Healthy Chicken Taco Casserole

4.59 from 157 votes

Your favorite taco flavors in an easy-to-prepare casserole!

healthy chicken taco casserole

Need an easy-to-prepare dinner that the entire family will enjoy? Look no further because you’ve found it! This Mexican-inspired, healthy chicken taco casserole is stacked with healthy, protein-rich ingredients that even the kids will love. It offers all of the classic flavors you crave in a simple-to-serve casserole. And the leftovers taste pretty amazing, too—in the unlikely chance that you end up with any!

For the Love of Casseroles

Healthy chicken taco casserole

Growing up, my mom’s go-to dinners were almost always based around some sort of casserole. Since then, I’ve always been inspired to put my favorite dishes and flavors together to create unique and delicious casseroles just like this one! We’ve combined amazing Mexican flavors using healthy ingredients and simple taco spices (and you can even make our very own Enchilada Sauce) in this stacked casserole.

The Skinny On This Dish

why make the switch?

We’ve swapped out some of the traditional, higher-fat ingredients in this recipe for some low-fat ones. This includes choosing shredded chicken over any ground beef, as well as low-fat cheese and black beans (no refried beans in here!) We’ve also used fiber-rich whole wheat tortillas and colorful veggies to fill out this healthy chicken taco casserole recipe. This recipe also uses enchilada sauce, which you can buy at the store, or you can make your own with our Skinny Ms. Enchilada Sauce!

High Protein Ingredients

skinny taco casserole

This casserole provides almost 30 grams of protein per serving, thanks to all of its protein-rich ingredients. Between all that fantastic, muscle-building protein, the fiber boost from the whole grains and beans, and even the many nutrients found in the veggies, this casserole is just so healthy—and filling! You can even add some more veggies and protein to your plate and serve this casserole with some delicious sides, such as our Creamy Coleslaw or Southwest Cucumber and Avocado Salad.

How to Create this Healthy Chicken Taco Casserole

how to make it

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish. I just use a little spray of olive oil baking spray. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute before adding the onion and bell pepper pieces. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Finish by adding in the black beans and taco seasoning and tossing them until warm. Once the mixture is well combined, you can remove the skillet from the heat.

In the baking dish, begin your stack by laying 2 whole wheat tortillas on the bottom, trying to cover as much of the dish as you can. Spread half of the bean mixture, chicken, and cheese over the top. Then, put down another layer of whole wheat tortillas and repeat the stack. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden and gooey! Let the casserole cool a bit before cutting into it.

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4.59 from 157 votes

Healthy Chicken Taco Casserole

This dish is stacked with healthy, protein-rich ingredients that will satisfy the whole family with it's incredible southwest flavors!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 6 people
Serving Size 4.5″
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 15 ounces black beans canned, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 4 whole wheat tortillas 8"
  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
  • 2 cups low fat Mexican blend cheese
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce store bought, or make your own with our Skinny Ms. Enchilada Sauce linked above!
  • 1/4 cup green onion chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
  • In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
  • Add garlic for 1 minute, then add onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.
  • Add black beans and taco seasoning and toss to warm. Remove from heat.
  • Lay 2 tortillas on the bottom of the greased baking dish. Spread half of the bean mixture, chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese over top.
  • Start another layer of tortillas and repeat the layering, finishing with a nice thick layer of shredded cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the covering and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is nice and golden.
  • Let cool and top with chopped green onion.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1016IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 524mg | Iron: 3mg |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 11
|
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 11
Keywords High Protein, Kid-Friendly

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If you try our healthy chicken taco casserole and love it, we think you might also enjoy these tasty taco-ish recipes:

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Kelsey Butler, MS, RDN

Kelsey Butler is a Registered Dietitian and recipe developer. From a young age, Kelsey found a love for creating delicious recipes. Now, with a Master's in Nutritional Sciences, Kelsey uses her culinary skills to create healthy and unique recipes for many different diets. She is passionate about creating a healthy relationship with all foods and recipes that everyone can enjoy. Kelsey has a passion for cooking, but she also enjoys the outdoors, staying active, and traveling. She is currently living with her partner in New Zealand.

More by Kelsey

50 Comments

  1. Delicious!! My whole family loved it and had seconds! Will definitely be a go-to recipe in our family! Thank you!5 stars

          1. Sara, Freezing is always an option for this casserole. Be sure to thaw in the fridge before baking or reheating.

    1. Hi there! Yes, most casserole recipes can be frozen– including this one! You will want to let it cool completely and then store it in an airtight container. You can either wrap a casserole dish in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil, before sliding it in a freezer bag or store individual servings in airtight Ziploc bags. It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer, but fresher is always better! Hope that helps!

    2. Loved this recipe! If making a day ahead, would it be best to bake right away and reheat the next day or assemble and bake the next day?

  2. My daughter ended up making this tonight for us. It was easy and delicious! Will make again!5 stars

  3. Had this with your enchilada sauce, the family reallly liked it. I did have to call it Chicken Taco Lasagna because my kids hear casserole and automatically dont like it. 😀

  4. So good! My husband raved about it. I used ground turkey and threw in a can of drained rotel. Otherwise, followed directions exactly!

  5. Has anyone used a rotisserie chicken to save time or made shredded chicken in the slow cooker? What do you recommend for the chicken?5 stars

    1. Hi T! Yes, absolutely. Whenever we have a recipe that calls for shredded chicken, I use this Slow Cooker Everything Chicken because it’s just so easy! I’ve also just thrown some tenderloins in the crockpot with about 1/2 cup of water, salt, and pepper if I’m in a pinch. They’re usually fully cooked and ready to shred after cooking on high for 4-5 hours.

  6. Can’t wait to try this! The serving size is confusing to me, just trying to figure out the macros! Do you have it in grams?5 stars

    1. Hi Brittany! Sorry about that. We don’t have the serving size available in grams at this time. It’s currently based off of using a 9 X 13 inch pan. There are 6 servings so you’d want to cut the casserole into 6 equal size pieces which come out to 4.3 inch by 4.5 inch pieces. Hopefully that makes sense!

      1. I know this seems like a silly question, but if I’m doubling the recipe, and basically cut it into 12 sections – would the calories be the same as you calculated? Or if we stuck with your six servings, would I just double them?
        Thank you in advance!

  7. Very good!! I made your echilada homemade saueadit delish!! Used corn tortillas and it was fine. Hubby & I enjoyed it-will definitely make this again!!4 stars

  8. Was good and quick but would not use the tortillas next time, they were slimy and gooey. The rest of it was delicious though.4 stars

  9. Do you think green chile enchilada sauce would work or should I stick with your homemade sauce?

    Thanks!

  10. Thank you for this crowd pleasing recipe! I added a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon or so of honey to the homemade enchilada sauce recipe. It was delicious!5 stars

  11. I’ve made this 3 times in 3weeks and it is SO delicious that it gets gobbled up! I’ve doubled the recipe & added cilantro & a few shakes of red pepper flakes (to the onion/garlic saucepan) it can be tweaked easily to be spicy or not and is simply a fabulous meal for healthy Mexican food aficionados!!5 stars

    1. Brita, I’m thrilled you like the Chicken Taco Casserole. Thank you so much for the feedback. We love hearing from our readers. :). Gale

  12. Added cubed sweet potatoes mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to the sautéed vegetables, gotta get those vegetables in! it was absolutely wonderful , thank you for a great meal 😋5 stars

4.59 from 157 votes (141 ratings without comment)

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