Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole With Step By Step Instructions

This Mexican Chicken Casserole is the answer to that age old question, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” When I am flat out of ideas, I know I can always come back to this warm, hearty, and delicious recipe. Even our pickiest eaters gobble it up! The chicken simmers all afternoon in the slow cooker, then the rest of the ingredients come together in a snap! Serve with a side salad, tortilla chips and guacamole or some fruit and you have a meal that everyone loves!

Ingredients in Mexican Chicken Casserole Recipe

If you have a little cooked chicken and some rice, you can make this easy Mexican casserole. Here’s what you need:

Chicken Breasts – I use four large boneless, skinless breasts for this recipe. You can throw in some rotisserie chicken if you have that on hand. Red Enchilada Sauce – about a cup, or one small can. Mild or medium, your choice. Diced Green Chilies – a small seven ounce can is perfect. Cumin – two teaspoons of this smoky seasoning gives the chicken incredible flavor. Black Pepper – one teaspoon or more to taste Rice – two cups UNCOOKED rice uncooked. Calrose rice works great if you want to have more defined layers, because you can pat the layers down and it stays together better. Long grain white rice works great too. Cilantro – fresh cilantro is vibrant and bright and adds gorgeous color and flavor. Lime juice – one tablespoon or the juice of half a lime. Cream of chicken soup – two cans of undiluted soup. You can use cream of mushroom soup too. Sour cream – one cup. Salsa – One and a half cups of your favorite medium or mild salsa, depending on your family’s taste. Cheddar cheese – one and a half to two cups, shredded. Pepper jack cheese – same amount of cheddar. This cheese is spicy and adds such a yummy depth of flavor. Corn – one can, drained. You can also use a cup of frozen corn kernels. Black Beans – one can, drained and rinsed

Optional Ingredients/Garnish Ideas

Once you have your casserole dish layered, you can dress it up any way you like! Switch up the chicken for ground beef or shredded pork. Try some of these toppings:

Green onion Sour cream Black olives Paprika Crushed corn chips Diced tomatoes

How to Cook Chicken for Mexican Chicken Casserole

Cook the chicken breasts in a crockpot in the enchilada sauce, green chilies, cumin and black pepper. The chicken will be so flavorful by the time you add it with the rest of the ingredients. You can also cook the chicken breasts in the instant pot if you need to save time. Stir in the seasonings after it’s shredded. READ NEXT: 75+ Best Mexican Recipes

More Mexican Inspired Meals

If you like big, bold flavors but easy ingredients and quick suppers, you’ll love these delicious Mexican recipes:

Cheesy Grilled Mexican Chicken and Rice Mexican Chili in a Tostada Bowl Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Beef Mexican Lasagna Grilled Mexican Street Corn Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice