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    Recipes » Casseroles » Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole

    Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole

    Published: Jan 20, 2022 · Modified: Oct 8, 2022 by Kate Shungu · This post may contain affiliate links

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    metal spatula in a casserole dish with dorito chicken casserole.
    scoop of dorito chicken casserole on a white plate.
    metal spatula in a casserole dish with dorito chicken casserole.

    This Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole is serious comfort food! It’s creamy, cheesy, and crunchy at the same time, and kids and adults of all ages will love it.

    metal spatula lifting up a serving of dorito chicken casserole from a white casserole dish.

    A casserole made with Doritos?! Hear me out! This Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole seriously blew my mind. It’s simple to make and WOW is it good!

    It starts with a layer of crushed Doritos, followed by seasoned sour cream and chicken, followed by more Doritos and shredded cheese.

    It’s comfort food at its finest!

    Topping casseroles with something crunchy is nothing new. This Hot Chicken Salad is topped with potato chips, and my King Ranch Mac & Cheese is topped with tortilla chips.

    The crunch of the chips complements the creamy, cheesy casserole really nicely, and the texture difference (also known as “mouth feel”) makes our taste buds happy.

    If you love Doritos, you HAVE to try this casserole!

    And if you like Fritos, you have to check out my Taco Casserole with Fritos!

    slice of dorito chicken casserole on a white plate.

    This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support Gift of Hospitality at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.

    Top tips

    • This recipe serves 5–6. If you’re only feeding 3–4 people, I recommend halving the recipe. The Doritos get soft as the casserole sits, so leftovers aren’t as crunchy.
    • Save yourself from cleaning another dish: crush the Doritos while they’re still in the bag.
    • Like it spicy? Use Flamin’ Hot Doritos instead of the Nacho Cheese flavor!

    Ingredients

    ingredients for easy dorito chicken casserole on a white table.
    • You’ll need one regular sized bag of Doritos (the nacho cheese flavor).
    • I used baked chicken breasts for the cooked chicken, though a shredded rotisserie chicken would work well, too.
    • The chicken gets coated with sour cream—regular or light is fine.
    • Chili powder, garlic powder, and salt season the chicken.
    • The casserole is topped with shredded cheddar and mozzarella.

    How to make Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole

    Start by crushing the Doritos. I like to open the bag a little bit and crush them (while still inside the bag) with my hands. They should be bite-size.

    crushed doritos inside the dorito bag.

    Next, stir together the chicken, sour cream, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt.

    chicken with sour cream and spices in a white bowl.

    Layer half of the Doritos into the bottom of a 13×9 inch casserole dish. Top with the chicken mixture.

    doritos and chicken in a white casserole dish.

    Top with the remaining Doritos and sprinkle with cheese.

    uncooked easy dorito casserole in a white dish with handles.

    Bake for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is warm throughout.

    cooked Dorito chicken casserole topped with melted cheese.

    Serving tips

    Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole is best served warm from the oven. While it can be reheated, the chips lose some of their crunch.

    If you don’t think you’ll eat all of the casserole at once, I recommend making half of the recipe in an 8×8 inch pan.

    Since the casserole is quite rich, I like to serve a leafy green salad or fresh veggies and dip (such as this easy Dill Dip) on the side.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I freeze Dorito Chicken Casserole?

    Because the Doritos will get soggy, I don’t recommend freezing this casserole.

    How do I reheat Dorito Chicken Casserole?

    Dorito Chicken Casserole is best served warm from the oven right after it’s made. However, if you’d like to reheat it, heat it in a 350°F oven until warm (about 15–20 minutes if it’s cold). The Doritos will not be as crunchy.

    Why do I have to cook the chicken first?

    This casserole is designed to be used with cooked chicken. It does not bake for long enough to cook raw chicken (and the Doritos will burn if you cook it too long).
    You can make the casserole with shredded rotisserie chicken or even packaged grilled chicken strips if you don’t want to cook the chicken yourself.

    spatula in a white casserole dish with easy dorito chicken casserole.

    Can I make Dorito Chicken Casserole ahead?

