Updated on January 4th, 2024
I have to admit: I hadn’t eaten Doritos in years before I decided to remake this Dorito Chicken Casserole Recipe. The recipe is a classic and longtime favorite here on BlogChef.
Chicken, gooey melted cheese, and everyone’s favorite tortilla chip is a tempting combo, but my at-home cooking has slanted towards healthier options lately. Still, I enjoy indulging every so often and I had an unexpected craving to indulge in, you guessed it, Doritos.
So, yeah, I revisited the Dorito Chicken Casserole — and it did not disappoint. It’s salty, cheesy, tangy, crunchy, and satisfying. I served it to four adults, and we polished the entire thing off handily.
Why make Dorito Chicken Casserole?
The better question here might be, why not make Dorito Chicken Casserole? The recipe is super easy to put together and creates a hearty meal on its own. Serve it to guests for casual get-togethers or use it as a weekday meal. Since it’s a casserole, you can clean up all the prep mess while it’s baking.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need for this casserole:
- 2 cups shredded chicken (see FAQs for starting with raw chicken)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (a mix of cheddar and jack)
- 10 oz. can of cream of chicken soup (see FAQs for substitution)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning (see FAQs for substitution)
- 9.25 oz bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese
Steps to prepare Dorito Chicken Casserole
1. Get your ingredients ready
The two ingredients you may need to prep a bit are the chicken and cream of chicken soup. Let’s talk about the chicken first.
If you’re starting with raw chicken, you can:
- Pressure cook it in an Instant Pot. Cook 2/3 lb of chicken breast on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then open the valve. Remove the breasts from the pot and shred with two forks.
- Poach chicken breast in water. Place 2/3 lb of chicken breast into a large pot and cover them with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove breasts from pot and shred with two forks.
- Bake chicken in the oven at 400°F or 204°C for 20 minutes. Check for doneness and shred with two forks.
You can alternatively buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that.
Now, about that cream of chicken soup…You can simply buy a can of soup as the original recipe recommends. But you don’t have to. (I don’t cook with canned soup anymore because it’s generally loaded with preservatives and ingredients I can’t pronounce.)
The other option is to make cream of chicken soup. I like BabyDollPie’s recipe. It does have a fair amount of seasonings in it, which you could leave out if you wanted.
2. Mix the filling
Now you can heat your oven to 350°F or 177°C. Also wipe the inside of a 2-quart casserole dish with oil. I used olive, but any oil will do.
Then grab a large bowl and mix:
- 2 cups of shredded chicken
- 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
3. Layer
Grab a handful of Doritos, crush them slightly with your hands, and drop them into the casserole dish. Repeat until you have an even layer of chip pieces covering the bottom of the dish. Top that with half of the chicken mixture.
Repeat with another layer of Doritos and another layer of chicken. Add more crushed Doritos on top and finish with more shredded cheese.
4. Bake and serve
Cover the casserole with foil and bake in your heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. It should be bubbling hot when you remove the foil.
Let the casserole cool for a few minutes, then serve. Optionally, top with fresh salsa.
Dorito Chicken Casserole Recipe
Chicken, gooey melted cheese, and everyone's favorite tortilla chip is a no-fail combo. This recipe comes together in a few minutes and cooks for 30.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (divided)
- 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (drained)
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 9.25 oz bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken, 1 cup of cheese, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, Ro-tel tomatoes, and taco seasoning.
- Grab a handful of Doritos, crush them gently with your hands, and place them in the bottom of your casserole dish. Repeat until there's an even layer covering the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the chicken mixture. Add another layer of crushed Doritos, and then the rest of the chicken mixture. Top with remaining cheese and more crushed Doritos.
- Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bubbling hot. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
You can start with raw chicken or rotisserie chicken if you don't have shredded chicken on hand. If you're using raw chicken, cook it in an Instant Pot, the oven, or a pot of boiling water first, then shred it and proceed with the recipe. You can also make your own taco seasoning mix and cream of chicken soup -- see the FAQs for recipes!
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Dorito Chicken Casserole FAQs
Do I have to use canned cream of chicken soup?
No, you don’t have to use canned cream of chicken soup. You can easily make a healthier homemade soup that stands in beautifully for this recipe.
Do the Doritos get soggy?
The chips at the bottom get softer, but not soggy. As designed, the recipe has a nice variation in texture. The chips at the top stay crunchy, while the ones underneath mimic have a tortilla vibe, like what you’d have in an enchilada casserole. If you’re worried about the chip texture, skip the layers and place the chips on top only.
What do I serve with Dorito Chicken Casserole?
A green salad goes well with this casserole. It’s very rich, so you want something fresh and light.
What drinks go with Dorito Chicken Casserole?
Lemonade, beer, or margaritas are nice drinking pairings for Dorito Chicken Casserole.
Can I substitute something else for the taco seasoning?
Yes, you can substitute a homemade taco seasoning mix. Also see our list of other taco seasoning substitutes. If you’re working with a taco seasoning packet, know that most of them contain 2 tablespoons or 6 teaspoons of mix. For this recipe, use 1 tablespoon or 3 teaspoons.
What do I do if I’m starting with raw chicken?
You can quickly cook up chicken for shredding. My preferred method is the Instant Pot. Toss your chicken pieces in with some water and pressure cook them for 5 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Release the valve, remove the chicken, and shred it with two forks.
Do you have more Doritos recipes?
Why yes, we do. Try Doritos chicken nachos, Doritos chicken bites, Doritos mozzarella sticks, and Doritos chicken strips.
Oh my goodness, this looks sinfully delicious! I must try it…I am saving the recipe!
Looks quick, simple and delicious!!!
Can you suggest an alternative ti the Mexican cheese. Icannot get it where I live.
