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Fiesta Chicken Casserole is an easy chicken casserole recipe that is so simple to make with chicken, pasta, black beans, corn, seasonings, and cheese! This is a family favorite dinner recipe that is always a hit. We love chicken recipes for dinner like this slow cooker fiesta chicken or these green chili & corn chicken enchiladas.
CHICKEN CASSEROLE (FIESTA CHICKEN CASSEROLE)
This chicken casserole is one of my family’s favorite dinner recipes! Fiesta chicken casserole is a creamy and cheesy casserole with chicken, black beans, corn, and seasonings. It’s just mild enough in flavor for the kids but can easily be adapted to spicy.
It needs no chopping, which makes it truly easy to make, and you can use leftover chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or even canned chicken.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS EASY CASSEROLE RECIPE
- Rotini Pasta – This is a spiral shaped pasta and it does work the best in this recipe. It’s just big enough to hold all the good stuff and the creamy sauce.
- Sour Cream – For best flavor use full fat sour cream. The light sour cream tends to be more watery and does not taste nearly as good as the real stuff.
- Salsa – Use your favorite salsa here.
- Taco Seasoning – I prefer to use a packet of mild taco seasoning but feel free to use regular or even a hot taco seasoning to spice it up.
- Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Cumin
- Canned Corn
- Black Beans – This can easily be substituted with another bean. Just make sure the can size is the same and that you drain and rinse the beans.
- Shredded Cheese – Use whatever kind you love! I always have Colby-Jack cheese in the fridge so that’s what I use.
No chopping needed! Boil the pasta noodles. While the noodles are boiling mix together the sour cream, salsa and seasonings. When the noodles are done drain them (but do not rinse them) and add them into the sour cream mix. Stir together and add the remaining ingredients.
Spread it into the casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake. Uncover the casserole dish and bake for a few more minutes.
I love to put some toppings into bowls and then let everyone top their serving with whatever they want. Our favorites are sour cream and chopped tomatoes. Other good topping options are avocado slices, jalapeños for some spice, guacamole, pico de gallo, or try my fiesta avocado salad, or even some additional shredded cheese.
TIPS & HELPFUL HINTS FOR MAKING FIESTA CHICKEN CASSEROLE
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What can I use instead of chicken?
- We love chicken in this recipe but feel free to use whatever meat you want. Just make sure it’s still the 2.5 cups that are called for in the recipe. Also, it needs to be cooked. This casserole was not designed for raw meat. I know lots of people have used leftover shredded pork or even cooked and seasoned ground beef or ground chicken.
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How can I make this spicy? Or make it more flavorful?
- This is so easy to adjust to your heat/spice level. Top the serving with jalapeños. Add a can of diced green chilies in with the other seasonings. Use a packet of hot taco seasoning. Add some cayenne pepper or chili powder in with the seasonings. Use Pepper Jack cheese.
- If you want more flavor, but not spice, then increase the seasonings to 1 teaspoon.
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Can I freeze fiesta chicken casserole?
- I have personally never frozen this casserole recipe but I would imagine it would freeze fine. I don’t like freezing stuff like this because I think pasta once it’s frozen and thawed has a weird texture to it. But if you are familiar with freezing then I am sure this casserole would freeze just fine.
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Sour Cream
- For best taste please use full-fat sour cream. The light sour cream tends to have more water in it and it does not taste nearly as good as the real stuff.
- I love to use the fresh salsa that you can find in the produce area at the grocery store.
- For best taste you want to make sure you are using good tasting ingredients like fresh salsa and real sour cream.
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Can I use a different pasta?
- I would highly recommend using rotini pasta for this. I have tested this recipe so many times and the rotini is the best because it’s large enough to hold all the good stuff like corn, black beans, as well as soak up the sauce in the spirals.
TRY THESE OTHER FAMILY FAVORITE CASSEROLE RECIPES
- baked spaghetti casserole
- 5 ingredient mexican biscuit casserole
- creamy chicken pot pie casserole
- creamy beef noodle bake
- cheesy beef & rice enchiladas
- cheeseburger casserole
- pepperoni pizza biscuit casserole
- ground beef country casserole
Fiesta Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2½ cups uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 packet mild taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained & rinsed
- 2½ cups cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook pasta, to al dente, according to package directions.Don't forget to salt the pasta water. I use about 1 teaspoon salt.
