This recipe has really shocked me by becoming THE most popular recipe on my blog. I almost didn’t post it because it was so basic, but it’s essentially turned into a blueprint for people to personalize with their own additions and spices. Read the comments from my website! That’s where all sorts of inspiration is to make this your own.
I love the easy, and I had a lot of chicken, so I decided to make up an easy low carb Mexican chicken casserole. All the Mexican casserole recipes I was looking to adapt included chips or Tortilla layers. I did experiment with making a low carb tortilla, but it didn’t do well in the bottom of the casserole dish. It turned all soggy-mush. However, I was pleased with how the topping part of this casserole came out, so I adjusted the recipe to just include that. Hope you like it!
I cooked up some chicken. Added tomatoes and green chilies. Dotting with bits of cream cheese.
Covering with the shredded cheese.
Popped in the oven to bake until it’s nice and browning around the edges.
Note: Per comments, cut down or omit chicken base if yours has much salt. Dee said hers turned out way too salty!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (or 1 tsp chicken base with water)
- 10 ounce can tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup pepperjack cheese (shredded)
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese (shredded)
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts, stock and garlic to skillet.
- Cook chicken in the stock over medium heat until cooked through and tender.
- Shred the chicken into the casserole dish, discarding any remaining stock.
- Mix in drained can of tomatoes and green chilies
- Dot the chicken / tomato mix with little bits of cream cheese.
- Cover with shredded pepperjack cheese.
- Cover with shredded monterey jack cheese.
- Cook in 350 degree oven about 35 minutes, until brown around the edges.
Recipe Notes
You could easily add some your own ingredients to this Easy Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole without sacrificing the “easy” part.
What would you suggest adding?
Need a lot of low carb :),.. can’t wait to naj e this one
Pinto beans. Of course it would add a few carbs and calories, but some fiber
Is this recipe ok to make the night before, put in the fridge and cook the next day?
I would not mix the uncooked chicken with the other ingredients the night before. Marinating the chicken in the broth would probably work out well, though. But if you cook the chicken the night before and put everything in the fridge to finish cooking the next day, I imagine that would be fine!
How would I add black beans or pinto beans to it?
I didn’t so I can’t speak to that directly. If I had a can of beans to add, I would probably mix it in when the chicken was pretty well cooked to start it heating just a bit before oven time and then put everything in the casserole dish to cook, though. Hope that helps!
I did (my chicken was cooked) and I just had it – it was great!!
I’m so glad it worked out for you. Yay!
Oh this would be very good! I think a sprinkle of black olives and some jalapeños would be a nice addition. I’d also sprinkle in some cumin for authentic flavour.
That sounds great, Cathy! I think I’ll try that next time I make this.
The cumin is a great idea. I’d add chili powder also and some pablanos. I love the flavor of pablonas better than any other pepper. This looks wonderful. I can’t wait to try it.
More great ideas! I’ll have to revisit this with some of the input I’m getting here. Thanks!
I’ve been wanting to try Poblanos! Would I need to cook the sliced Poblanos with the chicken or just slice them raw and add them to the mixture and cook in the oven?
I’m sorry, Janie, I am not 100% sure how long Poblanos take to cook.
I forgot chili powder. Yes, that too. Mmmm poblanos! Yes please! There’s so much you could do with this, Dix. Sour cream would be a nice top off too! Great recipe…
You know what? I’m really glad I posted this. I told my husband, I thought it was just too simple. And he said maybe some of y’all cooking types would offer suggestions to improve on it. He was right!
We share the work of some amazingly gifted cooks on the Facebook page. But I am not one! Part of the reason I’ve been sharing my own recipes is because I figure, there must be people like me who are not kitchen-gifted but still need easy, everyday do-able options. And with a little help from each other, we can make this stuff better, too. Thanks!
Must add chopped onions of any kind.
This sounds delicious, EZ and fast to make. Looking for something to make tonight and this is it! Know my family will love this. Found your blog through FB and will follow you in your low carb lifestyle. Thank you for making our day.
