With just 10 minutes of prep time and made with your favorite nacho toppings, this Nacho Chicken Casserole is a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Serve portions with some cilantro-lime rice on the side and a refreshing Mexican horchata for the kids or a paloma cocktail for the grown-ups to wash it all down!
Quick, Easy & Cheesy Nacho Casserole
From walking tacos to ground beef enchiladas, I love to convert my favorite Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes into quick and easy dinners I can whip up anytime.
This Nacho Chicken Casserole is a great example, turning all of my favorite nacho toppings and flavors into a quick and easy casserole. Like Totchos, it’s a fun recreation of the classic dish and can be easily customized.
For this recipe, I used cooked chicken, black beans, Rotel, taco seasoning, lots of cheese, and tortilla chips – along with a few other ingredients. It takes just 10 minutes (or less!) to throw it all together, then just 25 minutes in the oven. That’s dinner in just over 30 minutes!
Ingredients Needed
This easy chicken casserole is made with some of your favorite nacho toppings and ingredients.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete details.)
- Cooked chicken – Any boneless, skinless chicken will do. You can cook the chicken yourself or grab a rotisserie chicken at the store.
- Black beans – High in protein and fiber, these beans give the casserole some more substance and nutrition. Drain and rinse before using.
- Cream of chicken soup – Just the canned soup, do not dilute it with water or milk.
- Rotel – Rotel adds a bit of heat plus tomato flavor to the nacho casserole.
- Taco seasoning – Grab your favorite at the store or make my homemade taco seasoning.
- Shredded cheese – I used Colby Jack but Monterrey Jack, regular cheddar, or a Mexican blend would work too.
- Tortilla chips – Crushed into small pieces.
- Tomato, Jalapeno, & Cilantro – Optional, but recommended garnishes for added color and flavor.
Easy Variations
Just as with regular nachos, there are many ways you can switch up and customize this easy nacho casserole. Here are a few ideas.
- Use Doritos. Instead of classic tortilla chips, use Doritos to add a unique flavor to the dish.
- Make it spicy. If you want to spice it up a bit, use spicy Rotel or drizzle with sriracha.
- Switch up the meat. Instead of chicken nacho casserole, you can make a ground beef nacho casserole by swapping the chicken for ground beef (or turkey).
- Add your favorite toppings. I provide lots more suggestions below but the best part of this recipe is definitely customizing the toppings!
How to Make Nacho Chicken Casserole
This easy chicken casserole requires just 10 minutes of hands-on prep before you pop it in the oven. Perfect for those busy weeknights!
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete details.)
- Prepare the chicken mixture. Combine the chicken, black beans, cream of chicken, Rotel, and taco seasoning, and a cup of cheese in a bowl.
- Assemble the casserole. Grease a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick spread. Spread a cup of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Add the chicken-bean mixture, top with the remaining cheese, and then add the remaining crushed tortilla chips.
- Bake. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes, then garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Nacho Chicken Casserole Topping Ideas
My favorite part of this nacho casserole is that everyone can customize their own serving with their favorite toppings. I like to offer up several and let everyone choose what they like. A few ideas:
- Sour cream
- Salsa verde or Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Avocado chunks or guacamole
- White queso dip
- Diced scallions
- Candied Jalapenos
Proper Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. NOTE: This tortilla chip casserole is not ideal for assembling in advance – to prevent the chips from getting soggy, assemble this casserole right before baking. For the same reason, I do not recommend freezing this dish.
More Easy Chicken Casseroles:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Nacho Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
- 15 ounces black beans , drained & rinsed
- 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup , undiluted
- 1 can Rotel chilies and tomatoes , undrained
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 & 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese , divided
- 3 cups tortilla chips , crushed
- 1 medium tomato , seeded & diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- 1 jalapeno , sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place cooked chicken, black beans, condensed cream of chicken, Rotel, taco seasoning, and 1 cup cheese. Mix until well combined.
- Spread 1 cup of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of the greased baking dish in an even layer. Then spoon the chicken-bean mixture over the crushed tortilla layer.
- Create an even layer of the remaining cheese on top of the chicken bean mixture, and then add the remaining crushed tortilla chips on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then let it rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and jalapeno slices. Scoop, serve & enjoy!
Loved the recipe! Easy to make!
The recipe is delicious and easy to make!