Creamy Chicken Tortilla Casserole

A cozy, family-style dinner layered with seasoned chicken, warm tortillas, and melty cheese.

 This is the kind of meal that brings everyone to the table without much convincing. Warm tortillas, tender seasoned chicken, a creamy sauce, and plenty of melted cheese all baked together into one comforting casserole—it’s simple, hearty, and full of flavor.

This dish reminds me of those evenings when you want something filling and homemade, but not fussy. The chicken is seasoned just enough to give it a little warmth, the tomatoes and green chiles add a gentle kick, and the sour cream and cheese mellow everything out into a creamy, comforting bite. It’s a great family-style meal, perfect for busy weeknights, casual gatherings, or anytime you want a dish that feels familiar and satisfying.

Best of all, it’s flexible. You can use cubed chicken or shredded, switch up the cheese, or add extra toppings to suit everyone at the table.

Ingredients: 

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces 
1 Tbsp. chili powder 
1/2 Tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil 

2 Tbs. butter 
1 onion, diced 
1 bell pepper, diced 
2 1/2 Tbs. flour 
1 c. chicken broth 
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 c. sour cream 
8 oz. cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded (use more if desired)
12 small tortillas 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the top. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the seasoned chicken and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the butter, diced onion, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, and the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes with green chiles, stirring constantly. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to release all the flavorful browned bits. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency.

Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and stir to combine.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, mixing until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In a low-sided skillet over medium-high heat, warm the tortillas one at a time. Cook each tortilla for about 30 seconds, until small bubbles form and light brown spots appear on the bottom. Flip and cook for another 20–30 seconds. This step helps keep the tortillas soft and flavorful in the casserole.

Layer 6 tortillas in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the remaining shredded cheese.

Add another layer of tortillas, then top with the remaining chicken mixture, spreading it evenly.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. If your family loves extra cheesy casseroles, feel free to add another handful or two of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and the casserole is bubbling around the edges.

Remove from the oven, and serve warm.

Serving Suggestions 

This casserole is hearty enough to stand on its own, but it pairs beautifully with simple sides. Serve it with a crisp green salad or a bowl of seasoned black beans to balance the richness. Spanish rice, cilantro-lime rice, or refried beans make it feel like a full Tex-Mex spread. For something fresh on the side, sliced avocado, pico de gallo, or a simple tomato salad are all great choices. Warm tortilla chips or a slice of cornbread are perfect for scooping up every last bit of that creamy sauce. 

Notes & Helpful Tips

Shredded chicken works beautifully in this recipe and is a great way to use up leftovers or rotisserie chicken.

If you prefer a softer casserole, you can lightly cover the dish with foil for the first 10 minutes, then uncover to melt the cheese.

Pepper jack adds a little heat, while cheddar keeps things mild and family-friendly—use whichever your family prefers. 

Cheese Lover’s Tip: This casserole is easy to customize. For an extra cheesy dish, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of shredded cheese to the filling or sprinkle more over the top before baking. 

Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Rice

 Creamy Parmesan One Dish Chicken and Rice

This is a simple one-dish meal that my mom used to prepare on chilly winter days, and it has always been a family favorite. Tender, juicy chicken is simmered with rice and served in a rich, creamy sauce that’s both comforting and satisfying. Easy to make and full of cozy, homemade flavor, this dish is perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something hearty, warm, and comforting without a lot of fuss.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs.  chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 Tbs. butter

1 onion, chopped 

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. white rice

1/2 c. heavy creqm

1/2 c Parmesan cheese 

Parsley (Optional) 

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften and become translucent.

Add the diced chicken to the skillet, then season with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is lightly golden on all sides.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.

Pour in the chicken broth and add the rice, stirring well to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 17–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until creamy and well combined. Serve immediately/  Garnished with parsley, if desired

Spicy Mustard Chicken

This chicken recipe is quick and easy to prepare. You can prepare the dish in the morning and allow the chicken to marinate until supper time, or you can prepare the dish when you are ready to start supper.  The baked chicken meat turns out tender, juicy and flavorful from the tangy mustard marinade.

Ingredients

6 to 8 chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped or cut into half rings or 3/4 c. sliced shallots
2 Tbs. spicy mustard *See notes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp.  pepper
1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Put the chicken in the baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, tomato paste, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and red chili pepper flake. Mix well.

Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn the chicken over to coat both sides. Place chicken skin side up in the baking dish.

Scatter the onions over the top, allowing them to go between the chicken thighs.

Bake the chicken, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes until chicken is fully cooked, and the internal temperature is 175°F on a meat thermometer.

Serve warm. 