    While this casserole is best served warm from the oven, you can do several parts ahead:

    • crush the Doritos and set them aside
    • prepare the chicken (cook/chop it, or shred if it’s a rotisserie chicken)
    • stir together the chicken and sour cream/spice mixture together (refrigerate the mixture until you’re ready to use it)

    The good news is, this casserole is really quick to prepare, even if you don’t do anything ahead of time.

    Substitutions

    Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole can be customized based on what you like and what you have on hand.

    For example:

    • Use Cool Ranch Doritos instead of Nacho Cheese Doritos
    • Like it spicy? Use Flamin’ Hot Doritos!
    • Substitute monterey jack, pepper jack, or swiss cheese for either of the shredded cheeses in the recipe
    • Both chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or rotisserie chicken works well for this recipe. If you’re starting with raw chicken, you can bake, poach, or grill it.
    • You can use either regular or light sour cream.
    • Add a cup of canned corn (drained) or canned black beans (drained) to the chicken mixture.
    chicken dorito casserole on a white plate next to a whole casserole dish.

    Side dish ideas

    Since Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole is a hearty dish, I recommend a light side dish such as a a green salad.

    The flavors of the casserole lean toward Tex-Mex, so a Southwestern salad (even one from a bag—I like the one from Trader Joe’s) would pair perfectly with it.

    Or you could serve it with a variety of chopped veggies (broccoli, celery, carrots, grape tomatoes) and dip. I love this Dill Dip!

    More comfort food casseroles

    Don’t miss these other old fashioned dinner casseroles!

    • Pizza Casserole
    • Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole
    • King Ranch Chicken Mac & Cheese
    • Hot Chicken Salad

    Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!

    cup of ambrosia and slice of banana cake.

    📖 Recipe

    hand scooping up dorito chicken casserole with a spatula.

    Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole

    Published by Kate
    Doritos, chicken, sour cream, and cheese—this casserole is serious comfort food.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 441 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 (9.25 oz) bag Doritos (Nacho Cheese flavor)
    • 2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • Open the bag of Doritos slightly at the top. Use your hands to crush the chips into roughly 1-inch pieces. Scatter half of the Doritos in the bottom of a 13×9 inch dish.
    • In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, sour cream, chili powder, salt, and garlic powder. Spread over the Doritos.
    • Sprinkle the remaining Doritos on top, and cover with the cheeses.
    • Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is warm throughout.

    Notes

    This casserole is best served warm from the oven. If you’re only making this for 2–3 people, I recommend halving the recipe and baking it in an 8×8 inch pan. That said, if you want to reheat it, I recommend reheating it in the oven. The Doritos may not be as crisp as when originally baked.
    Substitutions/variations: you can use regular OR light sour cream. You can substitute Cool Ranch or even Flamin’ Hot Doritos. You can substitute swiss, monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese.
    Want to add veggies? Add in 1 cup of canned corn and/or 1 cup of drained Rotel tomatoes to the chicken mixture. 
    The chicken must be fully cooked before adding it to the casserole. You can use baked chicken breasts or thighs, rotisserie chicken, or packaged grilled chicken strips (chop them before adding to the casserole). 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 16gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 635mgPotassium: 251mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 548IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 226mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword dorito chicken casserole
    Tried this recipe?Follow me at @giftofhospitality and let me know how you liked it!

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    About Kate

    I’m a believer, wife, mom, and big fan of old cookbooks. I live in Chicago with my husband and two young sons. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time! Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Ashley says

      February 26, 2022 at 8:06 am

      Could you do cream of chicken soup instead of sour cream? I do not like sour cream at all but want to try this.

      Reply
      • Kate Shungu says

        February 26, 2022 at 12:21 pm

        I’m not sure—I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it turns out if you do!

        Reply
    2. Monique Johnson says

      February 25, 2022 at 6:24 pm

      I try this recipe it came out really good my family loved it my son really loved it the most. I be making this recipe again. Thnks for the recipe I like this recipe cause it will last for two days that what we called a strech meal thmks.

      Reply
      • Kate Shungu says

        February 25, 2022 at 8:00 pm

        I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Kate from Gift of HospitalityI’m Kate. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time. Learn more here
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