Finished reading your comments about adding to this recipe. That’s the great thing about comments is combining lots of good ideas. I definitely will be adding a little spice for our family, but your original recipe is a great starting point.
Thank you, Cheri. You totally made my day!
We had this for dinner this evening, and it was grand. Also, it was so easy to make, and we love that. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it!
I just googled low carb recipes using chicken and this recipe popped up. I am going to try it tonight. I am running out of ideas for my husbands low carb diet.
I will let you know how it turns out.
I hope you like it! If you need inspiration and are on Facebook, we share a LOT of recipes over there.
I just fixed this and it was wonderful!! I put a little bit of green chile enchilada sauce on it!!
Yay! Thanks for the kind words, Page, and the addition to our idea list!
Your recipe sounds so good, I gotta try this. I think a small amount of Spanish rice would be a good addition to the casserole. The only thing I would add for a meal is re- fried beans and a side salad of Guaqamolie ( oops can’t spell it, but I can sure eat it !!! LOL ) I’Ll wait to rate this recipe until I try it.
The rice and beans would certainly be appropriate for carb-eaters. The low carb folks would probably want Mexican cauli-rice and perhaps a small amount of black soy beans if they eat them, refried instead. Guacamole is certainly carb-friendly though!
Just made this for dinner tonight. My husband loved the meal. We’ve been doing low carb for just a couple of weeks now and this receipe was so satisfyingly delishieous. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
I would add a little taco seasoning, sliced olives and green onion
Sounds great, Sharon!
Yum
Do you think an already cooked whole chicken shredded would equal to the 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast? What size pan did you use and did you cover it while in the oven? Thanks so much!
Hey Sue. I think the shredded chicken would work fine. Basically, a little more or a little less than what I used is just going to make a difference how deep it goes in the dish, but since the meat is already cooked, that isn’t a huge concern. My casserole dish is about 9 x 13 inches. I did not cover it, no. Hope you like it!
this is a wonderful recipe !! My family loved it thanks Zen =)
Cilantro lime spiced sour cream and avocado slices would be delicious on top.
Yum! Another great idea, Kristin.
@Nanny – thank you! So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it.
I wonder would it be good with ground turkey as well?
I don’t eat a lot of ground turkey, but I bet it would taste fine. If you try it, let us know how it comes out for you!
When I make enchiladas, I like to shred iceberg lettuce real fine and dice tomatoes and put that on the top. Along with some olives and guacamole. I’m making this tomorrow. I think when I’m cooking my chicken, I will season it up just like I do when I make taco meat, with garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, onions, bell pepper, and rotel instead of the regular tomatoes. I’m not a chili eater but they sound like a great addition!!
I used leftover turkey and added black beans and a can of mild green chilies. I’m going to add black olives and shredded lettuce to my plate when it gets out of the oven. Yummy!! I made this last month and it was a hit at a party I went to. Thanks for the recipe.
Really glad you liked it, Donna! And that the party people did, too.
i made this last night for my husband and he LOVED it! He said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. I added onions, green peppers, chili powder, and I used the habanero jack cheese and it gave it a pretty good kick! It’s been hard for us to eat low carb but I am insulin resistant and it’s effecting my fertility. It was great!
I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed it, Lindsay! That’s awesome.
Do you think this would work with ground beef?
I’l bet it would. If you try it, let me know how it comes out!
low carb
Yes, it’s low carb.
I made this recipe with some enhancements this week, and it was really great. My boyfriend’s exact words were “bursting with flavor”.
Changes: Used the slow cooker to make the shredded chicken – easy, time saver, and you can put seasonings in with it while it cooks. I also added cumin, cilantro and hot sauce when mixing everything together in the casserole dish. This is a perfect base for so many things. Put it on lettuce for a chicken taco salad, put it in a low-carb tortilla for a chicken burrito…ect!
Great ideas, Kat. Thanks for sharing them, and the kind words.
