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Taco Chicken Casserole
If you love Chicken Tacos, you will love this Taco Chicken Casserole. So easy to throw the ingredients together, then enjoy with all your favorite added toppings!
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This recipe is low carb, keto-friendly, gluten free, and a Trim Healthy Mama S Fuel.
I’ve mentioned before that I love casseroles, because they are so fast and so easy.
Most casseroles are made with one bowl, mix it well, then pour into your prepared pan and bake.
Serve with another vegetable and a side salad, and you have an awesome 30 minute meal, perfect for weeknights!
I have several casseroles that are popular, but my chicken casseroles are by far the most viewed recipes!
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Cheesy Vegetable Chicken Casserole
So I’ve been thinking about what other kinds of dishes I could create.
The first idea was to create a Taco Chicken Casserole (and stay tuned for a Buffalo Chicken Casserole that is coming in the next couple of weeks).
Cooking Chicken Breast in the Instant Pot
I absolutely LOVE my Instant Pot for cooking the chicken.
I’ve chosen to use pre-cooked chicken in these recipes, and using my Instant Pot makes that so much easier!
In fact, if I’m honest, I hardly ever thaw out my chicken breasts anymore.
When I need to cook them, I throw the whole section into my Instant Pot with about a cup of water.
Season with salt and pepper, then process at manual pressure for 30-40 minutes. The time will vary a bit depending on how big they are.
I drain the water/broth off (and usually save to use later), then shred the chicken with my hand mixer.
Easy Meal Prep
You could even cook a large batch of chicken breasts this way, shred it, then freeze it for later use.
On the day you want to use your chicken, just take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw for a couple of hours on the countertop, or place it in your refrigerator overnight to thaw.
So easy, and a great way to prep ahead for meals through the week or month.
I chose to add a bag of frozen riced cauliflower to this casserole, as it helps to bulk it up a bit, and adds some extra nutrition.
Seriously, I can’t seem to get enough of that riced cauliflower! Having it available in the freezer section of my grocery store has been a game-changer for me!
If you really love jalapeños, and spicy foods, feel free to add more than 1 jalapeño. I didn’t really think you could taste it too much, but the heat can vary so much from pepper to pepper.
Also, you can use any kind of salsa you want. I used a Cantina Style Salsa from Walmart, but you could even use a salsa verde if you wished!
Customize it to your own preferences. I used shredded cheddar cheese, but you could easily use a blend of Montery Jack and Colby cheeses.
As for the taco seasoning, most seasonings are full of fillers, starch, and sometimes even sugar!
I have used this Homemade Taco Seasoning from Darcie’s Dish and it is spot-on for flavor!
(And as a bonus, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your spice cabinet!)
As for the toppings to go on top of your casserole, you can add extra salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, diced onions, cilantro, tomatoes, or even diced avocado!
And if ground beef is more your thing, be sure to check out this Easy Taco Casserole from my friend Taryn, at Joy Filled Eats. She also has a Mexican Chicken Casserole that uses a smoky chipotle powder (and some tips on how to make cheese taco shells)!
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So, what do you need for this Taco Chicken Casserole?
5 Cups Diced, Cooked Chicken Breast (I used Boneless, Skinless)
1 12 Ounce Bag Frozen Riced Cauliflower
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
1/4 Cup Chopped Jalapeno (about 1, chopped)
1 ½ Cups Sour Cream
1 Cup Salsa
4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Taco Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Diced Cooked Chicken Breast (I used Boneless, Skinless) (About 2 pounds of chicken)
- 1 12 Ounce Bag Frozen Riced Cauliflower
- ½ Cup Chopped Onion
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Jalapeno about 1, chopped
- 1 ½ Cups Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Salsa
- 4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, cauliflower, onion, jalapeno, sour cream, salsa, and taco seasoning.
- Stir well, then spread into a 9x13 dish.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, broiling the last minute or two to brown the cheese on top a bit.
Nutrition
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Yes, I believe so! I have not used my crockpot in such a long time, I’m not sure what the times would be.
1/2 cup of chopped jalapeno? Is this correct? That would be waaaaayyy more that 1 chopped jalapeno pepper! Can you please clarify? Thanks 🙂
Wow, good catch! Thank you! Yes, you are correct, that would be much more than 1! It was supposed to read 1/4 cup. I will change it – thank you! 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious! I am going to make this tomorrow!
I hope you enjoy!
Wow! I guess, this casserole is going to be super delicious.
I made it for dinner today and it was awesome!!!!
What do you suggest if I choose to forego the cauliflower? Should I add something else or less of an ingredient above?
I think you could just omit the cauliflower and it would still be ok.
This was yummy! My hubby and son didn’t realize they were eating cauliflower!
Yay!!
This looks so comforting and delicious! And what a lovely way to mix up taco Tuesday 🙂
Loving this lightened up chicken taco masterpiece! I need to make better use of cauliflower in my life and I think this is the way to do it!
I’ve been making this four a couple of months for a healthy-ish lunch and it keeps all week, I just reheat it. Thanks!
I’m always looking for easy but flavorful chicken recipes! I love that you lightened it up with cauliflower rice too.
This looks so good and perfect for a week night dinner! I love the cauliflower rice in there too.
What a great, simple weeknight dinner! And I love getting the taco experience w/o having to assemble everything individually!
We do taco Friday in sweden, instead of Tuesday. Sounds like a great Friday dinner option to me!
Did you cook the cauliflower first or put it in frozen?
I do not cook it – I use frozen.
YUM! Now I’m craving spice, chicken and cheese. I really need to batch cook more chicken so I can make this great dish.
My family loves taco tuesdays and I can’t wait to make this for dinner one night! Looks like a great recipe that would be a lot of fun to make!
This was so good. My son couldn’t tell there was cauliflower in it and he loved it. A great way to get a vegetable in him and the taste was amazing!