Southern Living Doritos Chicken Casserole serving on plate with casserole beside — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

Have a rotisserie chicken? Some Ro-Tel? A bag of Doritos? Need to make dinner in a hurry? This Doritos Chicken Casserole is a flavorful, fun take on a chicken casserole that uses what you have on hand and ends in a salty, nacho-y casserole that captures the best parts of Doritos for dinner.

Why Do Doritos Work so Well in a Casserole?

While you may see Doritos as a favorite snack, they can have far more function. Doritos are basically tortilla chips with the added tastes of cheese and taco spices. That takes care of two flavors that you need in a taco-inspired casserole.

Add in the chicken for protein, Ro-tel for freshness, and cream of chicken soup for a creamy base, and you’ve got a warm, gooey casserole that feels like it took far more prep and time.

Can You Make Doritos Chicken Casserole the Day Before?

You can make Doritos Chicken Casserole and keep it in the fridge, but for best results, add the final layer of chips right before baking the casserole so they stay crispy.

Note that you may need to bake the casserole a little longer if it's cold going into the oven.

How To Store a Doritos Chicken Casserole

As leftovers for dinner or next-day lunches, simply let the pan completely cool. Then, cover with aluminum foil, and place the pan in the refrigerator.

Alternatively, cut the casserole into individual servings, and put them in refrigerator-safe containers for quick lunch options.

Southern Living Doritos Chicken Casserole whole in pan — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

How Should You Serve Doritos Chicken Casserole?

Cut the casserole into squares, and serve with your favorite taco toppings. We've suggested a few toppings below, but you can get creative!

What can you use to top a Doritos Chicken Casserole?

The casserole has a lot of warm, gooey flavors in it already. What can you add to that? Think about how you would top tacos or enchiladas: sour cream, shredded lettuce, more Doritos, salsa, sliced olives, cilantro, queso, shredded cheese, avocado, diced tomatoes, or onions.

Can You Use Cool Ranch Doritos in This Doritos Chicken Casserole Recipe?

Yes! Adapting the recipe to what you have on hand is key. The taste may vary a little; Cool Ranch Doritos will add the "ranch" flavoring from the chips instead of the "nacho cheese" flavor of regular Doritos, so maybe play that up with toppings like sour cream, fresh herbs, and cheese.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 (9.75 oz.) bag Nacho Cheese Doritos, divided
2 cups sour cream
2 cups salsa
Meat from one rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
6 medium-sized flour tortillas, divided
1 (1 oz.) package taco seasoning, divided
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-tel) (or use one can of diced tomatoes plus one small can jalapeno peppers)
Canned pinto beans or canned corn, drained (optional)
1 (8 oz.) package Mexican shredded cheese blend, divided
Toppings (optional): sour cream, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, additional crushed Doritos or tortilla chips

Directions

Prepare pan:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13- x 9-in. casserole dish with cooking spray.
Make casserole components:

Crush 2 cups of Doritos in a large zip-top plastic bag.

Stir together sour cream and salsa in a medium bowl.

Combine crushed chips, 1/2 cup of salsa mixture and shredded rotisserie chicken in the large zip-top plastic bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated. Set remaining salsa mixture aside.
Layer casserole:

Lay two medium-sized tortillas in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle tortillas with 2 teaspoons of the taco seasoning. Sprinkle 1/3 of the Doritos-coated chicken on top of tortillas.
Add tomato and chicken mixture:

Stir cream of chicken soup into remaining salsa/sour cream mixture from step 2. Spread 1/3 of mixture over chicken. Scatter 1/3 of the diced tomatoes and green chiles over salsa mixture. If using pinto beans or corn, layer 1/3 of them with the diced tomatoes and green chiles. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded cheese on top.
Finish casserole layers:

Repeat layering 2 more times using all of the remaining tortillas, chicken, salsa mixture, and diced tomatoes and green chiles. Top with the remaining cheese. Crush the rest of the Doritos on top of the cheese.
Bake casserole:

Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 10 additional minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and the casserole is heated through. Serve with toppings on the side.