Dixie, I’ve been low carb for almost 20 years and my son made this for me. It was delicious! But I must say you need a print option for your site. There seems to be no way to print ‘just’ the recipe. When I hit print I got 13 pages of comments so I canceled the print request. I tried it again and limited the amount of pages and all the pictures printed out too!
Really good job on the recipe, but if you actually want to share, the print option needs improvement since I eventually had to write it out by hand.
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Karen
The print option within the recipe itself is more streamlined. It does include the pictures still but not all the comments, etc. Here is the print link for this one, for example (look under the nutritional info) – http://www.lowcarbzen.com/easyrecipe-print/2424-0/
I may look into providing a print without pix, but that is a technical hurdle I haven’t jumped over just yet…
I’m allergic to tomatoes. What would be a good substitute?
Pamela, I don’t know what veggies you like. The tomatoes are there for flavor, not because of any special properties. Maybe bell peppers?
Zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower…..I think this one you could play around with a lot. But remember that tomatoes have a lot of juices so if you sub keep that in mind as you may need to add a bit more moisture. Depending on what you use that is. This was a wonderfully easy recipe.
I’ve been doing low carbs to maintain my weight. I love the recipes that are out now and they are so fun to try. But I do have one question for you. I eat chicken a lot and getting a bit tired of it. Is there an alternative to the chicken?
I’ll bet this would be good with turkey or shredded beef…
I notice the recipe suggests 1 TABLESPOON of chicken base for 1/2 cup of water. Why a tablespoon when the base generally calls for 1/2 TEASPOON to make 1/2 cup of broth? I am concerned about the sodium.
That’s just what I put in, so it’s what I wrote down. You’re welcome to decrease or omit it altogether if the amount doesn’t work for you or it has too much sodium.
I used 1 tablespn chicken base in one half cup water and had to throw out, far too salty!!! Looks like a good basic recipe otherwise.
Oh no, sorry to hear that, Dee. Your Chicken base must have had more salt in it than whatever I used.
I am planning to cook this tonight … when would you put in the cumin? While cooking the chicken or when mixing everything together? Thank you
Personally, I’d put it in with the chicken, maybe after some of the stock had started to cook down so it could absorb that flavor but I imagine you could do it either way. Hope you like it!
Thank you!
Saute some peppers and onions and add fajita seasoning and you’ve got a whole new dish!
Lovely addition, Mary Beth. Thank you!
this was AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! We added a little cilantro, sour cream and black olives. Tasty tasty! And I have a little leftover for lunch tomorrow!
Oh Tiffany, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
I have made this bunches of times, a family fave!! We serve it over lettuce and tomato with a dollop of sour cream. So good!!
Yay! I’m so glad you like it. And that sounds like a lovely way to serve it, too.
I bet this would be good with ground beef instead of Chicken, what do you ladies think?
I think it would be good with ground beef, myself. More like a Taco casserole. If you try it, let us know how it comes out.
I simply used a fresh spicy salsa in exchange for the tomatoes and jalapeños. Came out great! Will definitely make this one again.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing that.
This was awesome! The only thing I did different was add about half an envelope of taco seasoning to the chicken. YUM! My husband loves it too. Since he isn’t low carbing, he put his over tortilla chips for a nacho feast. Topped with sour cream. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
So glad you liked it, Tammy!
This was SO simple and SOOO delicious!! My husband LOVED it too. He doesn’t low carb, so I served it over Spanish rice for him. Definitely making it again. I think I will add some Alfredo sauce to the chicken mix next time to make it a little creamier. I also want to try this with beef.
Awesome! Glad to hear it was a hit. Yay!
What size casserole dish?
Aw, I dunno. Whatever is standard? The only difference it’s gonna make is how deep the casserole is, bigger dish vs. smaller dish. Use what you’ve got!