- While pasta is cooking, combine sour cream, salsa, taco seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the pasta (do not rinse) when it's done cooking and add into the sour cream mixture. Stir to combine. Add in the corn, black beans, chicken, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir together to combine.
- Pour into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover with tin foil and cook for 20 minutes.
- Take the tin foil off and let cook an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, tomato, chopped cilantro, and avocado slices if wanted. Leftovers keep well, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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So easy and so good!! How would you recommend we reheat this so the pasta doesn’t get dry and hard?
You could try adding just a splash of milk before reheating it. Once you mix it all together that should add some creaminess. So glad you enjoyed it!
Do you think this recipe would be ok for Instapot or would crockpot be better? My oven doesn’t work.
I honestly have no idea. I have only ever baked this recipe in the oven. So sorry I can’t help more.
I would try the Crock-Pot. I’ve made lasagna in it before.
I made this tonight and it came together quickly. I used wheat penne pasta and it was delicious. It was also approved by my family and I like that all the ingredients are healthy and not processed. Thank you for saving our dinner tonight!
I tried this with leftover rotisserie chicken and black beans. It was very good and very easy. I used a spiral brown rice pasta and Rotel tomatoes and chilies rather than salsa. I think next time I’ll top it with crumbly Mexican cheese. Leftovers were also very good.
Not good! Made this and no one ate it
Oh darn, that’s too bad. I can’t imagine it was that bad but thank you for coming back to leave your review 🙂
I just fixed it tonight and my family LOVED it! It’s going in our monthly rotation. So quick and easy. I can’t imagine someone thinking it was so bad they wouldn’t eat it. I’m wondering what this person did differently than the recipe.
I’m so glad you like it! Happy to know this recipe is added to your rotation! Thank you for your sweet comment.
Not sure why, but you seem to be the only one saying that. Did you forget to add something? Mine is delicious!
I agree can say I have made this multiple times and it has always been delicious
It’s become a family favourite and is in my roster of “make again’ recipes. I did add more spice, though we’re a spice loving family. Thanks for the recipe Christina!
Love that you made the recipe work for your family!
On the Fiesta Chicken Casserole, how many does this feed?
It makes a 9×13 baking dish so it safely feeds 8. But maybe 6 if the portions are bigger.
Quick, easy and delicious! Followed the recipe to a “T” and everyone loved it, including my fussy kids! Thank you!
Oh gosh I’ll be eating this forever I’m a family of one, how does it freeze? This sounds amazing
Loved this. Made extra so hope I can freeze. Will make it again!!
So happy to hear this! Thanks for letting me know.
This recipe was SUPER yummy and got two thumbs up from everyone. I followed almost to a T only subbing the salsa for a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies and using a mix of monterrey jack cheese & pepper jack cheese. I think those combinations did really well and gave it a little kick but was still edible for the kiddo. So easy to throw together too. I will definitely be making this again! I do freezer cooking on the weekends and I think this would freeze great.
This sounds yummy. Can you make with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
I think using greek yogurt would be fine. I’ve never tried it but it is the same type of flavor as sour cream, so it should be fine.
I used low-fat, plain Greek yogurt-
DE-LISH!!
Wonderful! Love to hear it!
Did you try the greek yogurt? Did it work out??
I give 3 stars because it was easy to throw together. Otherwise, this tastes just like hamburger helper.
Then adjust the seasonings to how you like it.
Loved this! I wasn’t in the mood for pasta so instead of pasta I put in some quinoa. It was perfect! Since I live by myself I made two small casseroles instead of one large one. I didn’t bake one of them. Can I freeze this unbaked or should I bake it first and then freeze it. Thanks!
Could you use Minute Rice in place of the pasta?
I think that would work? I would make sure it’s already cooked and then add it into the other stuff as the recipe says. Watch the cook time on minute rice because if it’s already cooked, it won’t need that long in the oven. Just enough to get everything hot and melted/combined together.
Has anyone made this ahead to freeze? We’re headed on vacation in a week, and I thought I would make this to take. Not sure about freezing the pasta though. Anyone have any experience that you can share?
Wondering how it worked? I want to try and freeze this ahead of time.
I have frozen this recipe many times and I always tastes great!
Also wondering about making the meal and freezing for future reheating. I’m guessing everything would be the same, just make sure to cook the noodles only to al dente? Any other changes?
