Make this fiesta chicken recipe for a delicious Southwestern style twist on dinner.
Ready-made ingredients, including canned beans, corn, chicken soup, and salsa, are layered into a zesty chicken casserole and baked under a melty cheddar cheese topping.
Flavorful Fiesta Chicken!
- This recipe has all the colorful textures and flavors of a taco bar baked in one casserole dish for easy cleanup.
- Similar to Applebee’s Fiesta Lime Chicken, this recipe can be customized to use any meat, veggies, or seasonings you like.
- Serve warm from a crock pot on game days, sleepovers, and movie nights. Provide bowls of sour cream, salsa, and extra cheese for topping.
- Flavorful and fun fiesta chicken is a family favorite that isn’t too spicy but can be made spicier with a few dashes of Tabasco or some chopped green chilis on the side.
What’s in Fiesta Chicken?
Chicken: Leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken cuts way down on prep and cooking time. Leftover ground beef or taco meat can also be used.
Beans: Drain and rinse beans before using. Any canned or cooked beans can be used in fiesta chicken.
Vegetables: Corn, tomatoes, peppers, and onions add sweet, savory flavor, color, and crunch. This is a great recipe for sneaking in veggies for picky eaters. A bag of mixed veggies will save a ton of time on prep. Bulk up the dish for a crowd by using frozen diced or shredded potatoes.
Tortillas: Corn tortillas make up the starch base for fiesta chicken. Crushed Fritos or tortilla chips can be used instead, but if you do, be cautious about adding any extra salt.
Sauce: Cream of chicken soup, and sour cream, blend into a light and creamy sauce that brings out the best in this dish. Cream of celery soup can be used if making a vegetarian version. Try homemade ranch dressing instead of sour cream for a tangier and savory punch of flavor.
Variations: Make it a meatless meal and swap out the chicken for rice, extra beans, or layers of grilled vegetables. Season the sauce with my spicy taco or fajita spice mixes. Cajun seasoning contains smoked paprika to add another dimension of flavor.
How to Make Fiesta Chicken
- Combine beans, soup, sour cream, salsa, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and chili powder.
- In a casserole dish, add alternate layers of tortilla strips, chicken, soup mixture, and cheese.
- Top with cheese and bake (full recipe below).
- Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.
Our Favorite Toppings for Fiesta Chicken
Choose taco toppers like sliced black olives or jalapenos, diced green chilis, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and freshly chopped cilantro.
Leftovers?
- Keep leftover fiesta chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat portions in the microwave.
- Portions can be frozen in freezer-safe containers for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Leftovers can be scooped into a pita pocket, rolled into a wrap, or served cold on top of a bed of greens for a filling workday salad. Or, make a whole new taco inspired dinner and use the leftover casserole to make homemade chicken enchiladas.
More Dinners with Tex-Mex Flair
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Fiesta Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 ounces black beans rinsed and drained (1 can), or your favorite beans
- 10½ ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can, or condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1¼ cup sour cream plus more for serving
- 1 cup salsa or picante sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 cup corn niblets defrosted frozen or canned
- 2 small tomatoes chopped
- ½ medium green pepper chopped
- ½ small onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or to taste
- 12 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1-inch strips
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese about 4 ounces
- chopped fresh cilantro optional garnish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine beans, chicken soup, sour cream, salsa, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, and chili powder.
- To the bottom of the prepared baking dish, layer half of the tortilla strips, half of the chicken, half of the soup mixture, and half of the cheese. Repeat ending with cheese.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until heated through and bubbling. Serve garnished with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Add about ½ teaspoon extra chili powder for a more zesty flavor. If serving to youngsters, the recipe is suitable as is.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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