This is an excellent “base” recipe that can be customized for each cook’s personal taste. I used a rotisserie chicken from our grocer’s deli, 2 cans of mild rotel, a small can of fire roasted medium hot green chilis and about 1/4 cup of chopped pickled jalapeno peppers. Also, before adding the cheeses layers, I sprinkled some smoked chipolte chile powder (about 1/2 tsp), cumin (1/2 tsp), garlic powder (1/2 tsp), and regular chili powder (about 1 tsp). I doubled the amount of cream cheese, and used the suggested monterrey jack and Vermont sharp cheddar. It was delicious and enjoyed by all I served it to, and I was the only one on a low carb diet. Some added extra hot pepper sauce at the table. We are home that love hot spicy food. Great recipe! Will definitely do again. I think next time I will drain the rotel to make it little less watery.
Lost a bunch of weight doing low carb several years ago, now it is my way of life!
I made this last night to heat up for lunches this week. Just had my first one….this is SO FABULOUS!!!! I am sure it will become a very popular lunch for me. I made a few slight variations. I used canned low sodium chicken broth (think the dry broth cubes are too salty sometimes), added Cheddar Cheese, same total quantity of cheese as original recipe just used 3 cheeses instead of 2 and chopped up a few canned chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, sprinkled over top before baking. Scrumptious! Thank you so much, I cant wait to try more of your recipes.
So glad you liked it! That makes me happy. I agree about a lot of the broth you can get out there, SO salty! I use bone broth I’ve made myself and freeze into ice cubes most of the time. Your variations sound awesome!
Would it still be concider ed low carb is corn was added? Or a salsa with corn and beans in it? I’m just starting low carb!!!! Have alot if weight to loose and my family needs to get healthier. Thank you for your awesome site. Any help is needed
New to low carb. Recipe sounds amazing would it still be low carb if I added corn…. or salsa with beans and corn in it. Have alot of weight to loose my family needs get healthy! Any help is appreciated
Welcome, Martha! You’ll have to be careful about the beans and corn, neither of which is very low carb. Salsa with corn typically doesn’t have a lot, but check the total carbs and subtract fiber to get “net carbs” and that’s what you count. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe – it’s just what I needed!!
I used shredded chicken that I made in my crockpot – added the rotel – fajita spice mix a recipe that I found online with a little bit of water and simmered. Just followed the rest of your recipe from there – SO GOOD!
Devious, I used a little bit of chili powder and sliced olives. Definitely a redo.
I am going to make this tonight for the first time. It sounds delicious. I will add a small can of sliced black olives and will top it with a little lettuce and tomato and a dollop of sour cream. I have a question–if a serving size is 3/4 cup, how many servings per 9×13 pan? Thank you for letting me know!
Darned if I know! Because what you end up putting in may not be the same volume as what I ended up putting in. My numbers are intended to be just ballpark based on what I used with the hopes it would give you an idea. It’s always good if you’re tracking to figure from the ingredients you’re actually using over the recipe estimates.
p.s. I hope you enjoy it!
I’m sure I could have done all kinds of things to this recipe but it was perfect as is. I did add some fresh chopped cilantro just because o had it and it gave it just a little extra flavor. I will make this again!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it.
Do you think this could be cooked in a crockpot? How long?
Probably. It’s very similar to this one I just posted (minus all the cheese).- https://www.lowcarbzen.com/low-carb-recipes/main-courses/obscenely-easy-slow-cooker-creamy-mexican-chicken/
The main issue would be that I wouldn’t expect the nice browning of the top with the cheese. I cook almost everything in the crockpot 7-8 hours low or half the time, high. Except I usually use low heat. If you try it, let us know how it goes for you!
Thanks. I plan on trying it in a crockpot soon.
Your picture looks like it has Colby jack cheese, not monterey jack. am I wrong. I purchase the cheeses you put in the recipe. but was curious because both kinds are the white cheese look.
I’m sorry, Christine, but I couldn’t tell you now if I mistyped it on the recipe or not. It’s been too long for me to remember now. Either should work fine, though.
CHANGES I MADE:
Used a rotisserie chicken, sauteed in whole butter and adobo seasoning
added tomatoes and shrimp and taco seasoning
put it all in a baking dish and followed the rest of the instructions as mentioned.
