Crunchy chips layered with seasoned chicken and shredded cheese, Dorito Casserole is a flavorful, savory dish that your kids will love just as much as you do!
If you know anything about me it’s that I love quick and easy dinner ideas. I’m talking 20 minutes of active prep work OR LESS. If you love easy, family-friendly dinners as much as I do, then I’ve got QUITE the treat for you today.
Dorito Casserole is a busy mom’s dream come true! This layered cheesy casserole is so easy to prep and it tastes like the most delicious Mexican fiesta you could ever imagine. Cancel all your plans – Dorito Casserole should be on YOUR Taco Tuesday menu this week!
DORITO CASSEROLE
Like this recipe? Pin it to your DINNER board!
Follow Real Housemoms on Pinterest
As a kid, Doritos were always my go-to road trip snack. We took a TON of road trips as a family, so I have tons of memories of sitting in the back seat with my two brothers devouring a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. These days, I’m a big fan of the purple bag of deliciousness – the spicy-sweet chili flavor. Those chips are addicting!
So, when I heard that people were adding Doritos into their favorite Mexican dishes to replace regular tortilla chips, I KNEW that I had to take a stab at my own version! That’s where this incredible Dorito chicken casserole recipe came from. It’s the cheesy, layered casserole of your wildest dreams.
Taco Tuesday is a family favorite day in our house and cheesy chicken Dorito casserole has now been added to the Mexican-themed rotation of fun family dinners. My boys are obsessed with this Dorito casserole recipe and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t too! Try making this casserole recipe today, I know you won’t regret it.
Ingredients
Taco Seasoning – to give this easy chicken Dorito casserole its Mexican flavor, you’ll need some taco seasoning. If you’ve got a packet on hand, go ahead and use that. Or you can mix up a batch of my favorite homemade taco seasoning… it’s WAY easier than you’d think. We always have a batch on hand in the spice cabinet!
Doritos – obviously for a Dorito casserole, you’ll need some Doritos! You’ll want a party-sized bag of the original nacho cheese flavor. I haven’t tried out the other varieties in this recipe, but if you’re feeling adventurous, go ahead and mix it up.
Chicken – you’ll need about 3 cups of cooked chicken for this recipe. You can use either shredded or chopped chicken, whichever works best for you.
I personally make this recipe with a rotisserie chicken. I remove the skin and get just the right amount of shredded meat! You could also make this recipe as a Dorito casserole with beef if you’d prefer a different type of protein. Simply brown the beef before starting your recipe prep!
And If you’re feeling beef instead of chicken for your casserole swap your protein. Make some taco meat with 1 pound of lean ground beef and skip the taco seasoning in the filling.
How to make Dorito Casserole
So you’re ready to make the most delicious casserole of your life? Time to dive right in… here’s how to make the perfect Dorito casserole:
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- While the oven is heating up, grab a small skillet and put it over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Now add the onions and cook until they’re softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from heat and set it aside for a few minutes.
- Now grab a large mixing bowl and put in the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, and taco seasoning. Give it all a good stir to combine. Next, add your shredded (or chopped) chicken, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, corn, onions, and garlic to the bowl. Stir until all the chicken is evenly coated.
- Now it’s time to smash some Doritos! (This is my son’s favorite part… Usually, I’m a stickler for treating bags of chips with care, but now you get to throw them around a bit!) Leave the Doritos in the bag and use your hands to crush them up a bit.
*You don’t want tiny crumbs, just medium-sized pieces. You know, small enough for bite-sized pieces, but not chip dust.
- Spread about half of the crushed Dorito chips in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Next, spoon your chicken meat mixture over the chips and spread it into an even layer. Make sure you don’t just dump it from the bowl or the chips may get pushed out of the way. Take the extra 15 seconds and spread it carefully 🙂
- Pop that Dorito casserole right into your preheated oven and bake it for 20 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven. Top it with the remaining Doritos in an even layer and then sprinkle cheese on top. You can use as much or as little as you like – for me, the more cheese the better… but to each his or her own!
- Return the casserole to the oven and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melty and irresistible looking.
- For the finishing touch, sprinkle the casserole with chopped parsley or cilantro. Cut into 6 portions and serve warm.
What to serve with Chicken Dorito Casserole
Easy chicken Dorito casserole is a meal in and of itself. It’s got the meat, the carbs, the veggies. So, if you’re in the market for a quick one-and-done dinner, just plop your casserole dish down on the table and let your family dig in.
If you prefer to have sides (because who doesn’t love a good side dish…) here are some of my favorites to serve with Dorito casserole:
Mexican Rice – every single one of my favorite Mexican dishes comes with some deliciously seasoned rice. Whether it’s stuffed inside of a burrito or served on the side of some yummy Dorito chicken casserole, this Mexican rice recipe is a keeper!
Southwest Corn Salsa – this salsa is fresh, bright, and tangy. It’s the perfect side to scoop onto some tortilla chips in between your bites of Dorito casserole!
Need more easy family dinner ideas?
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
- Crock Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- more DINNER recipes…
Tools used to make Dorito Casserole
Baking Dish: this baking dish is a real MVP in our kitchen. We use it for casseroles, brownies, Jell-O, you name it.
Mixing Bowls: I love a good set of cute mixing bowls!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend shredded
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning (1 packet)
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 14.5 ounces Nacho Cheese Doritos (1 party-size bag)
- Fresh parsley finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place a small skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted add in the onions. Cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, and taco seasoning to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped chicken, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, corn, onions, and garlic to the mixing bowl. Stir until evenly combined.
- Leave the Doritos in a bag and use your hands to crush them up a bit. You don’t want tiny crumbs, just medium-sized pieces.
- Spread half of the crushed Doritos in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips and spread into an even layer. Don’t just dump it from the bowl or the chips may get pushed out of the way.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven. Top with the remaining Doritos in an even layer and then sprinkle with cheese. You can use as much or as little as you like.
- Return the casserole to the oven and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese has melted
- Sprinkle the casserole with chopped parsley. Cut into 6 portions and serve warm. We like to add a dollop of sour cream on top of each portion.
Kathryn Pyeatte says
Love this recipe. I have a family of 4 adults and 4 children. I always have to double or triple it. I use the Tyson grilled chicken already cooked. I NEVER have left overs! Bummer…. I make this at very least 1 time a month. But the kids (both adult and young) would be happy with more times a month. So simple and tasty. Can be made into different variations as well.