Notes:

I use spicy mustard, but you can use Dijon, or the mustard of your choice.

Chicken and Cannellini Beans

 

This dish brings back memories of my mother's cooking.  An easy one pot meal with tender chicken, beans, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes.  It's a hearty meal that is packed with flavor.

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs or drumsticks (about 8 pieces)
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can Cannellini beans *see note
4 potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in half
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 tsp. tarragon
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Directions

In a large pot or cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil.  

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the Dutch oven and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is browned.  Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. 

Add the onion, Cannellini beans, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, tarragon, garlic powder and crushed red pepper.  Mix well.

Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes to 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°.

Notes

If you don't have Cannellini beans, you can use any white beans you like or add in some pinto beans, garbanzo beans, or even black-eyed peas.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup 

Happy New Year!  It is now 2025.  

We just got our first snow and the temperatures have cooled down considerably.  Winter has finally arrived. It is time to start making some delicious, heart-warming soups.  Here is one of our favorites.

 Ingredients

2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. flour
6 c. chicken stock
1 1/2 c. wild rice
1 pound chicken breasts
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 c. heavy cream, milk or evaporated milk

Directions

In a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter.  

Add the onions, garlic, celery, and mushrooms.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.  Sauté until the onions are translucent. This takes, about five to seven minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the onions, garlic, celery, and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.

Add in the chicken, wild rice, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Bring the contents to a boil. Cover and lower heat.  Continue to simmer for about 35 to 45 minutes until rice is tender and the chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°.

Remove the chicken from the soup and place on a plate or cutting board.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and the bones.   Cut or shred the chicken meat into bite sized pieces.

Return the chicken meat to the pot.  With the heat on medium, return the mixture to a simmer.  Pour in the heavy cream. Cook and stir until warmed through. 

Serve and enjoy!  You can sprinkle some Parmesian cheese over the top of the soup as well.

Notes

You can use chicken 6 cups of hot water and mix in 4 to 6 cubes of chicken bouillon or 4 to 6 teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder.    Taste the broth before adding the heavy cream or milk, to see if you have enough chicken flavoring to suit your taste.  If you are using bouillon, do not add the salt to the mixture.  Your soup will be too salty.

You can also add diced carrots to the dish as well.  Just add them at the beginning of the recipe when you sauté the onions, garlic, celery and mushrooms.  

In my location, we don't have fresh mushrooms.  So I use the canned mushrooms.  Sometimes I drain the liquid out before using, but most times I do not. It adds flavor to the dish.

Easy Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

We love stir-fry and this is a quick and easy recipe that we often use. If you like more sauce, and I know we do, you can always double or triple the sauce recipe. However, I would not double the honey immediately. It is a good idea to taste it first. Then you can add more honey to get the desired sweetness you like. 

If you are short on time, or you just don't feel like chopping up the vegetables, use a package of frozen vegetables.  

This dish has so many vegetable variations, that you aren't just stuck using the same recipe twice. Use the vegetables that you and your family like best.

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil

2 c. broccoli

1 c. carrots sliced thin

1 onion, sliced into thin half rings

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 to 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (Optional)

1/4 c. chicken broth

2 tsp. cornstarch

Warm precooked rice

Directions

In a heavy cast iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat.  

Add the broccoli, carrots and onion.  Cook until the vegetables are tender. This can take around 4 minutes or so.  

Remove the vegetables to a bowl and cover with a lid or a sheet of aluminum foil. I usually use a plate to cover my bowl to keep the vegetables warm. Or you can use a CorningWare dish that has a lid.

Pour 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet that you sautéed the vegetables in. The heat should be set to medium. 

Add the chicken in a single layer.  You may have to fry the chicken in batches.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.  Fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until it is golden brown and cooked through. 

Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds. 

Add the broccoli, carrots and onion to the skillet. Cook for several minutes, or until the vegetables are warmed through. 

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, Worcestershire (if using) and cornstarch. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Taste the sauce to make sure it is sweet enough for you.  If you like more sweetness, you can add more honey.  You can also use less honey if you like your sauce to be more savory.

Pour the stir-fry sauce over the chicken and vegetables.  

Cook and stir until the sauce has thickened and everything is heated through. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes. 

Serve over warm rice if desired.

Notes:

You can add a 16 oz. package of frozen stir-fry vegetable blend instead of the fresh vegetables. Just thaw the vegetables and drain off excess water. Add them to the mixture before you add the honey and soy sauce blend.  

You can also add the kind of vegetables you like best. We add canned carrots that have been drained of the liquid. But you can add bell peppers, mushrooms, snow peas, or snap peas.

You can add some ginger, and/or red pepper flakes for a spicier flavor.