Creamy, cheesy, and full of Tex-Mex flavor, this easy queso chicken comes together in one pan with just a few pantry staples. Tender chicken breasts simmer in a rich queso sauce with tomatoes and chiles, and a kick of spice, weeknight comfort food without the fuss.
Are you looking for something to fix for dinner that doesn’t take much work and uses just a few ingredients. Queso Chicken is going to be you’re new “go-to” recipe when you can’t come up with something for dinner. Or maybe it’s your turn to cook during vacation and you want to find a meal that everyone will love without putting in too much effort.
With just six ingredients you’ve got a fabulous chicken dinner that both kids and adults will love.
Featured reader review
“This was the most juicy chicken breast I have ever made! Followed the recipe exactly as written & for the first time ever, no one chocked on my dry chicken breasts! Definitely a family favorite.”
Leah
While I enjoy experimenting with a ton of ingredients and making dishes with lots of steps, this is not one of those recipes.
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You basically just dump everything into a casserole dish and bake. A couple of things will help make this dish stand out. Start out by marinating your chicken.
It’s So Easy
Step 1: Marinate
All you need is buttermilk and 30 minutes, overnight is even better for tender and juicy chicken. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken in a bowl or ziplock. I usually use a glass mixing bowl (these are the ones I use because they’re easy to cover and reuse). I learned this from my mother-in-law who makes the best fried chicken in the South.
Since buttermilk is slightly acidic, it tenderizes the chicken without making it tough and helps break down the protein. Once it’s marinated, rinse the buttermilk and pat the chicken dry.
Don’t have buttermilk, learn how to make buttermilk with things you have in your pantry.
If you have a few minutes, then make homemade queso with American cheese, for the absolutely best queso around. Don’t want to take the time, I use a prepared queso from the grocery all the time. If you have some leftover, queso is great drizzled over grilled chicken or beef tacos.
If you can’t find queso dip in the refrigerated section, then use a jar of queso dip that you can find in the chip section of the grocery.
Step 2: Season
Place the chicken in a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle the chicken with taco seasoning. (this is the one I use because it cooks evenly and keeps the chicken from drying out on the edges).
Step 3: Cover it with sauce
Drain and then pour Ro-Tel Tomatoes over the top, cover with queso and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. A digital meat thermometer (this is the one I use because it gives a quick, accurate reading) should read 160º before removing from the oven. You want chicken breasts to be at 165º, but they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven, so I take them out at 160º.
You can put this together in less than 10 minutes. The tomatoes and queso, combined with the juice from the chicken, make a fantastic sauce that’s great over rice or pasta, or serve it with a baked potato and pour the cheesy sauce over the potato! The sauce is thin, not thick.
If you don’t have taco seasoning, don’t worry, it’s just a combination of chili powder, cumin, oregano, and onion and garlic pepper. For this dish, just sprinkle some chili powder and cumin on the chicken breasts.
Tools That Keep This Chicken Juicy Every Time
If you’ve ever had chicken breasts turn out dry, it’s usually not the recipe, it’s how they’re cooked.
The baking dish and pan you use make a big difference in how evenly the chicken cooks and how well it holds moisture. A good dish keeps the edges from overcooking before the center is done, which is what makes this turn out tender and juicy instead of dry.
These are the ones I use:
- 9 x 13 Pyrex – This is what I use for this recipe because it heats evenly and doesn’t dry out the edges before the center finishes cooking.
- A ceramic 9 x 13 – This looks a little nicer on the table.
- ThermoWorks Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer – This is the easiest way to make sure your chicken turns out juicy instead of overcooked. I pull it at 160° and let it rest to 165°.
- Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set – Perfect for marinating the chicken, easy to cover and clean, and I use these constantly.
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Baked Queso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 boneless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 10 ounces Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies
- 1 cup queso 12 ounces
- 1 cup pepper jack and cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place chicken in ziplock bag with buttermilk and let sit overnight or at least for 30 minutes. Drain, and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Sprinkle chicken with taco season and salt and pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
- Drain tomatoes and chilies and place half on chicken, cover with queso and place the rest of the tomatoes on top. Cover with grated cheese mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until instant thermometer reads 160º. They will continue to cook once removed from the oven.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
Recipe Tip
- For tender chicken marinate in buttermilk for 30 minutes
- If you don’t have Ro-tel tomatoes, chop fresh tomatoes and a jalapeno
- You can find queso in the refrigerated section of the grocery or on the potato chip aisle
- This is great served over rice
Nutrition
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Marigene says
Actually, queso is the Spanish word for cheese, not a particular type of cheese.
Chili con queso translates to chili with cheese.
This dish looks delicious!
Barbara Curry says
It’s always funny how words evolve. Thanks for sharing.
becky says
This was delicious but I would slice the chicken breast in half. It was too much and took 50 mins to cook.
Barbara Curry says
Slicing the chicken in half is a great idea if you have thick chicken breasts.
Barbara Moore says
Is it 12 or 8 ounces of queso?. ! cup is 8 ounces no matter what queso you use.
Barbara Curry says
I’ve found that a cup of queso, especially if it has green chilies in it, will weight about 12 ounces. It all depends on how thick it is. It’s not crucial for this recipe, but it needs about a cup of queso to coat the chicken.
Cheryl says
I thought that American cheese was used in this dish. did I miss something or was it just a substitute?
Barbara Curry says
If you want a milder flavor, than you can substitute American cheese for cheddar or pepper jack.
Suzanne says
I made this dish last night and it was delicious! I will be making this again and again. I cut the recipe in half as we are empty nesters now. Thanks for sharing.
Barbara Curry says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Suzanne, it’s so easy but still delicious. I have increased and decreased the recipe and it works fine.
Lisa Schultz says
Great easy recipe!! Had to cook about 45 minutes with my chicken breast’s though. Should I have filet the breasts in half? Thank you!!
Barbara Curry says
If the chicken breasts are large, you will have to increase the cooking time. I will fillet them if they are large and I’m in a hurry. If you soak them in buttermilk first even the very large chicken breasts will still be tender and juicy.
Jenny L says
Have you used chicken breast tenderloins for this recipe?
Barbara Curry says
Yes, they work great. You will need to adjust the cooking time based on how large the chicken breasts are.
Brett says
This recipe was excellent! It’s also really good “cold” the next day straight out of the fridge.
Barbara Curry says
Haven’t tried it cold, but good to know. Glad you liked it!
Nicki says
We LOVE this recipe. The only thing I do differently is I use two large chicken breasts sliced horizontally, and I don’t marinate in buttermilk. (I tried that once and didn’t love the results.) This recipe goes into the rotation at least once a month. I serve with black beans or Spanish rice.
Barbara Curry says
I’m so glad it’s on your rotation, it’s great for busy weeknights.
Shannon says
This was so good! All plates were clean by the end of the meal. After cooking, I sliced the chicken, and it was either eaten in a corn tortilla or over a bed of lettuce and roasted cauliflower. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Barbara Curry says
I’m so glad you liked it, and serving it in a tortilla sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to comment.