Doritos Chicken Casserole Recipe For Comfort

Why You’ll Love This this Doritos Chicken Casserole

This Doritos Chicken Casserole is basically comfort food‘s greatest hits album, combining creamy chicken, melty cheese, and that irresistible crunch we all secretly crave.

You get all the satisfaction of a hearty casserole without spending hours in the kitchen, because sometimes we need dinner to be delicious and easy, not a culinary marathon.

The best part is watching people’s faces when they realize those aren’t fancy breadcrumbs on top – it’s everyone’s favorite nacho chip doing double duty as the perfect crunchy topping.

Ingredients List

This recipe keeps things beautifully simple with just a handful of pantry staples and one star ingredient that’ll make you question why you haven’t been cooking with chips all along.

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Plain Doritos
• Rotisserie shortcut: Using store-bought rotisserie chicken saves time and adds extra flavor
• Sodium watch: Between the Doritos, cheese, and added salt, this dish runs high in sodium, so taste before adding extra seasoning
• Lighter swaps: Greek yogurt can replace half the sour cream for extra protein and less fat
• Cheese flexibility: Any melting cheese works here, so use what you have on hand

Step by Step Directions



Getting this comforting casserole on the table takes just minutes of prep before the oven does the work.

• Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 2-quart casserole dish
• Crush Doritos and spread enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish
• Mix chicken mixture by combining chopped cooked chicken, sour cream, chili powder, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl
• Layer chicken mixture over the crushed Doritos in the casserole dish
• Add second Dorito layer by crushing more chips and sprinkling over the chicken mixture
• Top with cheese by sprinkling both cheddar and mozzarella evenly over the surface
• Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

For even better heat distribution and retention, consider using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven instead of a traditional casserole dish.

Substitutions and Variations

• Healthier swaps – Greek yogurt can replace sour cream if you’re trying to be good, baked tortilla chips work instead of Doritos, and reduced-fat cheese still melts beautifully.
• Make it creamy – A can of cream of mushroom soup mixed in makes this ridiculously rich, or add cream cheese for that extra indulgent factor that makes weeknight dinners feel special.

Additional Things to Serve With This Dish

This casserole is basically a complete meal in a dish, but sometimes you want a little something on the side to round things out.

• Simple salad – A crisp iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing cuts through all that cheesy richness, or go with a basic Caesar if you’re feeling fancy.
• Mexican rice – The flavors play so well together, and it helps stretch the meal if you’re feeding a crowd or teenage boys who eat like they’ve hollow legs.
• Steamed broccoli – I know, I know, vegetables with your junk food casserole sounds weird, but trust me on this one, the bright green crunch is exactly what your taste buds need.
• Warm flour tortillas – Because sometimes you just want to scoop everything up and eat it like a taco, which is honestly how I prefer most foods anyway.
• Black beans – Drain and rinse a can, maybe add some cumin and garlic powder, and you’ve got protein and fiber that makes this feel almost healthy.

Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)

After making this probably way too many times, I’ve picked up some tricks that’ll save you from the mistakes I used to make.

• Don’t crush those Doritos into dust – You want chunky pieces, not powder, because nobody wants to eat crunchy sand, and bigger pieces actually hold up better during baking.
• Let your cooked chicken cool completely before mixing it with the sour cream mixture, otherwise you’ll end up with a weird, curdled mess that looks like it belongs in a horror movie.
• Press that bottom layer of Doritos down gently with the back of a spoon so they create an actual crust instead of floating around like little orange life rafts.
• Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes if your cheese tends to brown too fast, then reveal for the last 5 minutes to get that perfect golden top.
• Use a glass dish if you have one because you can see if the bottom is getting too brown, plus it just looks fancier when you bring it to the table.
• Let it rest for about 5 minutes after baking so the layers can set up properly and you don’t end up with a soupy mess on your plate.
• Save some extra crushed Doritos to sprinkle on top right before serving, because that fresh crunch on top of the baked crunch is like a texture party in your mouth.

Nutritional Facts

This hearty casserole serves about 6 people and delivers a satisfying mix of protein, carbs, and that indulgent comfort food goodness we all crave.

• Calories per serving: Approximately 420-450 calories (depending on Dorito portion size)
• Protein: About 28-30 grams per serving, thanks to that generous helping of chicken and cheese combo
• Carbohydrates: Around 18-22 grams, mostly from the Doritos and a small amount from the sour cream
• Fat: Roughly 28-32 grams per serving, coming from the sour cream, cheese, and those deliciously oily chips
• Sodium: High at about 980-1,200mg per serving, so maybe skip the extra salt on your side dishes
• Calcium: Good source with about 25% of daily value from all that melted cheese goodness
• Fiber: Minimal at 1-2 grams, because to be frank, this isn’t exactly a health food
• Cholesterol: Moderate at about 85-95mg per serving from the chicken, cheese, and sour cream
• Vitamin A: Decent amount from the cheddar cheese and chili powder
• Iron: About 8-10% of daily value, primarily from the chicken

Fun “Did You Know?”

Beyond all those numbers and nutritional facts, here’s something that’ll blow your mind: Doritos weren’t originally meant to be a snack food at all!

They started as leftover tortilla scraps at a Mexican restaurant in Disneyland during the 1960s. The owner didn’t want to waste them, so he seasoned and fried the scraps instead.

Frito-Lay eventually bought the concept and turned it into the billion-dollar brand that’s recognized today.

So when you’re crushing those chips for this casserole, you’re using what was once considered kitchen waste.

Pretty amazing how culinary accidents become comfort food staples, right?