Name: Easy Chicken Burrito Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped; 2 cups salsa (I like medium hot chunky style); 2 cups cooked rice; 1 can refried beans; 1 cup cheese, (shredded cheddar or Mexican blend); 8 flour tortillas (6" -8" tortillas); 1/2 cup mozzarella cheeses shredded

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If you are looking for an easy Mexican dinner on a busy weeknight, try this easy chicken burrito casserole. It’s a great recipe for using leftover rice, leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. You can whip up this easy dinner in just a few minutes using simple ingredients.

You might also like this chicken enchiladas recipe.

closeup of a piece of chicken burrito casserole with sour cream on top — *This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit our* *policies* *page.*

My family really loves Mexican food so I tend to make either quesadillas or burritos at least a couple times a month. My son loves any Mexican flavor combination with chicken and cheese so I knew he’d love this easy chicken burrito casserole.

I used leftover rice and rotisserie chicken as well as refried beans, tortillas and cheese so it was everything he loves about Mexican food wrapped up in a casserole dish.

I love this recipe because it’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s also really easy to make and a one dish meal. Plus using leftovers for it is a bonus. I had to waste food.

aerial view of a pan and a plate with Mexican casserole

Recipe ingredients I used.

You just need a handful of simple ingredients to make this Mexican casserole. As a matter of fact you can use leftover chicken and leftover rice!

What I ended up using was these yummy ingredients that we use in our favorite burritos – rotisserie chicken (breast meat), leftover white rice, refried beans, chunky salsa, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and flour tortillas.

Recipe Notes and Tips.

With this recipe you could use another type of meat if you want like ground beef taco meat, shredded pork or beef or even seasoned ground turkey.
I used refried beans because they spread nicely and it sticks to the tortillas. If you don’t like refried beans you can add another kind of bean like black beans, chili beans, etc. Or eliminate them completely. You might want to add some extra cheese though.
I used flour tortillas but if you want to use corn tortillas I would buy a can of enchilada sauce and dip the corn tortillas in it to cover them completely. Then lay them in the baking dish. This will make them softer when cooking.
If you don’t have leftover rice you can buy one of those instant rice packs that you make in the microwave. They only take about 1-2 minutes to cook.
You can also play around with shredded cheese and use different ones like Monterey Jack, pepper jack, gouda or a Mexican blend cheese. Or add a bit of heat with a spicer salsa or adding hot sauce.

How to make an easy chicken burrito casserole.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray all over the sides and bottom.

Step 2: Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Make the Mexican rice by mixing one cup salsa with the rice in a medium bowl and set aside. You do not want to use uncooked rice!

Step 3: You will be using 8 tortillas. Spread refried beans all over them and then cut them in half. Lay them in the casserole dish as shown in the photo below to make a tortilla base. I used 8 halves per layer.

Step 4: Spread half of the cooked chicken for the next layer and then all of the rice mixture on top of the chicken. If you want to add extra cheese, you can add some at this point. I just wanted it to be on the top though.

Step 5: Repeat the tortilla layer with the remaining 8 halves of tortillas. Then cover with the remaining chicken and the remaining salsa.

Step 6: Lastly sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese for the last layer and place in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes until cheese has browned nicely. Note baking time may vary.

collage of the different layers of chicken burrito casserole

Let the burrito casserole cool for 5 minutes or so before serving. Eat as is or use your favorite toppings

Toppings you can try on your cheesy burrito casserole.

I personally love sour cream but other things you can try are sliced black olives, fresh jalapenos, pickled jalapenos, chopped tomato, cilantro, avocado, guacamole, pico de Gallo, hot sauce, etc.

closeup of a piece of chicken Mexican casserole with sour cream on top

Mexican side dishes to serve with this casserole.

When I make this hearty meal I tend to not make anything else except maybe a green salad. However if you want to make a side dish with Mexican flavors you can try one of these easy recipes.

Mexican Bean Salad – This recipe is delicious and we have this for summer picnics and parties all the time.
Spicy Mexican Corn – Every time we have corn and have leftovers I make this recipe. It’s a bit like Mexican street corn in a skillet.
Mexican Tabouli Salad – This is gluten free because I used cauliflower rice. It’s a really fresh, healthy and tasty side dish.
Rainbow Mexican Corn Salad – This salad is very colorful and has a tasty creamy lime dressing. It’s a great way to eat your rainbow.

If you are looking for some new weeknight meals, try this easy chicken burrito bake. It’s sure to become a family favorite and you can change it up anyway you want. Enjoy!