Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole

This Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe is super simple to make using rotisserie chicken! Combined with penne pasta, corn, black beans, cheese, and salsa, it’s a cozy chicken dinner that’s perfect for any night!

An Easy Chicken Casserole with Zesty Mexican Flavor!

I’m a big fan of quick and easy dinners. And from Easy Taco Tater Tot Casserole to our favorite Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, casseroles are one of my go-to options. I’ve always loved them, but even more so now that we have the twins – these days, I need dinner to be as simple as possible! This recipe meets those requirements, and then some.

In addition to being easy and quick, Mexican chicken casserole full of flavor and all the things we love most about Mexican food – a rich combination of black beans, corn, jalapeño, and plenty of juicy shredded chicken.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Mexican Chicken Bake

• It’s Cheesy and Creamy: A double-whammy of sour cream and melted cheese makes this casserole moist, rich, and flavorful, without being too heavy.
• Shredded Chicken: Shredded rotisserie chicken (or any other shredded chicken that you might have on hand) makes this casserole meaty, but still fast to make and easy to serve.
• You Can Customize It: You can do so much with this casserole – almost every ingredient is customizable! See the tips section for great ideas on how to make this casserole fit your dietary needs and tastes.

What You’ll Need

These ingredients are pretty straightforward – another reason why it’s such a fast, easy meal to prepare. Most of these are things we’d normally have in our pantry or fridge, aside from the chicken:

• Penne pasta – Or another small pasta shape, like elbows or rotini.
• Salsa – You can use your favorite tomato salsa here, or change it up with different flavors.
• Sour Cream – Don’t skip this – it really adds an important richness to the dish. If you don’t have sour cream, you could try using plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, although the texture might be a little different.
• Jalapeños – For a spicy kick! If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to leave these out.
• Corn – Canned corn is what I usually have on hand, but frozen would also be good.
• Black beans – Canned black beans, rinsed and drained.
• Cheese – Mexican blend cheese is really good here, but you could also use plain cheddar or whatever you like.
• Spices – Cumin, garlic and onion powder.

(Note: the handy printable recipe card with ingredient amounts, nutrition info, and more is located at the bottom of this post!)

How to Make Mexican Chicken Casserole

Like most pasta casseroles, this one is incredibly easy to make. If you can boil water, you can do this! Here are the steps:

• Cook the Pasta. To start, you’ll want to cook your pasta al dente. What that means is basically you want to cook it until it’s softened, but still a little firm. It’ll cook a little more when everything is heated in the oven, so no need to cook it until it’s too soft.
• Mix Everything Together. From there, you’ll combine everything else together, reserving a little bit of the cheese to put on top.
• Top with Extra Cheese, and Bake! Pour the mixture into a casserole dish, cover with that reserved cheese, and bake for about 20 minutes, until everything is heated through and the cheese on top is melted.

Seriously, does it get any easier than that?!?

Tips for Success

While I love this casserole just the way it is, you could of course try different options to suit your preferences.

• Adjust the Heat: If you like a little less spice, leave out the jalapeños. Alternatively if you like more, consider adding red pepper flakes.
• Pasta Options: You can definitely try out different kinds of pasta. The hubs is a big fan of penne, so that’s what we use.
• Salsa: A great way to change up the flavor a bit is to try different salsas. We have a roasted tomato salsa that we love to use and it lends a bit of it’s smoky flavor to the casserole. Try out different ones!

Serving Suggestions

One great thing about an all-in-one dish like this is that you don’t really need sides to make it a meal. But if you would like to add a side dish or two, go for it! These family-pleasing recipes would be perfect:

• Tomato Avocado Salad: While avocado and tomato make great toppings for the casserole, you could also choose to make a salad with them – Avocado Tomato Salad is luscious in texture and full of juicy, summertime flavor.
• Sweet Potatoes: Mexican dishes are often served with rice or tortillas, but sweet potatoes are another option and they really bring a special taste to the party. These Roasted Sweet Potatoes are so easy, and perfect with Mexican chicken casserole.
• Elote Salad: Again, the casserole calls for corn, but you could replace it with another veggie like green beans or carrots, and serve the corn as its own side dish in this mouthwatering Mexican Street Corn Salad. So good!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Leftover Mexican chicken casserole should be stored in the refrigerator, and used within about three days. For food safety, make sure you get it into the refrigerator within two hours of taking it out of the oven. It should be tightly covered with plastic wrap or foil, or you could place the leftovers in airtight containers or zip-top bags.

To reheat, place the casserole in the oven at 350F until it is fully warmed through. You could also microwave it, if you prefer.

Can I Freeze This?

Yes! This recipe can be frozen for up to three months. To do this, take the desired amount and cool it down. Then cover it in two layers of plastic wrap plus a layer of foil. Mark with the date, and freeze. Defrost the casserole overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Tasty Mexican Recipes

Spicy Sriracha Shrimp Tacos
Arizona Chicken Pasta
Beefy Taco Lasagna
Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers
Pineapple Salsa Pasta Salad
Shrimp and Crab Nachos
Mango Margaritas
Margarita Cake

Recipe

Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Description

This Mexican Chicken Casserole uses rotisserie chicken and is super easy to make! Combine penne pasta with corn, black beans, cheese and more and you’ve got yourself a quick dinner perfect for any night!

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Ingredients

Casserole

• 1/2 lb | 2 cups dry penne pasta, cooked al dente
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp diced jalapeños
• 1 can (15 oz) yellow corn, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 cups shredded chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided

Toppings

• Cilantro
• Green onions, diced
• Tomato, diced
• Avocado, sliced

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine the cooked pasta, salsa, sour cream, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, jalapeños, corn, black beans, chicken, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir together to combine.
3. Pour mixture into the casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for about 20 minutes.
4. Serve casserole with cilantro, green onions, tomato, and avocado slices, if desired.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 servings
• Calories: 502
• Sugar: 4.3 g
• Sodium: 1030 mg
• Fat: 16.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 50.4 g
• Protein: 39.4 g
• Cholesterol: 95.5 mg

Keywords: mexican chicken casserole, shredded chicken casserole, mexican chicken bake

Recipe slightly modified from I Am Baker.

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