I would say yes to the al dente noodles. But, dairy never freezes that well so maybe leave out the cheese? But then you have the sour cream inside the mix too, so I am not sure. You could divide the mixture between two 8×8 pans, cook one and then leave one in the fridge for several days before baking.
I make a Santa Fe rice and beans that has sour cream and cheese in it and freeze in single serving portions. The texture is slightly different but the taste is the same when it’s reheated.
I used ground beef and added taco seasoning instead.
Yummy! That sounds delicious.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on putting raw chicken in and cooking it together.
The cook time is not long enough for raw chicken. I would suggest just using the cooked chicken. Buy a rotisserie chicken to make it even easier!
can you give me a break down of the nutritional information for this recipe, please.
I don’t do a breakdown, as I am not a dietary expert or anything close to that and don’t want to give wrong information out, but there are lots of resources on the web where you can input the ingredients and it will do that for you.
Easy to prepare and while it’s baking in the oven you can clean up pans used. I made this on a weekday. It was delicious Next time I will double the sour cream etc so it’s creamier will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe
Made this recipe last night. SO good! I have a house full of picky eaters and I barely had any leftovers! I really love how versatile this recipe is. I had an extra can of green chilis, so I threw that in there. I didn’t have black beans, but I had pinto, so I threw that in there instead. Yummy. I’d be interested in trying this with minute rice in the future. I don’t always have spiral noodles in my cupboard, but I always have rice. Anyone out there tried this with minute rice? Anyway, thank you for the recipe! It’s a new family favorite. 🙂
This is so great! Your substitutions sound delicious. And yes, I love versatile recipes too! I have never made this with minute rice, but let me know if you do try it.
Hi. I made it last night using 2 cups of cooked rice instead of the pasta and it was delicious. I also used a can of green chilies and coated the chicken in taco seasoning for more flavor. My family loved dipping tortilla chips in this casserole.
I didn’t use Minute rice, it I made this using brown rice and it was perfect! I cooked the brown rice thoroughly. I think using the quick cook should be fine.
Very good! Will be adding to my regular dinner list for sure. My 2 year old really loved it too!
I want to try this with rice. What do you think?
Oh yes for sure. I would just add some cooked rice (maybe 1 cup give or take) in with the mixing bowl and then dump it all into the casserole dish. It would be great with leftover Mexican rice or some cilantro lime rice. Or you could also just serve the casserole with rice.
I’ve only used rice & it’s really good! I will try using just 1 cup next time. Love this recipe!
So easy and good!! I used precooked rice instead of noodles and it was delicious! Thank you!!
I just made this with some gluten free noodles and homemade salsa and it was delicious! I had to add a little bit more salsa/cream cheese mixture since GF noodles are so dry, but my husband and both went back for thirds. Thanks for the fun idea!
I just made this recipe I’m a mom of 5 my youngest 9 months just went down for a nap and I was able to cook and serve dinner before he woke up very quick recipe I recommend it ! I made 1 cup of Mexican rice Mexican sour cream and jarred salsa we didn’t use corn but we used the black beans I cut up chicken tenderloin into chunks and fried them in a pan seasoned with salt cilantro lime and adobo seasoning Yummmm ! Can’t wait to make again
Oh yummy! So glad this was an easy recipe for you to make cause I am sure you’re busy! I have 4 kids so I definitely rely on quick recipes too 🙂
Easy way to use up leftover meat. Filling and satisfying, everyone had seconds.
Take note: it’s designed so the whole family can eat it. I will be kicking up the heat a little next time with chopped jalapeños.
Yes, great idea with jalapenos. Others have also added a can of diced green chilies too. Thanks for leaving your review and comment.
Saw this today, made it tonight. This is such an easy, versatile, customizable, tasty dish !! It used up several leftovers we had on hand, and it had veges !! Shhh! I was out of cumin, so i added the onion powder, garlic powder, & then 4-5 teaspoons of a taco seasoning mix. I used leftover rotisserie chicken & 1 can diced green chilis, per your suggestion. Delicious, not spicy, just flavorful. Next i’ll try mexican rice, or other cooked rice, add a can of mixed diced tomatoes & green chilis, & try with shredded pork. Clean up was a breeze, such a versatile recipe ! I cant imagine this not being enjoyed by most people, with any changes they desire ! It’ll be great for leftovers too ! Thank you sharing !
So glad you enjoyed this! And I agree, the substitutions and adaptions for this recipe could be anything. Thank so much for leaving your comment and review.
