An easy to throw in a pan, stick in the oven meal – this Southwest Chicken Bake is one of our family favorites!
Southwest Chicken
By now you know easy is what I do when it comes to cooking. Sometimes I go all out but most of the time it is the quickest and meals that I know my family love that win out. This Southwest chicken doesn’t take much effort but the results are so so so good. You have the spices from the ingredients, the crunch from the chips and everything tastes good with cheese!
I’ve had this recipe from one of my closest friends for probably close to ten years now. I’ve added different things here or there to give it a little variety but every time I make it, my family loves it!
To Make This Southwest Chicken Bake, You’ll Need:
You most likely have all of the ingredients you need for this Chicken Bake sitting your pantry, but wouldn’t have thought to put them together. You can also use this as a base and add in additional vegetables, spices, etc.
- 3-4 chicken breasts, baked and cubed
- salsa (recipe to make your own below)
- cheddar cheese
- tortilla chips
- sour cream
- 9×13 baking dish
What temperature to bake chicken?
This recipe calls for baked chicken. There are lots of ways to do this, but no matter what method you use, you need to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. You can do at a high temperature for a shorter amount of time or a lower temperature for a longer time.
Here is a rough guideline (though it will depend on how big of chicken breasts you use):
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes
- Bake at 400 degrees for 22-26 minutes
- Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes
How long to bake chicken
How long to bake chicken depends on the temperature you use and how big the chicken breasts are. As I mentioned, you can bake low and slow or high and short.
Chicken Casserole Ideas
If you love this easy Southwest Chicken Bake recipe, then you’re going to love these other chicken casserole ideas.
It’s sort of a cross between nachos and a chicken bake. I love the cheese and the crunch. One of the things my kids love is adding toppings to it. One kid likes sour cream, another doesn’t. They can put whatever they want on top of it.
Southwest Chicken Bake Recipe
If you love this Southwest Chicken Bake recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
Southwest Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts cooked and diced
- 1 c Salsa use recipe below or pre-made
- 1 c sour cream
- 2 c cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 c tortilla chips crushed
Easy Salsa
- 28 oz diced tomatoes (can)
- 4 oz green chiles diced
- 15.25 oz corn (can) drained
- 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 c onion chopped
- 3/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/8 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
- Mix chicken, salsa and sour cream.
- Spread layer of chicken mix on bottom.
- Sprinkle with 1 c. of crushed tortilla chips.
- Sprinkle with 1 c. of shredded cheese.
- Repeat one more time.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 mins or until cheese is bubbly.
Video
Nutrition
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Do you think this would work with Ground Beef or Shredded pork shoulder?
I don’t have any chicken breasts but have split chicken breasts that I’m making broh out of. I’m planning on shredding that meat. How many cups of shredded chicken should I use?
Thanks!
I made this and it was delicious! One of the best southwest casseroles we’ve had. My husband loved it too. Definitely try this recipe!
It says one large can diced tomatoes, but I’m still not sure how big that is. Did you use the 14 or 15 oz cans or something bigger? Thanks, I’m excited to try this! And have you ever tried canned chicken instead? I was thinking of doing that.
I made this for dinner and it was yummy! However a bit runny. Was I supposed to drain the can of tomoatoes? I drained the corn and black beans. thanks!
The Southwest Chicken Bake looks great! I was excited to see this had black beans in it but the recipe does not mention them. When and where do they fit in the recipe? Thanks!
It looks like the beans, corn & spices are all listed as part of the homemade salsa recipe. I would assume you could just stir them into a store bought salsa, if desired.
I made this today for Sunday dinner. It tasted as good as it smelled! I used store bought salsa. But I added the corn, black beans and oregano to the salsa. This is an excellent quick, all your staples at home, and easy recipe. I highly recommend.
Hey there. I was just wondering how many servings you normally make out of this. We’re making it tonight and I’m not sure how to divide it up. Thanks! :D
Oh my gosh this looks SOOO good! I don’t even eat chicken and I’m drooling on my keyboard!
Hey girl, love this recipe in fact we are featuring it this week at our link party because it was the most viewed. Keep rockin’ it. xo San
http://www.adashofsanity.com – party goes live at 8PM EST
I’m about to be super busy at work due to a promotion. Kinda stressing about pulling off dinner at night and need more dishes like this. Love the chips in this recipe. I’m also digging the term cantry!
Thank you for sharing with See Ya in the Gumbo this week!
Super easy and I know it would be a hit with the kids- my kind of dinner :) Looks delicious!
This looks yummy and easy. But I have a question. The ingredients list 3 cups crushed tortilla chips, but the directions seem to need only 2 cups (2 layers of 1 cup each). Do I actually need only 2 cups crushed tortilla chips, or do I use the 3 cups listed and each layer should be 1.5 cups, or do I use 3 cups and do 1 layer of 1 cup and 1 layer of 2 cups? Thanks, Cheryl
Hi Cheryl- sorry about that! Thanks for noticing. I changed the recipe for 2 cups of chips. You can add more if you like- it’s one of those recipes that you can add more or less to your liking. :)
wow, your bake looks fab – great pics! Happy to meet you via Michelle’s See Ya in the Gumbo! Cheers