Easy Chicken Tamale Casserole (Mexican Chicken Casserole)
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Easy Chicken Tamale Casserole is a perfect solution when you have leftover chicken, you’re craving Mexican flavors, a Mexican chicken casserole sounds delicious, and are in love with tamales but can’t set aside hours to make them from scratch. This recipe will satisfy all of that… in about 30 minutes.

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Who doesn’t love an easy Mexican-style casserole? It fits any night of the week, whether for a weeknight meal, a Friday night treat, or a weekend family dinner.
While there is no substitution for an authentic chicken tamale, this casserole is a quick and easy version that just happens to be utterly delicious!
Mexican Chicken Casserole Recipe Overview
If you’re looking for a leftover chicken recipe and are craving Mexican flavors, this is a simple but oh-so-delicious favorite.
- Recipe Time: About 35 minutes: 5 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to bake
- Kitchen Tools: 9×13 inch baking pan
- Servings: About 8 servings
History of Tamales
Tamales originated in Mesoamerica as early as 5000 BC. The first pictorial reference to this beloved dish was found in Guatemala.
The Aztec and Maya civilizations used tamales as portable food for hunting trips and traveling long distances.
Mexican Chicken Casserole Ingredients
This Mexican chicken casserole is an easy weeknight favorite. It uses mostly pantry ingredients and 2 cups of cooked leftover chicken.
Pantry Ingredients:
Gather a can of cream-style corn, a box of muffin mix, like Jiffy’s, a can of red enchilada sauce, and a small can of diced green chilis.
Dairy:
You will need one cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese, milk, an egg, and sour cream for topping.
Spices:
Two simple spices are all you need: ground cumin and ground red pepper, like cayenne.
How to Make This Tamale Casserole
This is a simple recipe to whip up quickly. Here’s how to make it:
- Preheat oven to 400° and coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, corn muffin mix, and drained chilis in a large bowl. Stir until just moist and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Liberally pierce the entire tamale surface with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over the top. Then add the cooked chicken and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top with your favorite condiments like sour cream and avocado.
More Mexican Recipes
- Butternut Squash Mexican Enchilada Casserole
- Delicious Casserole Recipes You’ll Want to Add to Your Weekly Menu
- Easy Mexican Corn Salad
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Black Beans
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Chicken Tamale Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
- 1/3 cup fat-free milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper or to taste
- 1 (14-ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1 (8.5-oz) box corn muffin mix like Jiffy
- 1 (4-oz) can diced green chiles drained
- 1 (10-oz) can red enchilada sauce
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° and coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, corn muffin mix, and drained chilis. Stir until must moist and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce the entire tamale surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over the top. Then add the cooked chicken, sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Used left over chicken, added peppers and perfect!