I made this tonight with leftover fried chicken breasts. It was wonderful and perhaps the best compliment I can offer is this — My two teenagers who are sick of chicken during this lock down loved it. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely loved this!! I didn’t have noodles so used jasmine rice instead. My hubby also loved it. Definitely gonna make it again.
Did you add any extra liquid for the rice?
I have been trying all kinds of different things during the covid 19 stay at home. This was a big \hit with my family. Did spice it up a bit. (we like spicy) Making again next week. Thank you for sharing.
Delicious
Made this last night. Everyone loved it. I used fresh chopped sweet onion instead of powder. Added a tsp of ancho chili powder, and out a tsp of Badia adobo powder. Definitely making it a lot more.
I like my food spicy, so I added a dash of habanero sauce. I also used frozen sweet corn instead of canned. I could not stop eating this! Granted, I am pregnant, but I ate 1/3 of the pan all by myself last night. Soooo good!
I can imagine that if anyone was disappointed with this recipe, it probably has more to do with the variant of ingredients used than the recipe itself. I highly recommend!
Made this tonight for my daughter, son in law and two grandchilden. First time I made this.
Followed the recipe. Turned out great. Everyone had seconds.
Thanks for the recipe. Will make this again
Very tasty and simple to make! Had it with brown instead of pasta as an alternative.
A new dish that will be added into our meal rotation! Tasty & easy! I used frozen corn rather than canned.
I added crushed taco shells on the bottom to form a crust. It was excellent
Yum! I love that idea. Thanks for sharing.
Loved it. My picky teenager even wanted to have it again 2 days later!! I did add a can of Ortega chili’s to spice it up a bit. Next time I will add some chili seasoning too. Definitely will add it to my rotation.
Scrumptious! Halves easily for a small family or 2 people.
This was a hit for dinner tonight. We think it needed more salsa so I would double the sour cream and salsa next time. My family likes spicy stuff so I would also use a spicy salsa.
This is a really delicious, filling recipe that can feed many mouths. If ya like it spicy you can spice it up a tab bit more with a little chill peppers, picante sauce, etc. just for a little more zip but delicious AS IS!!
Easy. Very flavorful. I was delighted to see how the different spices came together with the different textures. I don’t always look at pasta recipes but I am so glad I did in this case.
Easy and delicious. I only had jarred salso, so I added a diced fresh tomato, too.
Thanks.
what an excellent dinner we had added a little Italian seasonings and fresh tomatoes
I left out the beans and added a tsp of chili powder. I could make again with beans and no chicken. Great choices. It was delicious.
Made it tonight and it was a huge hit with my family i only ended up putting in 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin and put in a 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and put in some green chilli’s they want it again so i’d say i was pretty successful?
I added sautéed onions and bell
Peppers as well as cream cheese and more spices and it was amazing! Great for leftovers too!
My son can’t digest corn! Any suggestions for what else I could use. Recipe sounds so delicious. Thank you!
I would just leave it out. You could also swap it for another veggie if wanted.
What might I add to make this a soup heated in a crockpot? I didn’t see anyone who had done that but an oven is not an option for me right now.
I really don’t know. Sorry I can’t help more. This recipe was specifically designed to be cooked.
Make it as a skillet dinner or use a Dutch oven. It just needs to heat all they way through and then add your cheese right before serving. Viola! Dinner ready and better than a Hamburger Helper!~ 🙂
Oh no!!! I was in a rush and didn’t realized this is for leftover chicken so I’ve got it all mixed up here ready to bake….with RAW chicken!
How can I save this?
Would it be ok for 45mins at 375?
Oh darn! So sorry. It might work to cook that long?? The pasta will get very soft. I worry that the casserole would get to watery from the cooking juices of the raw chicken.
I really liked this. I did a bit of my own spin by adding canned mushrooms, and roasted red peppers.
I also tossed in a 1/4 cup cream cheese.
I ended up with too much because I used a whole package of pasta, but it all came together anyway.
My husband and I ate one and I put 2 in the freezer for another day.
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Very tasty – a nice one dish meal.
Just tried this recipe and absolutely loved it. Its very easy and the flavor is awesome. I used fiesta corn and added hot rotel instead of salsa. I did add chili seasoning to mine. Will definitely make this again.
I substituted zoodles for pasta. Yum!