Janet Rowe- Colby Jack cheese would work fine.
Looks good! Are Ro-tel tomatoes different than regular old canned tomatoes?
Penny – Yes, Ro-tel tomatoes are different than regular canned tomatoes. You should be able to find them in the Mexican section by the taco stuff, or by the regular canned tomatoes.
This recipe was delicious!!! Super cheap to make, tasted like taco bell!
I added cream of mushroom as one half of the 10oz of the cream of chicken.
I was amazing, I love your recipes
Delish & SOO easy.
It was amazing, my family was all but fighting for the last bit in the pan!!! I highly recommend a layer of doritos on the top and then the cheese (as suggested at the end of the recipe), it allows the cheese to cook onto it nicely forming this delicious cheesy crunch on the top of the casserole. Might have to do 1.5 of the recipe once my hungry teen comes home again to make sure there is enough for 4 of us 🙂
When I told my husband I was making this tonight he almost threw a fit! (He is working the night shift so he won’t get any until tomorrow) I am thinking of trying it with different types of Doritos for different tastes; maybe cool ranch with buffalo seasoning or spicy nacho to kick it up a notch.
I’m on my way to the market now.I think I will also serve sour cream with the dish.I was planning on making Mexican lasagne but this looks so much quicker. Thank you for the recipe.
is there a way to work in re-fried beans? could you use the beans in place of the sour cream?
Tara – I am sorry I do not know. You could try it if you want. If you do try it, please let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks.
If I substituted the chicken for ground beef would cream of mushroom be ok to use in place of the cream of chicken? I think I will also try mixing in Refried beans as well! Sounds great thanks for sharing!
I made this last night and family totally enjoyed it. The only changes I made were enchilada seasoning instead of taco(it’s all I had on hand) and Cool Ranch Doritos instead of regular. It came out so good. We all went back for seconds…glad this makes plenty! I took pictures and posted it on my website, too. https://scrumptiouscyn.com/cool-ranch-doritos-chicken-casserole/
What’s the best type of chicken to use? Chicken breasts or chicken quarters?
staci – I have only tried using chicken breasts with this recipe but I am sure chicken quarters would be good as well.
Do you have any suggestions as to what I could subsitute for the cream soup. I am gluten intolerant. Would love to try this recipe!!!
Great recipe….loved it!
Loved this. I did however switch out the cream of chicken for refried beans I just mixed the milk and sour cream with the beans to thin them out then mixed in everything else. Very quick easy meal
How many calories is in one serving?
Mitanda – Sorry, I do not have nutritional information for this recipe.
Miss from Miss In the Kitchen has been making Dorito Chicken for years, It’s awesome! A great family meal on a rushed night!
Have any of you had problems with the Dorito’s getting soggy? Wanting to make this but thinking instead of layering I will just put the Dorito’s on top.
In an attempt to lower the calories I used low fat cream of chicken, low fat sour cream, 2% Mexican blend cheese, and baked Doritos. It was still delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
It sounds good but is it soggy after it’s done?
Heather – If you do not want it to be soggy, I would recommend putting all of the Doritos on the top of the casserole.
I just made this and oh my goodness can you say yummy fast cheap and the kids can even make this what a wonderful idea love it I made it like the recipe in glass pan my did not come out soggy at all
Which type (flavor)
of Doritos are used in this recipe?
DARN ! The kids ate ALL of the Doritos !
Can you substitute beef in and if you do what would you use in place of the cream of chicken?
Barbara – nacho cheese Doritos.
Brittany – I am not sure about the substitute for cream of chicken. I would say that you could substitute beef.
i can not find the ro-tel tomatoes any where, can i just use normal can tomatoes?
so Ro-tel tomatoes in the chicken mix and regular diced tomatoes for the top then?
can you taste the sour cream. My husband does not like sour cream, any other suggestions.
Alright, bought more Doritos and told the kids not to touch ! lol I just served it to a bunch of teens and the consensus is it’s a keeper !
We’ve always made this with Nacho Cheese Doritos and without the taco seasoning. Will have to try it your way. Sounds delish as well.
i tried this and also used refried beans in it plus i put doritos on top and melted cheese on top it was yummy
Janet – Rotel is actually not a brand of Tomatoes – it is a mixture of green chili peppers and diced tomatoes. You can but a can of diced chilis and a can of diced tomatoes and use them that way. I prefer this way better because the chilis have some heat and by not buying them already mixed, you can leave the chilis out altogether if you prefer – which I do.
Recipe sounds great! Going to try next week. How about a Pinterest button on the page so I can pin it? Thanks!
cover with foil or what?
I made this tonight and it was delicious! So easy to make and yummy. I used Cool Ranch Doritos. Also, I only had 1 cup of Mexican cheese blend so used 1 cup of Monterey jack cheese along with it. Someone mentioned sour cream, can’t taste it specifically … just creamy.
Do i have to use cream of mushroom or cream chicken i have neither one?
Loved it and so did my family! We topped it with sour cream and salsa! Yummy 🙂
kamesia- Sorry, I have not tried this recipe without using the cream of chicken soup, so I cannot comment on how it would taste. If you do try it without the soup, please let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks.
Having this tonight, all ready to put together and put in the oven. Looks wonderful.
I cooked this for my family who came over last night for our Easter meal. Has great flavor but was a little crunchy & not enough liquid I think. Would keeping the liquid in the rotel tomatoes help? I had never drained rotel tomatoes before. Maybe too many chips? I used Salba chips in the casseroles I made. They are a healthy chip & taste great in this dish.
what is the sodium count on this recipe ??
I know what we’re having for supper tonight
I’m making this tonight for Hell’s Kitchen night. My daughters and I get together and take turns cooking and then we watch Hell’s Kitchen. Will let you know what they say. I think they will love it.