Cheesy Doritos Chicken Casserole A Creamy & Delicious Family Dinner! (2024)

This quick, cheesy Doritos chicken casserole is tasty enough for any night of the week! My decadently cheesy casserole uses crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos as the crust and topping. It’s a fun and delicious meal that’ll put a smile on everyone’s face!

It’s a creamy casserole loaded with cheese and shredded chicken, then topped with crispy Nacho Cheese Doritos. The Doritos make an amazing cheesy crust that turns the humble casserole up a notch!

I love casseroles because they’re always so easy to make! This casserole takes just 10 minutes to prepare and uses minimal dishes, so cleanup is always so easy!

This super cheesy, crispy Doritos chicken casserole is so fun – you have to make it tonight! It’s a wholesome and absolutely delicious dinner that my family loved and yours will too!

❤️ Why This Recipe Works!

Ultra-Cheesy! This amazing casserole is loaded up with cream cheese, Mexican cheese, and topped with Nacho Cheese Doritos! It’s the cheesiest casserole ever!
All-in-One Dinner! Casseroles are so great for dinner because it’s a complete meal! This casserole is so filling and wholesome!
Super Kid-Friendly! Got picky eaters? There’s no way this Doritos topped casserole won’t become one of their favorites!

🥘 Ingredients

This cheesy casserole recipe has a special ingredient: Nacho Cheese Doritos! It’s an easily found snack chip that will take this casserole over the top!

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil – Or another oil with a high smoke point.
• ¼ cup Yellow Onion – This is about ½ a medium sized onion, diced. You can also use white onion, if preferred!
• 21.5 ounces Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup – This is equal to two 10.75-ounce cans of cream of chicken soup.
• 10 ounces RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles – 1 can of RoTel makes this dish extra flavorful!
• 1 ½ tablespoons Taco Seasoning – Make my simple recipe or use your favorite store-bought brand, like Ortega.
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese – The cream cheese should be softened and brought to room temperature. I recommend cubing or cutting up the cream cheese into chunks to make it melt more easily.
• 15.25 ounces Black Beans – 1 15.25-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
• 4 cups Cooked Chicken – The chicken should be shredded for this recipe! I like to use leftover rotisserie chicken to make this meal super easy.
• 9 ounces Nacho Cheese Doritos – This is equivalent to one regular size bag of Doritos. The chips should be crushed and divided into two portions.
• 2 cups Mexican Cheese Blend – I like a finely shredded Mexican cheese blend. This should also be divided into two 1 cup portions.
• ¼ cup Cilantro – Cilantro is an optional, but a recommended addition. If using, make sure it’s fresh and roughly chopped.

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🧂 Substitutions & Additions

This quick casserole is fantastic as is, but you can easily customize it! Here are a few delicious variations you can try:

Rice – You can make this meal a little extra filling by adding 1 or 2 cups of plain, cooked white rice.

Jalapeños – Add a little Tex-Mex spice with some diced fresh or pickled jalapeños! You can also add chopped chipotles in adobo (dried jalapeños) for a different layer of spice!

Corn – You can easily sneak in extra veggies by adding in a little fire-roasted corn into the chicken mixture.

Red Bell Pepper – Sauté some diced red bell pepper with the onion for extra flavor and color!

🔪 Instructions

This easy casserole is as simple as it is downright delicious! You don’t need any special equipment here, just a large skillet and a baking dish!

1. Prepare. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C), while you heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Next, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or oil and set aside.
2. Make Sauce. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, add ¼ cup of diced yellow onion and sauté until fragrant and tender, or about 4 to 5 minutes. Then, pour in 21.5 ounces of condensed cream of chicken soup, 10 ounces of RoTel diced tomatoes with green chiles, and 1 ½ tablespoons of taco seasoning. Stir to combine all the sauce ingredients.
3. Add Rest of Ingredients. After stirring the sauce, add 4 ounces of cubed, softened cream cheese and stir until it’s melted and smooth. Then, add 15.25 ounces of drained, rinsed black beans and 4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (If you’d like some cilantro in your casserole, stir in ¼ cup with the chicken and beans).

Assemble & Bake

1. Layer Casserole. Start by layering half of the crushed 9 ounces of Nacho Cheese Doritos into your prepared baking dish, then add half of the chicken and sauce mixture. Top with 1 cup of the shredded Mexican cheese blend, then add the last half of the chicken mixture. Finally, top with the remaining crushed Doritos and remaining 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese.
2. Bake Casserole. Once the casserole is layered, bake uncovered at 350°F (175°C) in the middle of your oven’s center rack for 30 minutes. If the cheese topping begins to get too brown, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil. The casserole is ready when the cheese is fully melted and golden.

This cheesy, delicious casserole is a fantastic weeknight meal! I love to garnish plates with a little extra cilantro and serve it as is! If you want to make it even more filling, try serving with my cilantro-lime rice!

💭 Tips & Notes

• Make sure your cream cheese is softened! Setting your cream cheese out for about 30 minutes before using is typically sufficient time to let the cream cheese warm to room temperature.
• Regular size bags of Doritos (keep getting smaller) but typically range between 9 and 10 ounces. Family size bags are around 15 ounces and will work just as well!
• Cilantro is optional but recommended! Cilantro is a great garnish, but also a fantastic stir-in for the casserole for more great Tex-Mex flavor.
• Can’t find the RoTel? Plain or fire-roasted diced tomatoes are equally wonderful in this tasty casserole!

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Reheating Doritos Chicken Casserole

If you’re looking to reheat this casserole, I recommend using the oven for the best results. This way, the Doritos topping can get deliciously crispy again.

Either place the whole baking dish or portions of casserole into a 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes. The casserole is reheated when it’s golden and bubbling, or warmed to your satisfaction.

😋 More Amazing Casseroles

• Mexican Cornbread Casserole
• Chicken Stuffing Casserole
• Zucchini Squash Casserole
• Ground Beef Mexican Casserole
• Walking Taco Casserole
• Jiffy Corn Casserole

❓ FAQ

📖 Recipe Card