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This 4 Can Mexican Chicken Casserole comes together in about 5 minutes and can be prepared ahead of time for a family-friendly easy dinner on busy nights!
So you don’t like to cook? Or you just don’t have time to prepare a meal each night? Maybe you just come home from work exhausted, and it takes every ounce of your remaining energy to just get your kids to do their homework and take baths…forget about even dreaming of slaving over a hot stove!
Well guess what? If you can open a can, then YOU can pull together this Mexican Chicken Casserole. And it only requires about 5 MINUTES! We can all find that much time in our schedule, right?
I call this a “4 Can” casserole, but it’s really more like 3 cans and 1 jar! Whatever…”4 Can” sounds better, so we’re rolling with it. Oh, and you could make this vegetarian by adding a fifth or sixth can — beans — in lieu of the “Mexican Chicken!”
Ingredients for Making Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Cooked chicken
- Cooked brown rice
- Corn
- Diced tomatoes
- Taco sauce
- Mild green chiles
- Shredded cheddar
Using Up Leftovers
I always seem to make way more rice than our family needs at any given meal, so this Mexican Chicken Casserole came about when I was staring at a tupperware container full of leftovers that needed to be used. Casseroles are always the answer, right?!
You can also take advantage of leftover meat for this dish, or just buy a rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken at the grocery store to cut down on the prep time. I say keep it as easy as possible!
Additional Toppings
You could go all out and load this Mexican chicken casserole with your favorite toppings. It really takes this meal up a notch and makes it super comforting and delicious, here are some ideas;
- Guacamole
- Avocado, chopped
- Olives
- Tomatoes or salsa
- Chives or green onions
- Sour cream
- Sliced onions
Prepare this Mexican Chicken Casserole Ahead of Time
And if you don’t even have 5 minutes to spend preparing this Mexican Chicken Casserole on a crazy evening, you can go ahead and put the meal together in the morning, the day before, on the weekend, or any time that you have a few extra moments. Cover and refrigerate (or freeze) the dish before baking and pop it in the oven when you need it most!
Go ahead, add these ingredients to your shopping list NOW and you can thank me later (when you have the time)! Your family will gobble up this easy dinner!
More Delicious Chicken Casseroles You Might Like:
- Dump and Bake Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Dump and Bake Chicken Kiev Casserole
- Dump and Bake Southern Chicken Salad Casserole
4 Can Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2 cups cooked brown rice can substitute with cooked white rice or cooked quinoa
- 1 15.25 ounce can corn, drained
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained
- 1 4.5 ounce can diced mild green chiles, NOT drained
- 1 cup taco sauce
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
- Optional toppings: diced avocado guacamole, sour cream, halved grape tomatoes, chopped green onion, sliced olives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside (an 11-inch x 7-inch dish works well, or a medium oval dish would also be fine).
- In a large bowl, stir together chicken, rice, drained corn, diced tomatoes (not drained), chilies (not drained), taco sauce, and HALF of the cheese.
- Place chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through).
- Garnish with optional toppings and serve!
Notes
- You can substitute brown rice for white rice or quinoa
- Use rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken to speed things up
- This casserole can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer
Nutrition
You are the queen of these easy Mexican meals! They always look like they belong in a fancy Mexican restaurant.
Thanks for your sweet words, Megan! We do love Mexican food, and I only make “easy!”
Great recipe! I added my home made hot sauce, Cumin, chili powder, old bay, paprika, & garlic powder (Aka taco seasoning mix).
Sautéed onions and peppers. We used it for a dip with scoops tortilla chips! Super great idea!
Thank you!
Jen
Your version sounds perfect, Jen! Thanks for your note!
Do you recommend replacing the taco sauce with enchilada sauce as that’s what I have on hand?
Yes! That should work well!
You make the best casseroles, Blair! This one is gorgeous! I love the pretty colors and the flavors. And I also love “three cans and a jar” ingredients! 🙂 Sounds perfect for a Friday night!
Thanks, Gayle! 🙂
A monster!!!!…I added some cilantro and half a can of black beans I had hanging around. I had some leftover that I didn’t cook-gonna fill some empanadas with it and fry em’ up…yum!!!
Thanks, Dave! So glad that you enjoyed it!
I love this simple casserole! You are the easy recipe rock star!! I can definitely see myself making something like this during the week when I don’t feel like making dinner!
Thank you, Jen! 🙂
How much is one serving? Being pre diabetic, I’ll have to calculate my portions.
Looks delish, making it for supper.
Hi, Diane! The nutrition panel is automatically calculated based on 6 servings. Those calculations are only an estimate, though, so you’ll need to adjust for the specific ingredients that you use and the number of servings that you get out of your dish. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Love how quick and easy this dinner is! Perfect for busy weeknights!
Exactly! Thanks, Lindsay!
You make the best quick and easy dinners, Blair! How cool is this? Every busy parent needs this recipe in their arsenal!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Thanks, Robyn!!!
This looks amazing!! I’m trying to put together some freezer meals for my inlaws. Would you just put everything together up until it’s suppose to go into the oven??
Do you have anymore ideas for them
Thank you in advance
Hi, Becki! Yes, just prepare it up until the point of baking. Wrap tightly so that air can’t get to it (prevents freezer burn) and pop in the freezer!
Another really popular freezer meal on here is Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (just excuse the old ugly photos, please)! https://www.theseasonedmom.com/chicken-and-stuffing-casserole/ Or, if they have a slow cooker, you can prepare slow cooker freezer meals for them too. More info on those here: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/6-easy-freezer-meals-1-morning/
Good luck!
I just made your four can Mexican dish for last night’s supper…what a hit!!! Okay, truth…it wasn’t exactly like yours but I followed most of your recipe ???? I added refrained beans at the bottom of the pan and used cooked shredded chicken breasts. Family raved thoug and it only cost me 5 Weight Watcher points to boot!!!
Recipes are meant to be adapted, Cathy! Your changes sound delicious — I love the addition of refried beans! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I just made this very simple recipe for dinner. I added a little cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. I also used green Taco Sauce. It was delicious. Topped with sour cream, avocado, sliced black olives, green onions and a sprinkle more cilantro. This is a great basic recipe you can adjust to your personal preferences. Cooks in 20 minutes. Great for busy week nights. Thanks for sharing this with everyone. It’s perfect.
Awesome! Thanks, Lisa!
Will definitely try this recipe!…Please sign me up for your recipes!…Thank you so much….Darlene
Thanks, Darlene! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
the four can mex casserole was wonderful. I served some in tortilla wraps. I used some whith totilla chipd. And some had wuth salad. Nice and easy. Thanks
That’s so good to hear, Karen! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Absolutely delicious and easy!! I used two cans of chicken instead of any other type, because I was in a pinch for time! Absolutely amazing. I also added some salt and cumin. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so sad I can’t attach a photo!
Thank you, Niki! I’m so glad that you liked it! 🙂
This dish looks like my husband and I would love it. Plus it looks so easy! Do you think it would be ok to add a can of rinsed and drained black beans?
Hi Sue,
Absolutely! Beans make a great addition to this dish.
This is a fabulous recipe especially when you crave a Mexican dish. I made the recipe as written except I added the whole cup of cheese when mixing. I put it in fridge overnight to make a quick meal the next day. I served the other items including more cheese (because we like it) separately so each person could choose what they wanted to add.
Thanks, Dianne!
Can you use Kirkland canned chicken?
Hi, Sharon! Yes, ma’am. That should work fine!