We loved this recipe followed the recipe closely only add in was about 3T of cream cheese to the sour cream mixture. Was delicious
Great casserole! Very easy with lots of flavor! Needs just a little more moisture. I may add a little pasta water next time
Super tasty, made my own taco seasoning from Pinterest. It’s a keeper!
My family loves this thanks so much ! Leftovers go fast too.
This is delicious! Made it as updated with the taco seasoning and with two cups cooked rice in lieu of the pasta. Cooked in oven for 20 minutes on 350 and it was perfect!
Made it today love it. It was easy to read and put together ❤️ 👌.
Made this using 2 packages of Uncle Bens 90 second spanish rice, delicious!
I love that Uncle Ben’s shortcut for the rice. So smart!
Oh my GOODNESS!!! girl!!! U need to keep on cooking. I LOVE THIS CASSEROLE!! AND- of course I had to try a bite before I added the pasta… makes the BEST DIP I’ve EVER HAD!!!… then add the pasta & it’s A+ casserole- made enough for all my elderly neighbors!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! 👍👏😉
Oh my goodness, you made my night with your comment! I love the idea of using it as a dip before the pasta!
We loved this recipe! I did make adjustments to suit our no dairy, no gluten and no beans taste. I don’t like garlic and onion powder so used 1 med clove garlic and 2 slices of sweet onion, diced and sauteed in olive oil until tender. Instead of canned corn I used a bag if Trader Joe’s roasted frozen corn. All else followed the recipe. Despite a huge hail storm and loss of power, just as I got the casserole together, I was able to bake the casserole on the grill. I used two large sheet pans with a wire rack on top and lowered the heat to 350 by turning off 2 of the 4 burners and venting one side. Yes, it took about 40 mins but we loved it. It was served with soy sour cream, cilantro and avocado! Next time I plan to add mild green chilies. Thank you for the recipe!
Love to hear about the adjustments you made! Sorry about the storm and power outage, glad you were able to get it cooked despite the setbacks!
Made tonight and family loved it. It was very tasty and easy to make. I used canned chicken and it was good.
Thank you for your comment! I love when a recipe can use canned/easy ingredients!
I used full fat Greek yogurt and rice pasta. Added green onion and more cumin, garlic powder and chili powder. Served with chopped tomatoes, cilantro and chopped lettuce. It was delish!
Thank you for your comment! It’s wonderful to hear how people make recipes their own!
I have made this before with yellow seasoned rice and it was absolutely delicious. I am actually looking for recipes to use leftover fajita meat (chicken,bell peppers,onions,mushrooms) I already am excited about this bc I know it will be so good. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with the world!!! Love it 😊 especially bc I see how kind hearted you are. Bless you and your family ❤️
Lacy, your comment made my day! I love doing this blog for so many reasons and kind readers like you are one of them! I’m so happy to hear you love the recipes.
It was delicious just as expected!!! I’m touched by your feedback!!! Keep it up, love what you are doing!!! Don’t worry about the naysayers!!!🤤❤️🤤😁
❤️❤️❤️
One of my favorites! Make sure to only use the two cups of pasta instead of the whole box or it will be dry. We sub a pound of ground beef for the chicken and love it!
Thank you for your comment!
Taco seasoning includes onion powder, garlic powder and cumin. Do we add the taco seasoning and the additional onion powder, garlic powder and cumin?
Great dish for hectic weeknights
Thanks
I’m so glad it’s helped!
It was very good and tasty!!
Yay! I’m glad you liked it!
We loved it !!!!! I put a full pound of pasta and doubled the rest- it was amazing!!!!!! My husband said “ I love this – put it on the list!”
Yay! I love to hear when a recipe ‘makes the list.’
This was very good. I am allergic to tomatoes so had to use my tomatoless salsa which is sweeter than regular salsa, so I added some jalapeños to offset that. Also used Mexican corn instead of regular corn and added black olives because we love them. It will be on a menu allot!
My family loved this casserole! We all like things spicy, so we added a can of mild Rotel tomatoes and used medium salsa. We didn’t have rotini pasta, so I used spaghetti noodles. We didn’t have black beans, so I used pinto beans. Topped each helping with sour cream. It was sooo yummy!
I made this tonight with steak and it was still phenomenal!
I had leftover chicken thighs and charro beans so used that. It was good. I called it Mexican spaghetti when I served it to my family to set their expectations. Everyone enjoyed it. I’d make it again.
Great casserole, I would have enjoyed it even without the protein.