THIS WAS SOOOOO DELICIOUS!!
This is a GREAT recipe! I did add the cauliflower rice to the casserole dish, before cooking and it turned out excellent. Tip: with the “rice” addition, don’t drain the Rotel and double the cream cheese. Highly recommend it.
So glad you liked it, CJ. Thanks for sharing your variation.
I use black soy beans for low carb recipes, they are like 1 net carb and are almost just like black beans! Sometimes hard to find but you can also order them or request your grocery to do so! I am going to go cut up a rotisserie chicken I bought last night and put this together!
Due to my sensitive tummy, I would would use canned diced tomatoes and a can of chopped green chilies,
I’m trying this tonight for me and my mother she has had a stroke plus a victim of diabetes, it sounds really good will let you know the sodium is my worry, it seems like low carb and low sodium are not friendly.lol
Wow… I’m trying my own recipe of everything I love from all the recommendations tonight! Thank you so much for sharing.
Made this for my Hubbys supper tonight and it was delicious!!!! I added a teaspoon of Cumin and and a tsp. Of chili powder along with fresh mushrooms. Will be making this again. Thanks for the great recipes,they make it so much easier to cook for my Hubby.
Just made this 2 nights ago and the kids are asking for it again already. Great Dish
This is easy, quick, and simply delicious. I’ll most definitely fix this again. My husband liked it also.
Very good! My husband has gone to a low carb diet so I’m looking to fix flavorful good dishes. This will be a repeat dish.
I appreciate you posting the base recipe as that makes it easier for me to understand and make. Then it’s interesting to read people’s suggestions. Thank-you
This is an awesome recipe! I added the cumin while the chicken was cooking with the garlic. I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a can of green chilies. My husband and I loved this!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I thought it would be more of a dip but this was very good! I had leftover chicken from a roasted chicken and wanted to do something different with the leftovers when I found your recipe. I had all the ingredients except for the pepper jack. I added a few slices of jalapeno to it and it was delicious.
Love love this receipe. I added low carb tortillas, taco seasoning and sautéed mushrooms to the mix. Thank u so much!
This was so yummy!! Thanks for the recipe! I added fresh cilantro, cumin, and an onion and topped with fresh avocado. Absolutely making this again!
I tried it with beef, and it was awesome! Next time I think I will add onion, an extra can of diced tomatoes, and maybe mix some of the cheese in rather than just coat the top. I suspect it would be more evenly distributed that way.
Love, love, love this recipe! I’m definitely going to make it part of the regular rotation.
Added bell peppers and onions, for more veggies. Yummy!!! Turned out amazing!!
Just made this dish last, so good!!! I also added some avacado and sour cream on the side, went together nicely. Would definitely make this again.
Might be good with some goat cheese added in!
Do you just put whole boneless chicken breast in skillet with stock and garlic?
That’s what I did because that’s what I had, Kelsey, but really whatever form of chicken you’ve got should work so long as you can get it off the bones one way or another.
This was a hit with the entire family! I used fajita seasoning and also added green chiles. Then when I pulled it out of the oven I layered lettuce tomatoe and green onions on top and served with a dollop of sour cream.!!
For the people wanting the instructions without the pictures to print, here they are to cut and paste:
Easy Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole – Quick to throw together with just a little spice from the green chilies and pepperjack cheese.
Author: Dixie Vogel
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1½ pounds chicken breast
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup chicken stock (or 1 Tb chicken base with water)
10 ounce can tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
2 ounces cream cheese
1 cup pepperjack cheese (shredded)
1 cup monterey jack cheese (shredded)
Instructions
Add chicken breasts, stock and garlic to skillet.
Cook chicken in the stock over medium heat until cooked through and tender.
Shred the chicken into the casserole dish, discarding any remaining stock.
Mix in drained can of tomatoes and green chilies
Dot the chicken / tomato mix with little bits of cream cheese.
Cover with shredded pepperjack cheese.
