My Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole with Chipotle is excellent in a low carb tortilla, in crisp lettuce wraps, in cheese taco shells, or on a bed of cauliflower rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro for the perfect entree.
Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole with Chipotle – Low Carb, Keto, THM S, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, 5 Ingredients
It’s been awhile since I added a new 5 ingredient, 5-minute prep dinner entree to my repertoire. After shredding a few chicken breasts I couldn’t decide what to do with the shredded chicken for dinner. My fallback is always Mexican. My kids love making their own tacos no matter what type of meat I have prepared. They scoop some into a tortilla or taco shell, add their favorite toppings, and gobble it up.
5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes Prep
With just 5 ingredients and only 5 minutes of prep time, this is a cinch to whip up. It also only needs to bake for 20 minutes. If you have shredded chicken ready to use you can have a complete nutritious dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Ground Chipotle Pepper
The special ingredient in this recipe is Ground Chipotle Pepper. It adds smokiness and heat. I first tasted chipotle at least a dozen years ago at my local Trader Joe’s. They were making quesadillas with chipotle salsa, canned chicken, and cheese. I took home all the ingredients after one bite of that sample and it became one of our favorite quick meals.
I took the same flavors of those quesadillas and turned them into an easy Mexican chicken casserole.
Can I Use Taco Seasoning?
My Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole with Chipotle has a bit of a kick. It wasn’t too spicy for my kids but if yours are sensitive to heat you can cut back on the chipotle seasoning or use a taco seasoning instead.
How to serve Mexican Chicken Casserole
The first night we ate this Mexican Chicken Casserole I just ate mine with a fork and a side salad. But when I was looking at the leftovers the next night I decided to whip up some cheese taco shells for a fun option. These are really easy to make but do take a little practice. My first few were not nearly as pretty as the ones in the photos.
Simply, heat a frying pan and add some shredded cheddar cheese into the center in a circle. Cook over medium until the cheese is melted and browned. Flip carefully. Cook for another minute. Transfer to some random kitchen item you can use to make it cool into a taco shape. I used a large stainless steel pastry scraper that has a rounded end. The end almost looks like the mold for a cannoli.
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Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 16 oz salsa
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper or taco seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Combine the chicken, cream cheese, salsa, half the shredded cheese, and 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper. Mix well. Put in the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle on the ground chipotle pepper.
- Bake for 20 min or until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
Dona says
Delicious!! I added a few sliced black olives before baking & then a few thin slices of avocado after it came out of the oven, along with the sour cream & cilantro. Everyone went crazy for it! Definitely a keeper!
Katie Richmond says
Could you make this with ground beef?
Taryn says
Sure! I have a taco casserole with ground turkey or beef too. https://joyfilledeats.com/taco-casserole
Katie Richmond says
Thank you!
LCP says
Used Trader Joe’s cheddar pub cheese with horseradish because I didn’t have regular cheddar. Had already cooked a whole chicken so shredded some of that. Added some black olives because why not? So delicious and easy. Superhubs says it is his favorite keto recipe so far in our three week stint. Thank you.
Kim says
Could this be done in the Crock-Pot?
Taryn says
Yes. I like to cook the chicken and drain it before adding the other ingredients so the sauce doesn’t get thinned out from the cooking liquid.
Lauren says
What kind of salsa is being used?
Taryn says
I honestly don’t remember. Sorry! I just buy whatever brand is on sale that doesn’t have added sugar. Most salsa is fine.
Cailabrooke says
@tarynasays does work with green salsa, salsa verde??
Taryn says
Yes, that would be yummy!
michele says
This was outstanding…. it smelled so good and tasted even better. I made it and served it over lettuce! A perfect summer dinner!
Sandra Shaffer says
We love the spice, so this will be perfect casserole for us. I hope to have leftovers to give those cheesy tacos a try too!
Frank Lomas says
Chicken is precooked?
Taryn says
Yes, I used leftover shredded chicken.
Olivia says
How many servings is this recipe for. Ty.
Taryn says
Hi Olivia, This has 8 servings. Servings are listed at the top of the recipe box right under course and cuisine.