This Crunchy Dorito Chicken Casserole is easy to make, a family favorite, and always a crowd-pleaser for potlucks! It's loaded with shredded chicken, crunchy Doritos, black beans, corn, and lots of Mexican flavors!
Jump to:
Dorito Chicken Casserole
If there's comfort food on this planet that I'll always crave, it's Dorito Chicken Casserole. My friend Donna discovered this a couple of years ago and she's brought me big pans of it a few times over the years when I was having a bad day or week.
I could not have been more grateful. Her recipe is better than mine (or maybe it just tastes better because I'm not the one cooking it), but I love it almost any way it's made. 😁The bottom line is - it's my favorite! If you're looking for a recipe for Dorito casserole, I've got you covered.
So let's get started!
Ingredients
- Doritos Tortilla Chips - we usually use Nacho Cheese flavor, but I've also used Spicy Doritos and the casserole is delicious! You'll need the big party-sized bag.
- Black beans - these are optional but highly recommended! They add extra protein and bulk out the recipe if you're serving a crowd! I often cook up a big batch in my Instant Pot, freeze them in 1.5 cup portions, then use them in this recipe!
- Corn - again, you can skip the corn if you want but I love having the extra flavors and textures in this casserole. You can use canned corn (drained) or 1.5 cups of frozen corn!
- Green Chiles - these add a little extra kick to the casserole and I love them!
- Cream of Chicken Soup - you can also use cream of mushroom if you like, or the Cream of Chicken & Mushroom variety.
- Rotel - this staple item adds the perfect extra zing to the recipe and really brings up the Mexican flavor. You can substitute a generic brand of Rotel tomatoes, or even add petit diced tomatoes and an extra can of green chiles as a substitute. Depending on how much spice you tolerate, Rotel comes in Mild, Original, and Hot varieties.
- Cooked, Shredded Chicken - you can use chicken that you cook and shred yourself, rotisserie chicken from your grocery store, or even canned chicken (my least favorite option). As long as you used cooked chicken, you're good to go!
- Taco Seasoning - I usually buy large containers of Taco seasoning from Sam's Club, but you can also use the packet taco seasoning from your grocery store or a homemade taco seasoning. You can also add in some extra cumin or garlic powder if you want to amp it up more!
- Sour Cream - adding sour cream makes the chicken casserole a little bit creamier and is a special touch that you don't want to skip!
- Shredded Cheese - this is optional, but if I have some shredded cheddar cheese, I often add it on top of the Doritos before baking the last time.
How to Make Dorito Casserole
You are going to love how easy this Mexican casserole with Doritos is and how quickly it comes together. Chicken casseroles almost always save the day if I'm in a hurry but want a homecooked meal and this one does not disappoint. As a bonus, you will have minimal dirty dishes when you're finished! Here are the instructions for you...
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Next, crush the chips in the bag. It's a great way to relieve stress 😉
- Then go ahead and spray a casserole dish (9x13x2) with non-stick cooking spray and cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with half of the crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the black beans, corn, green chiles, soup, Rotel, chicken, taco seasoning, and sour cream.
- Stir until well incorporated, then layer the chicken mixture into the baking dish over the crushed Doritos.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the Chicken Dorito Casserole from the oven and top with the other half of Doritos. Spread them in an even layer. And if you like, sprinkle on some shredded cheddar.
- Lastly, bake in the oven for 5 more minutes! Enjoy!!
Dorito Chicken Casserole Recipe Pro Tips
#1 Tip for Shredding Chicken!
Here's my #1 tip for any recipe that needs shredded chicken. If you plan to bake or boil the chicken yourself, then shred it... use your Kitchen Aid mixer! Yep, you read that right.
Shredding Chicken with a KitchenAid Video:
As you can see in the video above, place the cooked chicken in your Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and turn it on with the paddle attachments. The chicken will be shredded in SECONDS!! Go try it and you can thank me later!
Add-ins, Toppings, & Substitutions for Dorito Casserole
My favorite way to enjoy this Dorito Casserole with Chicken is topped with sour cream, some extra cheese, and a little cilantro! But there are so many recipe variations you can do to change up this chicken casserole.
- Add shredded cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend on top, before baking for the last 5 minutes.