Cover with shredded monterey jack cheese.
Cook in 350 degree oven about 35 minutes, until brown around the edges.
Notes
If you use chicken base instead of chicken stock, be sure to add the carbs as most of the ones I’ve seen have a few carbs.
This came out nice, gooey and cheesy. Additional ingredients could be added as you see fit pretty easily. As long as it works with chicken and cheese, you’re good!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¾ Cup Calories: 322 Fat: 21g Saturated fat: 10 Carbohydrates: 2 Sodium: 641mg Fiber: trace Protein: 28g Net Carbs: 2
Recipe by Low Carb Zen at https://www.lowcarbzen.com/low-carb-recipes/main-courses/easy-low-carb-mexican-chicken-casserole/
How long do you cook the chicken in the stock, at the beginning? I am sure it also depends on the thickness of the chicken.
I didn’t time it, just cooked it until the chicken was done – when I cut through one of the larger pieces, it was all white in the middle. But absolutely, it will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.
Used Mojo Criollo instead of chicken stock. Lower sodium and zestier flavor. I also added salsa. After cooking, added avocado slices!
I sprinkled chili powder cumin, and garlic powder over the shredded chicken. I also added one can of diced green chiles along with the rotel. Garnished with a small dollop of sour cream. This is delicious!!!
I made it Italian by just switching up the cheeses from Monterey jack to mozerella pepper jack to parmesan and added ricotta to the mix. Changed the sauce as well and added basil and oregano to the broth to begin with.
Thinking outside the box. I like it!
Added a little no carb taco bell taco seasoning, olives and scallions!! This recipe is so a keeper!!!! Thanks so much!! Served with lettuce, raw scallions.
My husband and I loved it!! I just added a little taco seasoning and sautéed onions !! Delicious ! We even had the leftovers the next day!
Super Delish! I added cilantro, and 1/2 can of green sauce. Tasted like our favorite Mexican restaurant. Only missing the high carb tortilla.
Im making this tonight! Cant wait!
For a great addition to round it out, I cooked cauliflower rice separately. Served this casserole with the rice, and it was awesome! Also added Mexican seasoning, my own mix of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and Nature’s seasoning. Husband approved!!
Sounds awesome Nicole! Thank you for sharing your spin.
What is your blog name?
Not entirely sure what you’re asking, Laurie? The comments you left are on my blog: Low Carb Zen. Hope that helps clear it up…
This is really good. Just want to mention that you do not need to cook the chicken in chicken broth or chicken bouillon if you don’t have any on hand. You can poach your chicken breasts whole, in water. It will naturally make chicken broth. I do this all the time. I’ve even done it when they were frozen because I forgot to take them out. When I make this or a similar casserole, I use 2-3 large Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts but any style chicken will do. I place them in a skillet with 2″ sides with about 2 to 3 inches of water and 1/4-1/2 tsp salt. Do not cover chicken with water. Water should be no more than halfway up the chicken.You don’t need a lot. Cover it, put it on a slow simmer and in a short time, about 30-45 min, you have perfectly poached chicken breast. Let them cool and either cube or shred them depending on what texture you like. Then combined them with all your other ingredients and bake. I only mention this because I don’t want anyone to feel that they can’t make this delicious dish because they don’t have any chicken broth or bouillon cubes on hand. I want to rate this recipe 5 stars but for some reason it only goes to 4 when I click on the stars. So sorry
Thanks for your comments, Vickie! And the stars may be because I’m working on the website recipes at the moment… But I appreciate the thought!
Hey there, is it necessary to cook the chicken first? Only reason I ask is that I did a different bake a few days ago, bruschetta chicken. Just cubed the breasts and put them in the baking dish raw, cooked it for about the same amount of time for this one.
I haven’t tried it the other way so I couldn’t say. It didn’t occur to me not to cook it first. If you figure out another way you like better, please report back!
can this be frozen to eat on a different day? I need a casserole to take to a friend
I haven’t frozen it myself, but it should freeze up well! Cream cheese changes texture a bit when frozen but in a casserole it doesn’t make any difference to the outcome. Hope your friend likes it!
