Chicken and Doritos Casserole is cooked chicken stirred into a creamy mix of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, corn, diced tomatoes with green chilies and melty pepper jack, topped with more cheese and a layer of crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos and baked until bubbly. There’s no seasoning to measure: the chips, cheese and tomatoes bring all the flavor. It serves 6 and bakes in 40 minutes once the chicken is cooked.
How to make it: Mix the soup, sour cream, drained corn, drained Ro-tel, chicken and 2 cups of pepper jack. Spread it in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan set on a baking sheet, top with the rest of the cheese and the crushed chips, and bake at 350°F covered for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 15, until the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Seven ingredients: everything is stirred together in one bowl.
- Great for leftover chicken: rotisserie or leftover chicken works perfectly.
- Cheesy and creamy with a crunchy top: nacho cheese chips over melted pepper jack.
- A little kick: pepper jack and the tomatoes with green chilies bring mild heat.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: 4 cups of cooked chicken, diced or shredded. Leftover or rotisserie chicken works, and so do chopped baked chicken breasts or thighs.
Soup and sour cream: one 22.6-ounce can of cream of chicken soup and 1/2 cup of sour cream.
Vegetables: one 15.25-ounce can of corn, drained, and one 10-ounce can of Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained.
Cheese: 3 cups of shredded pepper jack: 2 cups in the filling and 1 cup on top.
Chips: 2 cups of Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed. Crush them right in the opened bag with your hands into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
- 1 can (22.6 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) corn, drained
- 1 can (10 ounces) Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
- 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
- 2 cups Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
How to Make Chicken and Doritos Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the filling. In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, corn, Ro-tel, chicken and 2 cups of the pepper jack.
3. Fill the pan. Spread the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan. Set the pan on top of a baking sheet to prevent spills in your oven.
4. Add the cheese and Doritos. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of pepper jack over the casserole, then spread the crushed Doritos evenly over the cheese.
5. Bake covered. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Bake uncovered. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly at the edges and the center of the casserole reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
Note: The pan fills to the very top, which is why it sits on a baking sheet. The times assume the chicken is already cooked; chopping or shredding it is the most time-consuming part.
What Goes in a Doritos Casserole, and What You Can Swap
The base is simple, and almost every part can change to suit what you have:
| Part | In this recipe | Swaps |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 cups cooked, diced or shredded | Rotisserie, leftover, baked breasts or thighs, or chopped grilled chicken strips; raw chicken must be cooked to 165°F first |
| Cheese | Pepper jack | Monterey Jack or cheddar for less heat; Colby jack or a Mexican blend |
| Soup | Cream of chicken | Cream of mushroom |
| Sour cream | Regular | Light sour cream or plain yogurt |
| Tomatoes | Ro-tel, drained | Hot Ro-tel for more heat, mild for none, or 1 cup of thick, well-drained salsa |
| Vegetables | Corn | Add a cup of drained black beans |
| Chips | Nacho Cheese Doritos | Cool Ranch or a spicier flavor |
Watch the heat: both the pepper jack and the tomatoes with green chilies add spice. For a milder casserole, use Monterey Jack or cheddar and mild tomatoes.
More seasoning: the recipe has none, but a teaspoon of chili powder and a little garlic powder stirred into the filling works if you like more.
Why the Foil?
The casserole bakes covered for the first 25 minutes so the chips on top don’t burn while the filling heats through. Then the foil comes off for the last 15 minutes to melt and bubble the cheese.
Make Ahead & Freezing
Make ahead: Mix the filling and spread it in the pan without the chips. Cover and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days, then add the cheese and chips right before baking; chips added early get soggy. Add a few minutes to the bake and check for 165°F in the center.
Freeze before baking: Freeze the filling without the chips in a freezer-safe container for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then top with cheese and chips and bake as directed.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, per USDA FSIS.
Reheat: Cover and reheat to 165°F. The oven keeps the chips crunchier than the microwave, and a handful of fresh crushed chips on top after reheating brings back the crunch. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a simple green salad, Spanish rice or pinto beans, and top each serving with sour cream, salsa, pico de gallo or guacamole. For another way to use Doritos and chicken, try cream cheese and bacon stuffed Doritos chicken. More creamy chicken casseroles: easy chicken burrito casserole, cheesy sour cream chicken casserole, Ritz cracker chicken casserole, walking taco casserole and chicken enchiladas with sour cream white sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What all do you put in a Dorito casserole?
Cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, drained corn, drained Ro-tel, shredded pepper jack and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos on top.
Can I use rotisserie chicken in a Dorito chicken casserole?
Yes. Dice or shred about 4 cups of rotisserie or leftover chicken. It’s already cooked, so it goes straight into the filling.
Can you make Dorito chicken casserole in advance?
Yes. Assemble the filling in the pan without the chips and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days. Add the cheese and chips just before baking.
Can you freeze Dorito chicken casserole?
Freeze the unbaked filling without the chips for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, add the toppings and bake to 165°F.
Final Notes
Shred the chicken ahead, and dinner is a bowl, a pan and 40 minutes in the oven. If you make it, tell me in the comments which chips you used.
Chicken and Doritos Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded; leftover or rotisserie chicken works
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 22.6 ounces
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 can corn 15.25 ounces, drained
- 1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies 10 ounces, drained
- 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese divided: 2 cups in the filling and 1 cup on top
- 2 cups Nacho Cheese Doritos crushed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, corn, Ro-tel, chicken and 2 cups of the pepper jack.
- Spread the mixture into an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan. Set the pan on top of a baking sheet to prevent spills in your oven.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of pepper jack over the casserole, then spread the crushed Doritos evenly over the cheese.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly at the edges and the center of the casserole reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