- Garnish with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, freshly chopped onions, guacamole, salsa, etc.
- As previously mentioned, you can substitute the soup (cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, or cream of chicken & mushroom soup... they all work!).
- You can kick up the spice by using Hot Rotel Tomatoes, a spicier taco seasoning, or adding diced jalapenos or other peppers to the chicken mixture.
- The easiest way to make this (in my opinion) is to shred a precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. But you can also shred leftover chicken from another recipe or boil and shred some just before making the recipe.
Making Ahead and Freezing Mexican Chicken Dorito Casserole
- If you want to make this ahead of time but do not want soggy chips, I recommend making the chicken mixture ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you're ready to bake, crush the chips, divide them, take the chicken mixture out of the fridge, and follow the recipe instructions from there.
- You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it. Be sure to wrap it in 2-3 layers of foil before placing it in the freezer, then thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking. The chips may not be as crunchy as they'd be when made fresh, but they will crisp up some in the oven.
Sharing Mexican chicken Casserole with Doritos
- This recipe is perfect for taking to family gatherings or potlucks. It doubles easily and can be made in a disposable pan for easy cleanup.
- This is also a great recipe to share. Because it's such a crowd-pleaser, it's so easy to make a pan to share with a family who's been sick or a mom with a newborn. I recommend baking it before you take it, then covering it with foil. It can be reheated in the oven for 20 minutes, or in the microwave as needed.
Tools Needed for This Recipe
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Dorito Chicken Video:
FAQ for Cheesy Chicken Dorito Casserole
Yes, please drain them before adding them to the chicken mixture.
I have a few serving suggestions for this Mexican Chicken Casserole with Doritos. We love to have a fresh green salad with this casserole. Or you can serve refried beans or Spanish rice. It's also terrific all on it's own with lots of sour cream!
I'm gonna say yes? Haha. Did you hear the hesitation in my voice? I'm not a fan of Cool Ranch Doritos but I think if you like them, go for it! You can also use Spicy Doritos, Taco Doritos, Chili Doritos, or any other Doritos you love! Change it up and come back to tell me how it is!
YES! Of course, it would no longer be Dorito Chicken Casserole, but it would be so delicious! I'd recommend 1 -1.5 pounds of ground beef in place of the chicken.
More Delicious Casseroles...
PrintRecipe
Crunchy Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
This Crunchy Dorito Chicken Casserole is easy to make, a family favorite, and always a crowd-pleaser for potlucks! It's loaded with shredded chicken, crunchy Doritos, black beans, corn, and lots of Mexican flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 14.5 oz bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos chips
- 1 can of black beans, drained
- 1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 4 oz (113.40 G)can of green chiles, drained
- 1 10 oz. (283.5 G)can of cream of chicken soup
- 1 can of Original Rotel Tomatoes
- 3 cups (681 ML) of cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 tablespoon (14 ML)of taco seasoning
- ½ cup (120ML) of sour cream
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, diced onions, salsa, guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Crush chips in the bag to make small pieces.
- Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Cover the pan with half of the crushed chips,
- In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the chips.
- Spread the chicken mixture over the crushed chips.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove and cover the mixture with the remaining amount of chips.
- Optional: sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake for 5 more minutes.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Marissa
This is a family favorite and we LOVE it with lots of cheese on top!
Lindsey
This was a great meal for our family of 6!! Different and Delicious
Katie
We really love this casserole. I loved the leftovers, too!
Esmé Slabbert
I am on a Doritos craze at the moment. Pinned this so will have to give it a try.
I visited you via Anything Goes linky, week 376
If you are not already part of SSPS, this is a personal invite to hop over and come and share your posts with us at Senior Salon Pit Stop, every Monday to Saturday.
See my entry: 36 and then navigate to the bottom of my page for the Senior Salon Pit Stop linkup, we hope to meet you there virtually.
Christy Garrett
I love this casserole but my son won’t eat it. 🙁
Pauline - BeautifulVoyager
What a great dish! Thanks so much for sharing and for posting on Fiesta Friday. Hope to see you again at the party.
Miz Helen
Just pinned your feature to our Features Board, for Full Plate Thursday. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back to see us!
Miz Helen