Serving size says 3g. That’s about 1 oz. seems like a VERY small serving size
Thanks for pointing this out! The serving sizes went a little wonky when I imported recipes into my new plugin. It was supposed to be my estimate of 3/4 cup as a serving size. I’ve corrected it now.
I cooked this tonight and found a new favorite recipe! I had a little less than 1/4 cup pine nuts that needed to be used so I toasted them and added them to the dish. They were wonderful in it! Who would’ve thunk? The cream cheese makes this so tasty (as do the other cheeses). I added some chili powder (3/4 tsp) and about the same amount of cumin. Made it taste a bit more mexicany, if that is a word. I purchased a rotisserie chicken for last night’s meal and so we used the leftover from that for this recipe. Thank you for sharing this. We will definitely be making this again.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your personalizations. Sounds good! And of course the kind words, which are always appreciated.
I absolutely love this recipe! I also add a little avacado and sour cream on the side. I’ve made this dish 3 times now, sometimes I add a little bit more garlic and cream cheese drops each time So good! Thank you for posting this.
Awww, thank you! So delighted to hear you’re enjoying it.
After reading all the variations possible I combined a few of them for a delicious meal.
Used a rotisserie chicken
Sautéed half of onion in butter then added a bag of 8oz cauliflower rice (from Target)
Added 1tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp chili powder. Cooked 8 min.
Added 10oz can of tomatoes with green chili.
Added chopped chicken.
Poured it all in 9 x 13 baking dish.
Topped with 4oz cream cheese, cut into small chunks. Then topped with 4oz of pepper jack, 4oz sharp cheddar and 4oz od Monterey Jack.
Covered with foil, bake at 350 for 35 min, removed foil for 5 more min.
YUM
4oz is half a package of shredded cheese and half a block of cream cheese. Always add a little more but 4 oz of each seemed the right amount.
Oh, that sounds like a winner! Thanks for sharing your version with us. Yay!
I’ve never cooked chicken breasts in a skillet, about how long do you cook them on each side?
How does it taste reheated looking for meals to cook then portion out for meal preps from leftovers.
My reheated leftovers are fine with this. I haven’t frozen it, but there’s nothing in there that would give me pause doing that, either. Hope you like it!
Hi! I made this tonight and my husband (who is picky) and I both loved it. I added it to tostada shells and topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream and more cheese. SO DELICIOUS.
Also, I simply used a rotisserie chicken, shredded it up and added it to sautéed onions and a few dashes chili powder. Easy and amazing.
Thank you for your kind words. So glad it was a hit!
Has anyone tried it with cottage or ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese? Would that work?
I haven’t but have no doubt it would work just fine. If you try it, let us know how you like it!
Of course! I used goat cheese, ground chick, added onion once and not another time. I’ve made it with and without peppers of various forms (good always) The only disappointment we’ve had with this versatile recipe was using a cheese we didn’t care for, but that won’t happen again. Thanks for this recipe!
So good! It was creamy and full of flavor.
I just made this for my mom and nephew and they loved it. I added some extra green chiles and it was really good. I think next time I might add some black olives just to give it a try. Thanks for the great recipe.
Great ideas! So glad you liked it!
I made this for a crowd tonight. I quadrupled the recipe and cooked in a hotel pan. I added chopped garlic, cumin and chili powder. I served it as a make your own bowl with rice, black beans and various toppings. They would have been back for seconds, but it was all gone! Everyone said this one is a keeper!!!
Oh, I like the make-your-own bowl idea! So glad to hear it was a hit, Gail!
Thank you for the low-carb dinner ideas. My son is type 1 diabetic so I’m always looking for good low carb recipes. This has been great. It’s so easy and filling.
Making this for the second time! My hubby and kids love it!
Just made it!!! OMG!!!! This is amazing!!! Went with the main recipe and added a few others things from other comments and this turned out so good… Its always a win when its healthy and everyone in your family enjoys the meal as a family!!! Thank You for posting!!
