Our chicken green chili casserole is the ultimate comfort food recipe when you need something quick and easy for your family dinner! We are combining savory green salsa, two different types of cheese, and shredded chicken to make the best green chili chicken casserole in under 30-minutes! Your dinner is about to be a whole lot of flavorful and a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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This Green Chili Keto Chicken Casserole is the best
I've been obsessed with whipping up easy casseroles lately, just last week I made a keto taco casserole, which was amazing! And now this week I used the same process and turned it into a green chili casserole with chicken.
If you're wondering which one tastes better, I'm going to call it a tie! My son devoured the chicken green chili casserole and declared it the winner. I'm always in love with anything that has green chilis and white cheese and could it that combo constantly. My husband preferred the keto taco casserole just "slightly" better but said both recipes were winners.
Either way, our home has some happy boys who are enjoying healthy foods without feeling like they are missing out. And while a casserole is easily a one-pan dinner, we do tend to serve them with salads or charcuterie plates as an appetizer. You could also serve your chicken green chili casserole over a bed of cauliflower rice.
Why You'll Love This!
- Our green chili casserole with chicken needs just 5 ingredients and only 30-minutes of your time making it one of the easiest weeknight casseroles!
- Taco seasoning, green salsa, and diced green chilis combine in your chicken green chili casserole to give your chicken and cheese its robust flavor.
- If you are on a restricted health plan, or simply looking to eat a little healthier, you'll be happy to know that our chicken and green chili casserole is low-carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free!
We love our keto chicken casseroles to help make dinner quick and easy, flavorful, and compliant with our healthy lifestyle. Be sure to try our green chicken enchilada bake, keto chicken divan, and low-carb salsa chicken the next time you need a quick, easy, and healthy dinner for your table.
Green Chili Chicken Casserole ingredients
This low-carb and keto chicken green chili casserole will definitely become one you make over and over. Here's a list of ingredients you'll need:
- shredded or ground chicken - precooked or rotisserie
- keto taco seasoning - homemade or storebought
- green salsa - the chunkier the better
- diced green chili’s
- cottage cheese - use full-fat, low carb brand
- Colby jack or 3 cheese blend - sliced or shredded from a block
- optional toppings - sour cream, avocado, green onion
Diet Variations
- Our green chili chicken casserole is intended to be compliant with low-carb and keto lifestyles; however, carbs can be hidden in many places. Be sure your taco seasoning is a low-carb version (or make a sugar-free taco seasoning using our 5-minute recipe). Also, watch for added sugars in your salsa. Hidden carbs in dairy will often be found in low-fat varieties and pre-shredded cheese.
How to make Green Chili Casserole (step-by-step)
The key to making your chicken green chili casserole in under 30-minutes it to start with pre-cooked chicken, then combine that with the seasoning, salsa, and cottage cheese before you top it with even more cheese and bake it in the oven.
Don't have pre-cooked chicken? No worries. We have a fantastic recipe for precooked chicken right here.
1. Prep
Preheat oven to 375. Make sure your oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
2. Assemble
In a medium-sized bowl, add the taco seasoning, salsa, green chilis, and cottage cheese (drained). Mix in the precooked and shredded chicken and stir until it's all mixed and combined evenly.
Spray an 11x7 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon the prepared chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Top the casserole with the sliced or shredded cheese.
3. Bake
Bake for 20-minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Garnish with green onions, if desired.
Serve with sour cream and salsa, optional.
Enjoy!
Green Chicken Chili Recipe tips
- The key to your 30-minutes green chili chicken casserole is to start with pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store or home. Cooking chicken on the stovetop would be the fastest method, I actually used an instant pot to make shredded chicken from frozen for this recipe.
- Instant pot chicken takes about the same time as roasting chicken to use for shredding (if you're starting with frozen chicken like I did), but what I love about the instant pot is I can put it in and walk away, plus it doesn't heat up my kitchen as the stovetop and oven do.
- You'll want 2 lbs of raw chicken for the recipe if you're cooking the chicken first. If you're using rotisserie chicken, it'll lose about 25% of its weight and you'll want to use 1.5 lb of pre-cooked chicken.
- Be sure to drain the cottage cheese before cooking with it to prevent your chicken green chili casserole from being overly liquidy.
- Using a chunkier salsa instead of a runnier salsa is also recommended. A salsa with more liquid may leave a little liquid in the bottom of the casserole after cooking.
- If you prefer your cheese crisp, broil after baking for 1-2 minutes.
What to Serve with Chicken Green Chili Casserole
- Cauliflower Rice
- Zucchini Noodles
- Low carb Tortillas
- Roasted Veggies: Simple seasoned and roasted vegetables like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli.
- Avocado Salad: A fresh salad with avocado, lettuce, and a light vinaigrette to balance the richness of the casserole.
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream and/or salsa
How to Store Green Chili Chicken Casserole
- Store: Place the cooled casserole in an airtight container or cover it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: To store for a longer period, wrap the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating Keto Chicken Casserole
- From the Fridge:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.
- From the Freezer:
- For best results, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight.
- Once thawed, follow the same reheating instructions as above.
- If reheating from frozen, extend the baking time to 50-60 minutes, and cover with foil for the first 30-40 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Green Chili Casserole FAQs
Your chicken green chili casserole is a complete meal by itself, but feel free to serve it over cauliflower rice, along with a side salad, or with a charcuterie plate as an appetizer
Story any leftover chili chicken casserole in the fridge in a covered container. You can store leftovers for 4-5 days.
