Use a purchased rotisserie chicken to make prep of this delicious Southwest Chicken Casserole quick and easy.
I ask you – is there anything more versatile than a casserole? There are casseroles that are main dishes, side dishes, salads, and even desserts. I really can’t think of many ingredients you can’t put in a casserole. I’ve probably made more casseroles in my kitchen than anything else. Ever. I’ve made them from scratch and from leftovers. From chicken, beef, fish, vegetables, fruit….heck, even cobblers are a kind of casserole if you think about it.
The best thing about main dish casseroles is that they’re pretty much a complete meal right by themselves. You might serve some bread on the side or a salad, but most of the time that’s not even necessary.
This Southwest Chicken Casserole is a favorite of ours. I make it easy by using a purchased rotisserie chicken, but you can cook your own if you prefer. I layer the chicken with a mixture of tomatoes, chilies, onions, soups, cheese, and tortilla chips. The lime flavored chips add a lot of extra flavor to this casserole and I recommend you use them.
You can assemble this recipe in a few minutes and let it cook while you do other things. Serve with a simple salad and dinner is all done!
How to Make Southwest Chicken Casserole
Remove the skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken. Shred the meat and discard the skin and bones.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the bell pepper and garlic and sauté an additional 3-4 minutes.
Combine the sauteed veggies with the broth, soups, tomatoes, chilies, oregano, and chili powder.
If you can get Hatch chilis for this, or any other recipe, I highly recommend using them. They just have some undefinable quality that makes them so superior in taste to other chilis. Luckily, I can get them in my grocery store in these very convenient little cans. Hopefully, you can find some, too.
Lightly grease a 13×9 baking dish. Layer half the shredded chicken and half the soup mixture. Top with half the tortilla chips and half of the cheese. Repeat layer.
Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly. Remove foil during the last 10 minute of cooking.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Southwestern Style Chicken
- Chicken and Artichoke Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole
If you enjoy the flavors in this recipe, you’ll also want to try this delicious chicken fajita casserole from Ovenspiration!
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.
Southwest Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 10.5 ounces ream of chicken soup
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes drained (2 cans)
- 8 ounces canned mild green chilies (recommend: Hatch)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces lime flavored tortilla chips lightly crushed
Instructions
- Remove skin and bones from rotisserie chicken. Shred the meat and discard the skin and bones.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the bell pepper and garlic and sauté an additional 3-4 minutes. Stir in broth, soups, tomatoes, chilies, oregano, and chili powder.
- Lightly grease a 13×9 baking dish. Layer half the shredded chicken and half the soup mixture. Top with half the tortilla chips and half of the cheese. Repeat layer.
- Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly. Remove foil during the last 10 minute of cooking.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
Hi Lana – this recipe looks yumm, can’t wait to try it soon! I’m not at all familiar with the Hatch Brand of Chiles you mentioned. A google search mostly turned up info about chiles grown in New Mexico, also called Hatch Chiles. Would you have a can of those chiles handy to see if they have a website I can look up? I’d like to try to see if any store nearby carries them without running all over the place. Most stores only have the Old El Paso and Ortega. Thank you!
Hi Lena,
The ones I use are packed by Hatch Farms. Here’s a link to their web site http://www.hatchchileco.com/
Looks a lot like what we call “Macho Nachos” at my house. Same premise, except substitute refried beans for the soups and top with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa when it comes out of the oven. Serve with chips. Lots of happy folks and it’s really one of the most simple things in the world. And, it looks like you went to a whole lot of trouble. Big brownie points!!
Miss P
Your Macho Nachos sound delicious!