use black beans, but pinto is another great option. Drained and rinsed.
green chiles: a small can of diced green chiles. For more spice, you can use jalapeño instead.
cream cheese: a touch of softened cream cheese adds a richness to this chicken taco casserole. Reduced fat cream cheese will work in this recipe, just may alter the flavor slightly.
sour cream: you can use Greek yogurt if you prefer. A reduced or fat free sour cream will work fine in this recipe as well.
seasoning: I use a combination of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic and oregano. If you want to, you could also use a couple tablespoons of your favorite taco seasoning.
cheese: freshly shredded cheese will melt much better than pre-shredded cheese in the package. I highly suggest shredding your own for this reason.
toppings: the options are endless. Our must haves are cilantro, Fritos, a dollop of sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

Mixing bowl with shredded chicken, corn, beans, chiles, sour cream and other ingredients.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Not much to this recipe! So easy to whip it up.

Combine all of the ingredients except the cheese in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. You can adjust the seasonings to taste. You can also stir in cooked rice, or spread it on the bottom of the pan if desired.
Spread the mixture in a casserole dish or a 9x9inch baking pan that is sprayed with oil. My casserole dish is about 8x10 inches. Press it down to make an even layer.
Cover with shredded cheese and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken mixture is melted.
Remove from oven, top with shredded cilantro and crushed chips. Serve as desired with other favorite toppings.

Mixing bowl with chicken, beans, sour cream and other ingredients mixed together.

Casserole dish with chicken taco mixture.

Chicken taco casserole in white dish topped with sour cream, jalapeños, chips, etc.

Chicken Taco Casserole Tips:

Storage Instructions: This taco casserole will keep for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator sealed air tight. It will freeze in an air tight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat: you can place in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes or microwave 1-2 servings about 2-3 minutes. You could also pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes!
You can add extra ingredients into the casserole base. If you would like some extra ingredients baked into the casserole, feel free to add them. Sliced olives, diced tomatoes, a squeeze of lime juice, and more!

Possible Toppings:

Think of this chicken taco casserole as more of an inside out taco. And it's still a taco, so we need lots of toppings right? Here are some of our favorites:

diced avocado (or guacamole!)
tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream or Greek yogurt
black olives
green onion
salsa--this roasted tomato salsa is our fave!
cilantro
pico de gallo
pickled onion
jalapeño
a squeeze of lime juice

Lots more--what are your favorites?

How to Serve This Taco Casserole:

Aside from the chips on top, I left a starch out of this chicken taco bake because I wanted you to be able to choose your own adventure on how to really complete this meal.

Here are some of our favorite ways:

serve over rice or cauliflower rice
stuff in a baked sweet potato
scoop it up with tortilla chips or the beg Frito scoops
serve it in a taco shell or tortilla--I personally think this one is great to eat with a fork, but making the taco casserole into an actual taco is not off limits!
bake it with crushed chips or cooked rice on the bottom. You can make this recipe with your starch baked right under the casserole for an extra layer ready to go!
eat it as is!