We do not recommend freezing green chili chicken casserole due to the dairy. Dairy does not defrost well.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes
Looking for more chicken casserole recipes?
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Keto Green Chili Recipe (Chicken)
An easy green chili casserole filled with 3 cheeses, chili verde sauce and shredded chicken. This recipe is also a gluten free, low carb and keto chicken casserole too.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked and shredded chicken breasts( ** See NOTE below)
- 3 T taco seasoning
- ¾ cup chili Verde salsa (chunky if possible, like La Victoria brand)
- 1 4 oz can of mild green chilis, drained
- 2 cups cottage cheese, drain if it seems on the runnier side
- 5 oz sliced or shredded Colby jack cheese (you'll need to cut some of the slices down to fit in the pan)
- Garnishes - chopped green onions and/or Sour cream, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the taco seasoning, chili Verde salsa, green chilis, and cottage cheese. Add the shredded chicken and combine it all together.
- Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and top it with the Colby Jack cheese slices.
- Bake the casserole for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream and salsa on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Having pre-cooked chicken in the freezer is a life saver for assembling easy dinners like this one! If you need to cook your chicken, you'll need 6 cups of cooked and shredded chicken, which is about 2 lbs of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1.5 lb cooked chicken meat). You can boil fresh chicken breasts, boil chicken tenders, or pressure cook frozen chicken tenders.
- In recipe testing, the chicken was cooked before making the casserole and it was still warm. If you're starting with cold pre-cooked chicken, you may need to cook the casserole a little longer.
- Some readers have reported that the casserole was delicious but on the runny side. The shredded chicken is the key to how the casserole consistency turns out and medium shred for the chicken works best. If the shredded chicken pieces are too chunky, the sauce sinks to the bottom of the casserole and it becomes runny. Although, If you shred the chicken too fine, it seems more like a dip. Either way, it'll still taste amazing and this is a reader-favorite recipe and you can adjust your shred the second time you make it! You can either shred your chicken with a mixer or shred it with 2 forks.
- You can also use ground chicken instead of shredded chicken like we did with our beef taco casserole, but this recipe with ground chicken hasn't been tested.
- Using regular cottage cheese (small curd 4% milk fat) instead of light is recommended, light cottage cheese will add more liquid to the mixture, plus regular. cottage cheese is great for a low carb keto friendly casserole.
- Using a chunkier salsa instead of a runnier salsa is also recommended, the one we use is La Victoria brand.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 399Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 125mgSodium 859mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 44g
Jessica says
What is the serving size? All it says is one, one what? thanks!
WholeLottaYum says
I'd say there are 6 servings for the whole casserole.
Patrick says
made this last night, it was so good! I used fresh green chiles I had roasted earlier this year(and froze) instead of from the can (nice and spicy!). I used 4 chicken breasts, pan fried and shredded. I used La Victoria medium chunky green salsa and 4% cottage cheese. I strained them both, but there wasn't alot of liquid to strain. I put a layer of cheese in the middle and another on top. It wasn't runny at all! it was one of the tastiest keto meals I've ever made!!
Autumn says
Made this and it is so good! Only changes I made were I added two cans of green chilies, and instead of green salsa I added a can of no salt added rotel (drained rotel). Sprinkled some cheese in the mixture as well as on top and tossed it with the chicken then baked as directed! Super yummy. I was nervous about the cottage cheese but it works!
Rylea says
Went ahead and made this for my lunches last week and it was wonderful. I like a little kick so I used medium chiles and salsa instead of mild, and it was perfect for me. I ate it over cauli rice, so any "runniness" soaked into the veggies and tasted wonderful. Will make again!
Trisha says
I have not made this yet, but will. After reading the comments about it being a little runny, perhaps a couple of beaten eggs will help with the problem. It shouldn't change the flavor just help tighten it up.
WholeLottaYum says
Let us know how it turns out if you add eggs! Thanks, Jen
Paula says
how does one drain cottage cheese?
WholeLottaYum says
Hi Paula, with a fine mesh strainer. If you don't have one you could try using cheesecloth or perhaps double layers of paper towels by putting the cottage cheese in the middle and squeezing out the excess moisture.
Pam says
OMG!! This is so delicious. I failed to read the note that said to drain the cottage cheese so it was just a tad bit runny. We solved that problem by crunching up some tortilla chips then putting the casserole on top. It added a very delicious flavor and also some texture.
Jane says
I made this today. It was very tasty! I’ll be making it again too!
Alexandra says
I just made this today as I was looking for an easy, inexpensive THM S meal and WOWZA is this ever delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing. I will definitely make this again!
Jorjie says
I double this for a family get together. It was a hit!
I wasn’t able to find a whole milk cottage cheese so used a whole milk ricotta cheese. Was not runny at all.
I would definitely make this again!
WholeLottaYum says
I'm glad the whole milk ricotta worked well! Thank you for your feedback!
Linda Worrell says
Made this for the work week today and added riced cauliflower to stretch it and it was amazing. Hubby loved it so much that we discussed adding jalapeños in the mix for next time. The flavors were so good. This will be in my low carb rotations from now on. Hubby and I have lost 38 lbs so far with such great low carb recipes. Thanks again.
SC says
What can you substitute for the cottage cheese?
WholeLottaYum says
Other readers have used whole milk ricotta as a good substitute, or you can mix in softened cream cheese. I haven't yet personally tested either of these ideas.