This salsa verde chicken casserole is creamy, cheesy, and great for entertaining. It’s an easy recipe filled with bold Mexican-inspired flavors of salsa verde and green chilies, tempered with melted cheese and sour cream.
If you’re after bold Tex-Mex flavors like you’ll find in my cheesy salsa verde chicken enchiladas and this fiesta chicken casserole, you’ll love this easy chicken casserole recipe!
This salsa verde chicken casserole always reminds me of the King Ranch chicken my mom would make us growing up. Both recipes have a lot in common: juicy shredded chicken layered with soft corn tortillas and plenty of cheese. There are also a few key differences, which make both recipes stand-out dinners in their own right! I make this casserole with my easy salsa verde chicken recipe and it couldn’t be easier.
This recipe was originally published in 2016. The photos and helpful tips throughout have been updated in 2025 to make your dinner prep even easier!
What Makes This Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole So Great
- Plenty of Tex-Mex flavor. This salsa verde chicken casserole is Tex-Mex at its finest! Tender chicken wrapped in fresh, tangy salsa verde flavors of tomatillo and green chilies gets layered between soft corn tortillas, and then baked under heaps of cheese.
- Quick to prepare. Using leftover salsa verde chicken cuts down on the ingredients, saving loads of time. I prepare the chicken a day or two ahead and then assemble everything in a baking dish the night of. And if you don’t have your chicken prepped in advance, don’t worry: I have you covered with a substitute that’s just as quick!
- Adaptable. Made as-is, this recipe is fairly mild and kid-friendly, leaning toward zest rather than spice. However, you can make it spicier with extra seasoning or add-ins like chilies.
What You’ll Need
My salsa verde chicken casserole is a perfect family meal packed with vibrant, Mexican-inspired flavor. It comes down to just 6 easy ingredients. I’ve included some notes here, and you’ll find the printable ingredients list and recipe details in the recipe card below the post.
- Shredded Chicken – I link to my quick Instant Pot salsa verde chicken in the recipe card. You could also make slow cooker salsa verde chicken or any method you prefer. If you don’t have a batch ready to use for this casserole, simply swap in 2 cups of any shredded chicken (or rotisserie chicken) mixed with ⅓ cup of your favorite store-bought salsa verde.
- Rotel – You can replace Rotel with a can of diced tomatoes and canned green chilies. Or, leave out the chilies for a milder casserole.
- Sour Cream – If you don’t have sour cream, good substitutes are plain Greek yogurt or cream cheese.
- Spices – Salt, plus ground cumin and cayenne pepper to give this casserole some extra kick. Feel free to adapt the seasonings to your taste.
- Corn Tortillas – For layering between the chicken. Corn tortillas are hardier than flour tortillas.
- Cheese – I love a Tex-Mex blend of shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack. Other good cheese choices are Pepper Jack (for more spice), Swiss, and Velveeta. You could also use more traditional Mexican cheeses like Asadero, Queso, and Oaxaca cheese. Grate the cheese fresh from the block so that it melts smoothly.
How to Make a Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole
I love Tex-Mex recipes like my baked chicken enchilada pasta and Doritos casserole, which need very little prep before they’re ready for the oven. This salsa verde chicken casserole comes together in three steps! Follow along below, and scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Prepare the chicken filling. Add your salsa verde chicken to a bowl along with the Rotel, sour cream, and seasonings. Give that a good mix to combine.
- Layer the casserole. Next, starting with a layer of creamy chicken on the bottom, layer the ingredients into a greased square baking dish. Top the chicken with a layer of tortillas, then half of the remaining chicken, followed by shredded cheese. Repeat until you’ve used up the ingredients, ending with a layer of cheese.
- Bake. Bake this salsa verde chicken casserole at 350ºF for 25 minutes until it’s hot and bubbly. Let it sit for a few minutes once it’s out of the oven, then slice and serve!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Scale the recipe. You can double the ingredients for a 9×13 baking dish. It’s important to keep the ingredients proportionate when scaling the recipe. Too much chicken versus tortillas will make a soggy mess.
- Don’t overbake. Avoid letting the casserole overbake as the pre-cooked chicken can get a bit dry. Make sure the oven is fully preheated, too, so that the casserole bakes evenly.
- Allow the casserole to rest. Casseroles tend to be piping hot when they’re fresh out of the oven (as they should be!). 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.
- Different protein. Instead of shredded chicken, make salsa verde pork carnitas, or use leftover shredded beef.
- More add-ins. Diced bell peppers, fresh or pickled jalapeños, sweet corn kernels, black beans, or refried beans. Be sure to drain and rinse any canned ingredients like beans and corn before you add them to the casserole.
Casserole Toppings
Just like tacos, a Mexican chicken casserole only gets better with toppings! These are some family favorites but feel free to change things up with any taco toppings you’d like.
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado slices
- Diced tomatoes
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole or avocado salsa
Serving Suggestions
Once I’ve loaded it up with toppings (see above), my salsa verde chicken casserole goes great with a side of white rice, cilantro rice, or even stick of butter rice. I also pair it with cheesy ranch potatoes or sweet potato biscuits for a real comfort food meal. Round out dinner with a big, sharing-style Southwestern Cobb salad for the table, a starter of cheesy veggie nachos, and sopapilla cheesecake bars for dessert.
Make It Ahead
I’ll often prepare this chicken casserole the night before (I don’t recommend more than 8 hours in advance as the tortillas get a bit soggy). Layer your casserole into an oven-proof baking dish, then cover and refrigerate it until it’s time to bake. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if you’re baking the casserole cold from the fridge.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover salsa verde chicken casserole airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Reheat the casserole either whole or in portions. You can warm it in the oven at 350ºF until the casserole is heated through and bubbling, or use the microwave.
- Freeze. For longer storage, freeze this chicken casserole for up to 2 months. Wrap the baking dish tightly in plastic wrap with an extra layer of foil. Allow the casserole to thaw in the fridge before reheating. I like to sprinkle on fresh shredded cheese before baking to refresh the topping.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
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 creamy, cheesy Tex-Mex casserole recipe with zesty shredded salsa verde chicken layered with corn tortillas and heaps of melted cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups salsa verde chicken (or shredded rotisserie chicken, see note)
- 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 jarred 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.