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.
If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.
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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Elizabeth Stone says
Hi! What sides have you all prepared with it?
Thanks!
Barbara Curry says
Since the sauce is so yummy, I like to pore it over rice or a baked potato.
Elizabeth .S. says
Sounds yummy! I’m making it now! Can’t wait.
Mary kidder says
Could you make this in the crock pot?
Barbara Curry says
Since this is so quick to make, I’ve never tried it in a slow cooker. Most chicken recipes woudl cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours in a slow cooker. I would not add teh grated cheese, but I think it should work ok. Let me know how it turns out.
Barbara Curry says
I like to serve it with a baked potato because you can pour the extra sauce on the potato. It also is good over rice.
Amy Martinez says
Super yummy. My new favorite chicken go to. I’m a freak for queso so this was right up my alley!! Need to find a good queso, we have HyVee grocery stores and I can’t find your recommendation…
Thanks for sharing!
Barbara Curry says
This is even better if you make your own queso, give this recipe a try.
Deborah DeWolf says
1 cup is 8oz, not 12oz. What do you mean by “rinse off” or “drain” the buttermilk?
Barbara Curry says
The chicken has been soaking in buttermilk, so take it out of the buttermilk, and run water over the chicken to rinse off the buttermilk. Then pat the chicken dry with paper towels. I hope that makes sense.
Crystal R says
You are right, 1 liquid cup is 8 oz. I think she is using a dry measuring cup, that’s why she used 12 oz. of queso.
Barbara Curry says
The weight will depend on what type of queso dip you use. You need about a cup of queso, but that’s just a quideline.
Patty says
If you wanted to add some vegetables and pasta or rice before cooking , would you alter the cooking time?
Barbara Curry says
If you add vegetables, the cooking time is probably long enough to cook most vegetables. I’m not sure there would be enough liquid to add uncooked rice. If you’re going to experiment I would cover it while cooking so that the rice could steam and see how it does, you may need to add some chicken broth. Let me know how it turns out.
Teresa says
I made it and it was delicious. Quick and easy to.
Tammy says
This might sound like a dumb question but I had a question about soaking it in the buttermilk. I’m assuming that you put it in the fridge while it soaks but I never saw andy exact instructions about that. Just checking.
Barbara Curry says
Tammy, yes you need to soak them in buttermilk in the refrigerator. Thanks for checking.
Judy Black says
Loved this easy recipe chicken came out moist and tender And I don’t care for chicken breast sent the recipe to my children to make
Barbara Curry says
Well that’s quite a compliment!
Randi says
I can’t find a jar of queso the only jars are dip would that be the same?
Barbara Curry says
Yes, you can use dip.
Kristie says
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ My entire family LOVED it
Barbara Curry says
That made my day!
Jessie says
Question, I don’t have a glass dish, only a metal one, will that do? Or does it have to be glass?
Barbara Curry says
Metal will work, just watch the cooking time. Hope you enjoy.
Michelle says
I like to meal prep. Do you think this would go good for meal prepping for the week for myself??
Barbara Curry says
I always make extra when I make this and freeze it for lunches or dinners. It freezes well and is just as good reheated!
Carrie says
What kind of queso did you use?
Barbara Curry says
I used Leigh Oliver’s found in the refrigerated section (http://leigholivers.com/product.htm) or you can use any type of queso in a jar in the chip section. Or better yet, make your own, it’s super easy. https://www.butterandbaggage.com/queso-dip/