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This Dorito Chicken Casserole is a cheesy, crunchy twist on classic comfort food that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
Dorito Chicken Casserole is the ultimate comfort food with a fun, flavorful twist from Doritos! Layers of your favorite flavored Doritos, creamy chicken filling, melted cheese, and a little kick of spice come together in one pan.
This easy chicken casserole is a weeknight lifesaver. It’s made with simple ingredients like already cooked rotisserie chicken, cream soup, sour cream, and a can of Rotel for a zesty flavor boost. It is topped with plenty of cheese and crushed Doritos. It’s a family-friendly recipe that’s quick to assemble, hearty, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Erin’s Notes
- Ready in about an hour, with rotisserie chicken and pantry staples doing most of the work.
- Crushed Doritos layered inside (not just on top) hold their crunch even after baking.
- Easy to make your own — swap the Doritos flavor or the protein and it still turns out great.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully, so it doubles as an easy lunch the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cooked Chicken – you can use any cooked chicken, I think it is a great use for rotisserie chicken, but you can use leftovers or cook chicken for this.
- Cream of Chicken Soup
- Sour Cream
- Taco Seasoning
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles – you can use any heat variety you like
- Corn – I use frozen corn kernels, if using canned drain first
- Cheddar Cheese
- Doritos – I used Nacho Cheese but Cool Ranch is also a favorite. Any flavor you like works great.
Dorito Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 10 oz cream of chicken soup
- 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles, Rotel Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup corn kernels, minced
- 11 oz Doritos, lightly crushed
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a casserole dish or 13×9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl mix together chicken, cream soup, sour cream, diced tomatoes, corn, and taco seasoning. Mix until well combined and evenly blended.4 cups cooked shredded chicken, 10 oz cream of chicken soup, 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 cup corn kernels
- Place about 1/3 of the bag of Doritos into the base of your prepared dish. Top with 1/2 of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese.11 oz Doritos, 2 cups cheddar cheese
- Repeat with another layer of chips, the rest of the chicken and cheese. Finish with the remaining Doritos.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly. If it starts to brown too quickly, top lightly with foil.
- Remove and serve with any taco toppings that you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Make Filling. In a large bowl combine the cooked and shredded chicken with cream soup, sour cream, taco seasoning, corn, and tomatoes. Mix until it is well combined.
- Layer. Put about 1/3 of the Doritos (lightly crush them) into the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat with Doritos, chicken, cheese, and finish with the remaining Doritos.
- Bake. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until it is bubbly and hot. If the Doritos start to brown cover lightly with foil.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. You can serve as is, or top with sour cream, diced tomatoes, cilantro, avocado etc.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- This is a great use for rotisserie chicken. It helps get dinner on the table in no time on a busy weeknight.
- If you like things spicy you can add some heat. There is a can of Rotel tomatoes already called for, feel free to use the hot variety or add cayenne or even diced jalapenos with the chicken mixture.
- Mix up your flavor of Doritos. I used the classic nacho cheese, but the cool ranch is probably my favorite. You could also use their spicy nacho, sweet chili, taco flavored, or just about any of their others!
- Add in your favorite mix-ins. I used corn for this version, but black beans is a great way to add a little more nutrition.
- Homemade Ingredients. No a fan of store bought condensed cream soup. Use my Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup in this recipe. It works great, you can make it ahead of time and have on hand for this. You can also use Homemade Taco Seasoning to help control the sodium and spices.
- Crushing Doritos. When you crush the chips for the layers, just lightly crush them. You want them to have some texture and not turn to mush. And the smaller they are the mushier they will become.
Getting dinner on the table every night doesn’t have to be complicate. This cheesy chicken dorito casserole is a simple recipe that is packed with flavor. Plus, there are plenty of leftovers, so you have lunches for a day or two as well. You can’t beat that!
One of the fun things about this dinner is you can add your favorite taco toppings when you serve it. Use diced avocado, fresh tomatoes, sliced jalapenos you name it! And if you can’t get enough I have a Dorito Taco Casserole that uses traditional taco meat that you will love as well.
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezer: The baked, assembled casserole doesn’t freeze well — the Doritos turn soggy once thawed. Instead, freeze just the chicken filling mixture (before layering with the chips) in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then layer with fresh Doritos and bake as directed.
Reheating: Warm covered loosely with foil in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or microwave individual portions for 1-2 minutes. The chips will soften as they sit, so feel free to sprinkle a few fresh crushed Doritos on top before reheating for extra crunch.
Not once it’s assembled and baked — the sauce and chips don’t hold up well after thawing. You can freeze just the chicken filling ahead of time; see Storage & Reheating above.
Any cooked, shredded chicken works — leftover baked or grilled chicken, or chicken poached and shredded just for this recipe.
Yes! Brown 1 pound of ground beef or turkey, drain if needed, and season with the taco seasoning before layering it in place of the shredded chicken.
Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch are both great choices. Feel free to use your family’s favorite flavor — Spicy Nacho or Taco flavored Doritos also work well here.
Delicious casserole! Whole family loved it
Everyone at my house really loved this meal! Can’t wait to make it again!
My kids ask for this every week! They’re obsessed.
This was the perfect meal! Thanks for sharing the easy recipe!
My kids love this casserole!
This looks so delicious and yummy! My family and I are going to love this recipe! So excited!
Wow! I thought I’d never see this recipe again.
My step-mother used to make this for my brother and I back when I was in Junior High School. We probably had it once a week.
I’m going to have to make this next week, just for nostalgia. Well, maybe not just for nostalgia. I love this stuff.
Is it a 1/4 “cup” taco seasoning?
Yep, thanks for catching that. It is updated now.
That’s amazing! When I first heard about this recipe I thought I had lost it.
I remember my stepmother making this for my brother and me when we were in junior high school. This was probably a weekly treat.
This will have to be made next week, just for nostalgia. Or maybe not for nostalgia at all. I love this sort of stuff.