Thank you, Britney. So glad to hear you and the family agreed on it!
Love love love this!! Even my husband loved it. I just added a few green onions to it. Thank you!!
So glad you liked it!
I never comment on recipes, but I MUST comment here!
My husband doesn’t like shredded chicken, so I modify this to make a couple different recipes, but the inspiration came from this post. I boil some chocken breasts and then dice them. I do this step the night before if I can. Then I put the diced chicken breasts, add a can of Cilantro Lime Rotel, dot it with the cream cheese, then the cheeses. I have also added sliced black olives to the top.
However, my family’s favorite way to eat this is when I change it to an Italian chicken. I do the same thing with the chicken breasts, but add a can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes, and a little garlic and oregano. I top with mozzarella and a tad of cheddar cheeses. I make a little brown rice to go with it for my 15 year old son. My entire family loves this stuff and it’s so easy!!!
So glad to hear it inspired you (and the family enjoys it)! That’s a happy ending if I ever saw one. ♥
Yumm
Cotija cheese added to the top; Sazon seasoning – 2 packets, in the mix; light sprinkling of chipotle chili powder stirred in also, along with cumin, coriander and regular chili powder. Flavorful. Thanks for the ideas.
Sounds great! Thanks for your additions.
I have made this several times with a few additions here and there such as the ones suggested. The only thing I do different is I cook it in my casserole slow cooker. I Cooke the chicken in the chicken broth first while I am at work. It shreds so nicely after cooking slowly all day. Then I add the other ingredients when I get home and turn the cooker on high. It turns out perfect.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for this recipe! Making it now with everything listed and a bunch of this and that. I spent almost an hour reading comments, lol. Excited to try it out.
The ideas in the comments are great, aren’t they? Hope you enjoy it!
I am making this for dinner tonight and I don’t have time to check all the comments. Do you think this would freeze well? I don’t see why not, but just in case….
I haven’t frozen it because I just eat it as leftovers. I don’t think there would be any issues BUT I haven’t done it so I’m not speaking from experience. Cream cheese changes texture a little when frozen but you’re cooking it in a casserole so I doubt it would be bothersome. I will usually try freezing a single portion first if I haven’t before.
This looks awesome, been on keto awhile so I am always looking for something new to try.
I also have a few good Keto/low carb recipes on my blog.
So delicious! Ty for an easy low carb recipe!!
Glad you like it! ♥
I had a bunch of frozen leftover cooked chicken from shredding some to make a chicken cordon bleu casserole. Put in the fridge a couple days ago to thaw and decided to look for a recipe to use it. Found this one. After reading feedback, this is what I did: put the very cold but not shredded chicken and a block of cream cheese in a bowl and microwaved for 1 minute to soften them up. Shredded the chicken and mixed the cream cheese through out. Poured a can of Rotel into a bowl and mixed in some chili powder and cumin. Stirred this Rotel mixture into the chicken and cream cheese mixture. Didn’t smell enough chili powder, so I sprinkled some on top, then covered with a cheese blend. Baked for about 35 min at 350. It was YUM! Hubby (picky) and teen daughter who are not Keto really liked it too.
Yay! I’m so glad this provided some inspiration for you. Sounds delicious, too!
I just made this for the family, such a fantastic recipe! We left the chicken stock out but added fajita seasoning for flavor. I’ve never seen all of the kids go back for more so many times. They even asked if we could have it again tomorrow.
Yay!! So glad to hear that, Amanda. you have officially made my day.
I absolutely love this recipe! The way I make it a little bit faster is to buy canned white chicken and my kids love it we like to put it in taco shells… Or I just eat it straight off a plate! So easy to make and I look like a champ!
So glad to hear that, Kim! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
My son and his wife are doing keto so made this but layered cooked hatch chilies before the cheese, also used mexican and jack cheese, they loved it! Thanks
Sounds great! So glad to hear it was a hit. Thanks for sharing.