Chicken Taquito Casserole Recipe (2024)

From an easy dinner recipe for a busy weeknight, to a hearty appetizer for a party or watching football, this Chicken Taquito Casserole recipe has you covered! With just a few every day ingredients, you can whip this meal up in one dish inas little as 20 minutes from the fridge to the table.

Q: What do you get when your favorite crispy chicken taquitos marry a seven-layer dip?

A: True love– casserole style!! 8 Layers of deliciousness that makefor a quick and easy dinner or a hearty appetizer perfect for a day of football watching!

About this time, when school gets back into full swing and we are settling into the routine of school, homework, after school activities and everything else we have to fit in between, I always start to wonder, “What is it that I cooked for dinner everyday last year?!”

School night dinners have certain unspoken requirements in our home:

• It must be quick and easy – There is never enough time on weeknights for everything we need to do, so dinner needs to be something quick and wholesome that gives us time to eat together around the table.
• I must have the ingredients on hand – There is just no time for last minutes trips to the store.
• It must be something that everyone likes (for the most part) – I just don’t have it in me to fight with the kids to try something new on hectic school nights. I love to find ways to mix familiar foods they love into wholesome dinner options so that we can enjoy each other’s company instead of turning dinner into a battle of parents vs. picky eaters!

I have talked a lot about how much we love El Monterey Chicken Taquitos in some of my past posts. They are packed with real ingredients like wholesome chicken, real cheese, and fresh tortillas. They have a great authentic Mexican flavor without being too spicy for the kids. And since my kids love them SO MUCH, I thought it would be the perfect thing to jazz up into a new dinner dish.

Chicken Taquito Casserole Recipe- Step by Step

This recipe is a winner all around. It is a dinner favorite at our house, but it also makes the perfect hearty appetizer to bring to a football party or tailgate. It is so simple, yet so delicious. Just be prepared! This is one of those recipes that will have people stopping you and demanding you share the recipe! The best part though? Did I mention you can make it in as little as 20 minutes in only one dish? Take that busy school nights!

Ingredients

To make the casserole you only need a few simple ingredients:

• 12 El Monterey Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
• 1 16 oz can refried beans
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 oz sour cream
• 8 oz guacamole
• 8 oz salsa
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1 large ripe tomato, chopped

All of these ingredients are great for personalizing to your taste preferences. You can choose your favorite flavor of salsa, guacamole, and you can even switch out the taquitos to beef if that is your preference. This recipe really caters itself to what you put in it and is perfect for adding your own little custom touches! My son even loves to top his with the addition of black olives and leaves off the tomatoes.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F, then fill the bottom of an 8×8 square baking dish with frozen El Monterey Chicken and Cheese Taquitos and place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes on the middle rack.You want the taquitos to not only get warmed-up all the way, but also nice and crispy all the way around in this step. It gives a super amazing texture when you bite into the casserole to complementall the smooth and creamy dips.
2. Remove the taquitos from the oven and spread the beans over them in an even layer. Then sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the top. Return the dish to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the beans are heated through.If you are a cheese lover, feel free to add a little more here. Baking the beans and cheese really puts this dish over the top!
3. Top the beans and cheese with a layer of guacamole, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomato, and the remaining cheese. If you have another favorite, make sure to add it on too! We sometimes add black olives, corn, black beans, green chilis, sweet peppers, or whatever else sounds good and fills our fridge that day.
4. Serve immediately and enjoy! This dish is best served immediately since you want the taquitos to stay a little crispy in the casserole, but if you need to make it ahead, just stop after the beans and cheese, reheat them once you are ready to serve and then top with the rest of the toppings.

There you have it! One dish and 20 minutes later,this casseroleis out of the oven and ready to go to the table… or the party… or the potluck… or the tailgate! Where ever it ends up, I hope you love it as much as we do!

If you try the recipe I would love for you to leave me comment! It means the world to me when people try out my recipes and let me know they love them too!