I make this easy Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole using my Salsa Verde Chicken, to rave reviews each time! A deliciously creamy and cheesy Mexican chicken casserole that’s great for entertaining. This recipe is filled with the bold flavors of salsa verde, green chilies, and shredded cheese!
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Cheesy Mexican-Style Chicken Casserole
Whenever I make a batch of my crazy-versatile Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken, this easy casserole recipe isn’t far behind! This dinner idea is one of my easiest dishes to make and one that I love. It brings to mind the Texas King Ranch Chicken my mom used to make us when I was growing up. This version with salsa verde is just as quick to make, and just as delicious!
You love the layers of shredded chicken in this cheesy, creamy casserole recipe. It’s a perfect family meal that’s mild enough to be a kid-friendly dinner, while still packing in loads of vibrant, Mexican-inspired flavor to keep the grown-ups interested.
What You’ll Need
Simplicity is key when it comes to this easy Mexican chicken casserole. It only calls for a few common ingredients:
- Shredded Chicken: I use my easy Salsa Verde Chicken recipe. It’s perfect for this recipe, and so many others! As a quick alternative in a pinch, you can use 2 cups of shredded Rotisserie chicken mixed with 1/3 cup salsa verde.
- Rotel: Or canned green chilis.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream brings all the creaminess to this casserole with a nice hint of tang.
- Ground Spices: Cumin and cayenne pepper.
- Corn Tortillas: Soft corn tortillas for layering between the creamy salsa verde chicken.
- Shredded Cheese: I love a blend of Cheddar/Monterey Jack as the cheese layer for this casserole. The best combination and perfectly melty!
How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole
Prepare the Chicken Mixture: Mix together the shredded salsa verde chicken, Rotel, sour cream and seasonings until well combined.
Assemble the Casserole: Spread a layer of the creamy shredded chicken into the bottom of a baking dish, followed by a layer of corn tortillas. Feel free to cut or rip the tortillas, or overlap them to fit as needed! Follow this with another layer of chicken mixture, then cheese, and repeat.
Bake: Bake your Tex-Mex casserole until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Let it sit for a few minutes once it’s out of the oven, then serve warm!
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
This dish is easy to prepare up to eight hours in advance. Just assemble the layers in the baking dish, and then keep it covered in the fridge until it’s time to bake. You can also keep the cooked casserole in the fridge for up to 4 days, or even freeze it! See the section later on for more storing tips.
Tips for Success
- For Larger Batches: Use a larger baking dish or use two 9×13 baking dishes if you’ll be scaling up the recipe, and keep the ingredients proportionate. Too much chicken versus tortilla will make a soggy mess!
- Don’t Over Bake: Since the chicken in this recipe is already pre-cooked, avoid letting the casserole overbake as the chicken can get dry. Make sure the oven is fully preheated, too, so that the casserole bakes evenly.
- Allow the Casserole to Set: Casseroles tend to be piping hot when they’re fresh out of the oven. It’s important to leave a few minutes of resting time before serving, so the casserole can cool and set up a bit for slicing.
Add-In Ideas
There are many ways you can update this recipe to include your favorite ingredients! Think of it as Taco Tuesday in casserole form. Here are some add-in ideas for your salsa verde chicken casserole:
- Topped with avocado slices or guacamole
- Plain Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream)
- Diced bell peppers
- Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Sweet corn kernels
- Black beans (rinsed and drained) or refried beans
- Fresh cilantro
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this salsa verde chicken casserole topped with garnishes like cilantro, diced or sliced tomatoes, avocado, and even an extra dollop of salsa verde. It’s perfect to pair with your favorite rice dishes, or with roasted potatoes or vegetables!
Here are some suggestions for other flavorful dishes to serve with your casserole:
- Easy Burrito Bowls
- Southwestern Cobb Salad
- Chipotle Meatballs
- Roasted Veggie Nachos
- Carne Asada Fries
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Leftover salsa verde chicken casserole will keep for up to 4 days when stored airtight in the fridge. Reheat in the oven on low until the casserole is heated through and bubbling once more.
Does This Casserole Freeze Well?
For longer storage, this chicken casserole will keep frozen for up to 1-2 months! Assemble the casserole as usual, and then store it in the freezer wrapped tightly in plastic wrap with an extra layer of foil. Allow the casserole to thaw in the fridge and then bake. You can give the top an extra sprinkle of cheese before baking, to refresh it a little!
