Tortilla chip casserole is a cheesy, saucy Tex-Mex bake built on a bag of tortilla chips. The chips are layered with rotisserie chicken, pinto beans, red and green enchilada sauce and plenty of melted Monterey Jack. In the oven the chips soften in the sauce underneath and stay crisp at the edges on top, a little like chicken enchiladas and nachos in one dish. It uses a store-bought chicken and a few cans, and it is ready in 45 minutes.
How to make tortilla chip casserole: Mix chopped rotisserie chicken with Monterey Jack, green enchilada sauce and green onions. Layer half a bag of tortilla chips in a 9×13-inch dish with pinto beans, cheese and a can of red sauce. Add the chicken, the remaining chips, a second can of red sauce and more cheese. Bake covered at 425°F for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 10.
Why You’ll Love It
- No rolling. All the flavor of enchiladas with none of the work.
- A rotisserie chicken shortcut. No meat to cook.
- Two sauces. Green in the chicken and red over the layers.
- Very cheesy. Four cups of Monterey Jack.
- It feeds eight. One 9×13-inch dish.
Ingredient Notes
Rotisserie chicken. Three and a half cups, cooked and chopped.
Monterey Jack cheese. Four cups, shredded and divided. One cup goes into the chicken, 1 cup goes on the first layer and what is left covers the top.
Mild green enchilada sauce. One 10-ounce can, mixed with the chicken.
Green onions. Four, sliced. Save 2 tablespoons for the top.
Tortilla chips. One bag, 14 to 16.5 ounces. Crush them or leave them whole.
Pinto beans. One 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed.
Mild red enchilada sauce. Two 10-ounce cans, one for each layer of chips.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups cooked, chopped rotisserie chicken
- 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1 can mild green enchilada sauce (10 ounces)
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 bag tortilla chips (14 to 16.5 ounces)
- 1 can pinto beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
- 2 cans mild red enchilada sauce (10 ounces each), divided
How to Make Tortilla Chip Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the chicken. Combine the chopped chicken, 1 cup of the Monterey Jack, the green enchilada sauce and the sliced green onions, reserving 2 tablespoons of onion for garnish.
3. Build the first layer. Put half the tortilla chips in the dish. Add the drained pinto beans and 1 cup of Monterey Jack, then pour one can of red enchilada sauce over them.
4. Add the chicken and finish layering. Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the first layer. Add the remaining chips, pour on the second can of red enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
6. Garnish. Top with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sliced green onions.
Crush the Chips or Leave Them Whole, and Where Does the Sauce Go?
Either one works for the chips. Whole chips make a taller, looser casserole with bigger bites of corn chip. Lightly crushed chips pack down into tidier layers that cut into neater squares. If you crush them, keep the pieces large. Chip dust turns to mush.
The layering is where people get lost, because there are two kinds of sauce and three rounds of cheese. Here is the dish from the bottom up.
| Layer | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Bottom | Half the tortilla chips |
| Next | All the pinto beans and 1 cup of Monterey Jack |
| Sauce | Red enchilada sauce, the first can |
| Middle | The chicken mixture, with its green sauce, cheese and green onions |
| Chips again | The other half of the chips |
| Sauce again | Red enchilada sauce, the second can |
| Top | The remaining Monterey Jack |
Each layer of chips gets its own can of red sauce. The green sauce never goes on the chips directly. It is stirred into the chicken.
Pour the red sauce slowly and evenly, so no corner of the dish is left dry.
Tips for Success
Why cover the dish first?
Foil keeps the cheese from browning too fast in a 425°F oven while the middle heats through. The last 10 minutes uncovered melt and color the top.
How do I know it is done?
The cheese is melted and bubbling, and a food thermometer in the center reads 165°F. Bubbling at the edges is not enough to go by.
What kind of chips should I use?
Sturdy, restaurant-style tortilla chips. Thin chips dissolve in the sauce.
Can I make it spicier?
Use medium enchilada sauce in place of mild, or add sliced jalapeños at the table.
How do I keep the foil from sticking to the cheese?
Spray the underside of the foil with nonstick spray, or tent it so it does not touch the top.
How Long Does It Take?
About 45 minutes: 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes in the oven.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Reheat in the oven or microwave until hot, to 165°F. The chips are softer the next day, more like a layered enchilada bake.
What to Serve With It
Top servings with sour cream, salsa or avocado, and add a simple salad or rice. For more casseroles in this style, try the Mexican tortilla casserole, the easy chicken burrito casserole or the tamale casserole. For other chicken bakes, there are the million dollar chicken casserole and the Ritz cracker chicken casserole. And for a ground beef night, make the stuffed pepper casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the chips be crushed or left whole?
Either works. Whole chips give a looser casserole, and lightly crushed chips give neater layers.
Where do the chips and the two cans of red enchilada sauce go?
Half the chips go on the bottom and half go over the chicken. Each layer of chips gets one can of red sauce.
Where does the green enchilada sauce go?
It is mixed into the chicken with cheese and green onions.
How many does it serve?
Eight.
Final Notes
I line up the cans in the order they go in, so I never pour the green sauce where the red should be. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Tortilla Chip Casserole
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken cooked and chopped
- 4 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded, divided
- 1 can mild green enchilada sauce 10 ounces
- 4 green onions sliced; reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish
- 1 bag tortilla chips 14 to 16.5 ounces; crushed or left whole
- 1 can pinto beans 15 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans mild red enchilada sauce 10 ounces each, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Combine the chopped chicken, 1 cup of the Monterey Jack, the green enchilada sauce and the sliced green onions, reserving 2 tablespoons of onion for garnish.
- Put half the tortilla chips in the dish. Add the drained pinto beans and 1 cup of Monterey Jack, then pour one can of red enchilada sauce over them.
- Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the first layer. Add the remaining chips, pour on the second can of red enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
- Top with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sliced green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
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