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Chicken Tortilla Casserole
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Chicken Tortilla Casserole is comfort food to the max. Made with chicken, corn tortillas, and a whole lotta cheese, your family will be begging you to make this weekly! I make my own cream of celery sauce from scratch (don’t worry, it’s fast) and trust me, it beats anything out of a can. You’ll get real flavor, better texture, and bonus points for using up leftover chicken. Let’s do this.
Ingredient Notes + Variations
This chicken tortilla casserole layers a homemade cream sauce, shredded chicken, melty cheese, and corn tortillas. The sauce is simple to make but brings big flavor with pantry staples and a few Tex-Mex touches.
- Corn tortillas – White or yellow works. Tear them up instead of slicing to keep it rustic and help them soak up the sauce.
- Shredded chicken – Here’s where Crockpot Shredded Chicken for Meal Prep shines!! Didn’t think ahead? No worries… rotisserie chicken works too.
- Cumin + oregano – Warm, earthy, and necessary.
Pro Tip: Prefer to skip the homemade soup? Swap in 2 cans of cream of celery soup mixed with 2 cans of milk. Still add sour cream, cumin, oregano, and extra salt.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Casserole
This recipe comes together in three parts: make the sauce, layer everything in a casserole dish, then bake. It’s straightforward and fast once the sauce is done. For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card down below.
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Pan
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside for later.
Step 2: Make the Sauce (Sauté Onion + Celery)
melt butter, add diced onion + celery
add garlic + sauté
stir in spices, flour + continue to cook
Pro Tip: I find that corn tortillas need a lot of salt so I add another teaspoon to the sauce. Feel free to omit and allow for everyone to salt the finished dish as needed.
3. Assemble the Casserole
add a bit of the sauce to bottom of pan
place a layer of torn tortillas into the pan
add a layer of shredded chicken
cover with a layer of the creamy sauce
add a layer of shredded cheese
repeat these layers, ending with shredded cheese
4. Bake + Rest
bake until hot + cheese is bubbly
let casserole rest for 5-10 minutes
Tips for Success
- Tear, don’t slice, your tortillas for better texture.
- Use room temp sour cream so it blends in smoothly.
- Don’t skimp on salt, especially in the sauce.
- Let the casserole rest so it sets up a bit before serving.
- Garnish! Fresh toppings make it pop (avocado, cilantro, green onion, tomatoes).
Enjoy the flavors of Tex-Mex cuisine with this Chicken Tortilla Casserole, without spending hours in the kitchen! This is a good casserole that the whole family will love! Have a great day, friends! 🙂
Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Chicken Tortilla Casserole is comfort food to the max. Made with a homemade cream of celery soup, chicken, corn tortillas and a whole lotta cheese, your family will be begging you to make this weekly!
Ingredients
for homemade cream of celery soup*
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup celery finely diced, about 2-2.5 ribs
- 1 cup onion finely diced, about 1 small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk I used whole milk
other "soup" (sauce) ingredients
for rest of casserole
- 20 corn tortillas yellow or white, ripped up into pieces
- 4 cups chicken shredded (think Rotisserie!)
- 16 oz colby cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Add onion and celery and sauté (stirring occasionally) for about 8-10 minutes or until veggies are translucent and softened.
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano.
- Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken broth and milk and bring to a low boil until mixture is thickened, whisking constantly.
- Turn off heat and stir in sour cream.
- Add a bit of the sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Place a layer of ripped corn tortillas in the dish.
- Next, add a layer of shredded chicken.
- Cover chicken completely with a layer of the cream sauce.
- Add a layer a cheese on top of the sauce.
- Repeat these layers: tortillas, chicken, sauce, cheese until all ingredients are in dish. Final layer should be the last of the cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish with sour cream, avocado, cilantro, green or red onion or whatever your heart desires and serve!
Notes
*If you prefer to use store-bought canned cream of celery soup, simply use 2 cans of condensed soup + 2 cans of milk. Then add the sour cream, cumin, oregano and more salt.
**I find that corn tortillas need a lot of salt so I add another teaspoon to the sauce. Feel free to omit and allow for everyone to salt the finished dish as needed.
Storing and Make Ahead Directions
Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature before storing. Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Make Ahead: Prepare casserole as instructed up until baking. At this point cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put in the fridge until ready to bake. To Freeze: Casseroles are great for freezing and heating later for future meals. Make sure to wrap really well in plastic wrap. This casserole will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months!Nutrition
Calories: 613kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 31gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 1234mgPotassium: 466mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1019IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 533mgIron: 2mg
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What to Serve with Chicken Tortilla Casserole
- Salad: Kale Avocado Salad or Cucumber Tomato Salad would be great sides full of veggies.
- Salsa and Guacamole: If you want to add a bit of tortilla chips and salsa, serve your chicken tortilla casserole with some Homemade Salsa and Classic Guacamole.
- Rice: Famous Butter Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice would be great additions to this meal.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes to Try!
- Creamy Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Swiss Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Crockpot Italian Chicken Pasta
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
My family loved this casserole. I will sure make this once a week. I served with rice and beans and salsa. But I will make with salads next time. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m not good on sour cream mixture so I just sautéed the veggies and whisked a little flour then added a little chicken broth to help thickened. It was great. Like I said I will make again.