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Super Easy Chicken Dorito Casserole

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Chicken Dorito Casserole might be one of those recipes that falls under “don’t knock it until your try it.” I mean, Doritos chips are awesome on their own, no getting around that. But using them in a casserole? Why, who would do such a thing?

spatula of casserole

Easy Chicken Dorito Casserole

The great thing about chicken Dorito casseroles is how easy they are to make. They are one of those easy dinners that I keep on hand and my family loves!

You can quickly mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then layer into a casserole dish, add those crunchy Doritos, then top with some cheese.

Bake until it is ready to serve and you are good to go! Pretty much the only tough thing will be waiting for the casserole to cool enough to eat…

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ingredients in bowls

Ingredients Needed

  • Chicken – A rotisserie chicken or cook your own shredded chicken. That is much preferable to, say, using canned pre-cooked chicken, but if that is all you have, then that is fine too.
  • Sour cream – Regular sour cream is best. You could go with the light version if you wanted, but this is sour cream, not 2% milk we are adding here.
  • Rotel – you can also use diced tomatoes and chopped green chiles.
  • Cream of chicken soup – Using a can of cream of chicken soup works great but if you want to make a more vegetarian style Dorito casserole, then substitute with a can of cream of mushroom or cream of asparagus.
  • Corn – Fresh frozen corn works well, or corn you cut from the cob. If you use canned corn, be sure to rinse it well and drain.
  • Fiesta Ranch Dressing Mix – Typically you will find packets of Fiesta Ranch dressing where you find the oil and vinegar.
  • Dorito Nacho Chips – Ok, the tried and true classic Dorito Nachos chips are great, but the other versions work well too. Cool Ranch is a great option.
  • Mexican cheese – Any shredded cheese will do, but you can also usually find the pre-shredded Mexican cheese that has a combination of the best Mexican style cheeses, including Asado, mild cheddar, and Monterey Jack.

How to make Chicken Dorito Casserole

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix your chicken, sour cream, Rotel, cream of chicken soup, and corn together.
  2. Crunch up some of the chips to use on the bottom before you add the chicken and corn mixture. Layer everything evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.
  1. Add the rest of the broken up Dorito Nacho chips over the corn and chicken mixture. Cover completely and to the edges of the casserole.
  1. Add the Mexican cheese blend over the crushed Dorito chips. You can add another layer of chips over it if you like extra crunch on top.
  2. Bake until the cheese just lightly begins to brown on top and the ingredients are heated evenly throughout.

For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

close up of mexican chicken casserole topped with sour cream

Which Doritos work best?

At this point, Doritos come in all sort of flavorful options. So, you might wonder if using the Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos for this casserole is set in stone.

No way! Feel free to get creative with the Dorito options.

Cool Ranch, Spicy, extra cheesy, even taco seasoning Doritos all work just fine. Use whichever one you have handy or like best.

Can I make it in advance?

I actually advise making your chicken Dorito casserole in advance – except for adding the layer of Doritos and cheese.

Add those when you are ready to go to the oven with it. By making it ahead of time, not only adds convenience, but also helps blend the flavors even better.

The heart and soul of any great casserole is the blend of layers of flavors.

Can I freeze it?

You can store a leftover Dorito chicken casserole overnight in the same container you baked it in.

When you reheat it, then just take some extra chips out to add on top for fresh baked crunch. You can store it in the fridge for about 3 or 4 days that way.

Freezing is also an option. However, in that case, make sure to transfer to an airtight sealable container of glass and or plastic. In the freezer, you look at storing it safely up to a month.

I recommend using a bit of masking tape with the “use by” date on it though. That helps you avoid the “should I eat this if it has been in here a year?” blues.

Best Casserole Tips

  • Drain any wet ingredients thoroughly first. For example, if you used canned corn, then rinse and let it drain completely.
  • Layer the ingredients properly. If you want those Nacho Doritos extra crunchy, then add them last over the cheese, not under.
  • Use the right size casserole dish for baking the casserole. The deeper the dish, the more you need to watch out for too much water collecting and making it too soggy. However, too shallow a dish means you have to watch out for over-cooking it too quickly.
  • Try adding black beans or using Southwest Mexicorn for more flavor.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!

pan of casserole with blue banner and white text
Dorito casserole with scoop missing

Chicken Dorito Casserole

Doritos chicken casserole is full of flavor and topped with crunchy Doritos chips and gooey cheese.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chicken chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 can Rotel (10 ounces)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup (10.75 ounces)
  • 1 can corn (10.75 ounces) drained
  • 1 ounce powdered Fiesta Ranch dressing
  • 10 ounces Dorito Nacho chips roughly 1 bag
  • 2 cups Mexican cheese shredded

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix your chicken, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, Rotel, seasoning packet, and corn together.
  • Crunch a few of the chips up and sprinkle on on bottom of pan.
  • Spread the chicken mixture over the chips in an even layer.
  • Add the rest of the chips to the top of the chicken mixture.
  • Cover with shredded cheese.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly on the sides.
  • Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Serve warm!

Notes

  • Drain any wet ingredients thoroughly first. For example, if you used canned corn, then rinse and let it drain completely.
  • Layer the ingredients properly. If you want those Nacho Doritos extra crunchy, then add them last over the cheese, not under.
  • Use the right size casserole dish for baking the casserole. The deeper the dish, the more you need to watch out for too much water collecting and making it too soggy. However, too shallow a dish means you have to watch out for over-cooking it too quickly.
  • Try adding black beans or using Southwest Mexicorn for more flavor.
This recipe first appeared on Leftovers Then Breakfast.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 604mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

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Recipe Rating




Natalie

Friday 10th of June 2022

Perfect chicken casserole! Thanks!

Paula

Thursday 9th of June 2022

This was a wonderful recipe.

Shelby

Thursday 9th of June 2022

Hubby begs me to make this haha so yummy!

Jeanine

Thursday 9th of June 2022

Wow! What a great idea for a casserole! Thanks for a great recipe.