More Mexican-Inspired Dinner Ideas
- Easy Skillet Tamale Pie
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole
- Beergarita Pulled Chicken
- Slow Cooker Taco Truck Chili
- Easy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole is a deliciously creamy and cheesy chicken recipe, great for entertaining! An easy Mexican chicken casserole filled with the bold flavors of salsa verde, green chilies and sharp shredded cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups salsa verde chicken (or shredded Rotisserie Chicken)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can Rotel
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 small corn tortillas
- 2 –3 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar/jack blend)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl combine the chicken, sour cream, Rotel, cumin, cayenne and salt. Stir to combine.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture into the bottom of a 4 quart or (8×8) baking dish. Top that with 4 corn tortillas. You can rip the tortillas to fit if necessary. They can overlap.
- Spread half of the remaining chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Top that with 1 cup of cheese.
- Repeat this with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese.
- Bake the casserole for 25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Allow the casserole to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving warm.
Notes
If you don’t have the pre-made Salsa Verde Chicken just sub in 2 cups of shredded Rotisserie Chicken mixed with 1/3 cup of salsa verde.
adapted from Taste of Home
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Scoop
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 862.4 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
- Protein: 26.2 g
- Cholesterol: 77.1 mg
Yum! Used leftovers from fried chicken put this in my instant pot on keep warm and added black beans. Was good to go when hubby got home at noon and still good for me at 6pm. Thanks!
Looks great! Have you ever frozen the verde chicken and thawed later to complete the casserole? If so, would you suggest just thawing chicken mix overnight and assemble as usual for the casserole?
I was looking at the recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole where it says to use a 4 quart or 8×8 inch baking dish.
Are you saying an 8×8 inch baking dish has an equivalent volume of 4 quarts?
Or are you saying the cook simply has a choice of a 4 quart (whatever its measurements OR an 8×8 inch dish?
The only way the two are equivalent would be if the 8×8 inch dish was 4 inches deep.
Ray
Use a 4- quart baking dish 🙂 Or an 8×8 with the equivalent.
I like my casseroles with a combination of corn and flour tortillas. I just tear them up and layer them
This recipe is the best. My entire family asked me to make it again before they finished the first casserole. I did cook it longer – closer to 40-45 minutes. I also included frijoles and spread the beans on the tortillas which helped the chicken stay in place and also included green chili peppers (they are mild and not spicy). This is an excellent casserole. It was a little dry so I poured another can of green verde sauce over the top.
Have you tried this casserole in the instant pot?
to make the actual casserole in the instant pot? Nope, I haven’t!
Hi! I just made this (enough to make leftovers) and both times, the casserole ended up with cold/uncooked areas and had to microwave. I even had the temp up to 415 and cooked for 35 instead of 25 minutes. Any ideas why this would happen? The sour cream both times was just running out of the casserole.
I haven’t made this yet but maybe heat the chicken mixture up in the microwave before putting the casserole together and baking?
Tried it again, covered the dish this time, and cooked it for an extra 10 minutes at 385… Still mostly uncooked so threw it in for another 15 minutes at 435. The top “gelled” but we’ll see how the middle turns out. Just about to eat and will report back….
Update! The extra cook time helped. It was delicious!! I forgot to mention: I also halved the sour cream. I’m just surprised this doesn’t happen to anyone else? I haven’t had this issue with other casseroles.
I have found that it needs to “rest” like you would lasagna to get the right texture. It is a bit too sloppy right out of the oven. You could also try more tortillas. I use a combination of flour and corn.
Holy heaven, this looks so good! That cheese! OMG… will be making this for dinner this week for sure.
Thank you! I guess the verde should’ve told me it was French..duh! But the Rotel I never would have guessed. Now the recipe making can begin!!
Thanks again.
Verde is actually Spanish for green. Rotel is simply a brand name, most stores will carry their own cheaper version right next to the real Rotel.
Hi Shelly, I have 2 questions for you. One, what is salsa verde? And 2, what is rotell? Would love to try your recipe here but have no idea what those 2 items are. Thanks for your help.
sure, salsa verde is green salsa. You can find it down the aisle in the supermarket with the other salsas. Rotel is a can of diced tomatoes, mixed with green chilis! I find it in my supermarket with the tomato sauces and other diced tomatoes.